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Between Resistance and Submission
Bonhoeffer, Luther, and Christian Witness as Political Theology
Between Resistance and Submission
Bonhoeffer, Luther, and Christian Witness as Political Theology
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Description
Is there a place for Bonhoeffer's political theology within contemporary society? With the continued interest in Bonhoeffer's theology and life there has been an emergence of divergent voices claiming that our political climate has created a series of Bonhoeffer Moments. But what, precisely, is a Bonhoeffer Moment and does it signal that Bonhoeffer's political theology is of continued use?
These questions form the centre of Blanton's project. Bonhoeffer's theology combines his specific historical context alongside the influence of Luther's theology. Blanton deftly analyses Bonhoeffer's political writings with these influences in the background.
The first half of this work focuses on explicating the importance of these influences and highlights various issues which emerge when Bonhoeffer is read outside of them. The second half, then, turns to Bonhoeffer's writings themselves, covering over a decade of his work.
Ultimately, Blanton highlights how Bonhoeffer's political theology falls somewhere between resistance and collaboration. Bonhoeffer's political responsibility is distinctly rooted in the willingness to live into God's command and bear responsibility for the neighbour. It is a qualified action that does not easily lend itself to full-scale action or adoption, but in its emphasis on individual responsibility, does have a place in the modern political discourse.
Table of Contents
2. Exploring John De Gruchy's Use of Bonhoeffer's Political Theology in a Reformed Context and the Limitations of Reading Bonhoeffer Outside of Luther's Theology
3. The Political Theology of Martin Luther
4. Ethics as Paradigm for Political Theology
5. The Continuity of Bonhoeffer's Political Theology, 1933-1943
6. Bonhoeffer Moments: Continued Applicability of His Political Thought
Bibliography
Index
Product details
| Published | 14 May 2026 |
|---|---|
| Format | Ebook (PDF) |
| Edition | 1st |
| Extent | 224 |
| ISBN | 9780567713872 |
| Imprint | T&T Clark |
| Series | T&T Clark New Studies in Bonhoeffer’s Theology and Ethics |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
About the contributors
Reviews
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“Bonhoeffer moments” are everywhere, and are frequently unmoored from any understanding of how Bonhoeffer actually thought. But in Claire Hein Blanton's nuanced and careful work, we have a fulsome vision of how Bonhoeffer reasoned about the Christian life, service to neighbors, and resistance to the powers. Excellently sourced and historically rooted, her work sets the highest bar for understanding how Bonhoeffer thought about Christian political life.
Myles Werntz, Associate Professor of Theology, Albiene Christian University, US
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Blanton retrieves Bonhoeffer within his Lutheran and historical contexts, reconstructing his political theology with clarity and restraint. She challenges prevailing assumptions, confronts contemporary political self-righteousness, and offers a disciplined, constructive way to appropriate Bonhoeffer's witness without the distortions that have marked so much recent interpretation.
Dallas Gingles, Associate Professor of Practice in Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics, Southern Methodist University, United States

























