Who was Dietrich Bonhoeffer?
Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Image provided by Encyclopædia Britannica
76 years ago today theologian and dissenting minister of religion Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed at Flossenbürg concentration camp. German born and raised, he opposed Nazi dictatorship and championed Christian discipleship despite the cost.
His participation in rescuing Jews, his refusal to cooperate with the Nazification of the German Church, and his links to plots to overthrow Hitler eventually led to his downfall.
After being arrested in April 1943, he spent the next two years in detention. Firstly, in Tegel Prison, Berlin awaiting trial. Then he was sent to Buchenwald concentration camp. And finally he was transferred to Flossenbürg for a quick show trial. He was hanged the very next day, on 9th April 1945, just one month before Germany surrendered. During his detention he suffered both physically and psychologically; the manner of his death was also possibly more cruel than some biographies state.
During his time in prison he lived a life devoted to Christ, sharing God’s offer of salvation with fellow prisoners and prison officers. He also wrote fervently to friends, family, and his fiancée. Posthumously his letters and some of their replies were compiled into a well-known book, Letter and Papers From Prison. Reading these letters is both encouraging and humbling.
CONSIDERING the suffering
Memorial plaque to Bonhoeffer and others at the site of his execution
Bonhoeffer understood suffering more than most. His faith in Christ led to his own suffering and death. He was a righteous man who knew what it was to take up his cross and follow his Lord Jesus, who was tortured and executed for us on Good Friday, just as the first disciples were taught:-
Then he [Jesus] said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
(Luke 9:23)Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
(Matthew 5:10)
Bonhoeffer had lived experience of these gospel passages. And during his imprisonment, Bonhoeffer reflected on the suffering of others that he was witnessing:-
We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.
(Letters and Papers from Prison)
How true. Yet how often do we fail to evaluate people in light of their past, their trauma and their suffering, rather than reacting directly to their words and behaviour?
Behaviour of mentally unwell detainees is often misunderstood, resulting in them being restrained and even fixated unnecessarily
In medicine we are privileged to see people at the very beginning and end of their lives. We bear witness to heart-breaking moments and life-changing situations. Human beings are fragile. In times of tension, emotions run high. Unpleasant outbursts happen, filled with anger and blame. Some patients turn repeatedly to vices we wish they would stop for the sakes of their health and family.
Yet despite all this they are still children of God, valued and respected by Him. A good healthcare professional will see beyond what their patient is doing or saying, choosing instead to view the behaviour or words through the lens of their troubles.
And outside of the healthcare arena also, we should be challenged by this piece of wisdom. We need to look for the inestimable worth and dignity of our fellow human beings. Let’s give one another the respect each one of us deserves, whether we are free or behind bars.
JamMING The Wheel
Also whilst behind bars, Bonhoeffer wrote what may be his most famous quotation:-
We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.
(Letters and Papers from Prison)
Medieval torture wheel
This sentence encapsulated all that he lived for. He did not simply write and teach on the morals and ethics of the Christian life. He lived it too. His firm belief was not just in helping those crushed by the weight of this world’s injustices, but in radically intervening for the oppressed and averting the course of injustice so as to stop ‘the wheel of injustice’ from moving on to crush others in the future. And it cost him his life.
Detainees are one of the world’s most vulnerable patient groups. Without their freedom, they have very little power to express their rights. And in many countries detainees who are unwell, disabled, poor or from a minority background are especially vulnerable.
JAMMING WHEELS TODAY
Logo of our expertise and advocacy services
As a medical organisation with a heart for detainees, we are all too familiar with wounds in need of literal or metaphorical bandaging. Whilst performing holistic healthcare, we also see the overwhelming need to advocate for our patients and to take a stand against the injustices many of them are facing. So in our own way we are trying to ‘drive a spoke into the wheel’ of injustice towards detainees, through our expertise and advocacy services.
As a Christian faith-inspired organisation, we will be forever encouraged in our work by the great example of Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Yet it is not a choice. God commands all of His followers to advocate for the disempowered:-
Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.
(Proverbs 31:8-9)
Dr Esme MacKrill with Dr Rachael Pickering
PS If you’d like to support our anti-torture & ill-treatment work, we welcome donations towards the Gerry Serrano Centre.