Publisher Description

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was only thirty-nine years old when he was executed in a Nazi concentration camp in 1945, yet his courage, vision, and brilliance have greatly influenced the twentieth-century Church and theology. Particularly through his bestselling classic, "The Cost of Discipleship, "Bonhoeffer profoundly shaped such minds and movements as Martin Luther King, Jr., and Leonardo Boff, civil rights and leberation theology.

"A Testament to Freedom, "completely revised and expanded for this edition, includes previously untranslated writings, excerpts from major books, sermons, and selected letters spanning the years of Bonhoeffer's pastoral and theological career. This magnificent volume takes readers on a historical and biographical journey that follows Bonhoeffer through the various stages of his life—as teacher, ecumenist, pastor, preacher, seminary director, prophet in the Nazi era and, finally, as martyr in pursuit of peace and justice.

Author Biography

Dietrich Bonhoeffe

Description for Teachers/Educators

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was only thirty-nine years old in 1945 when he was executed in a Nazi concentration camp. However, his courage, vision, and brilliance have greatly influenced twentieth century theology. Bonhoeffer's work has profoundly shaped the thinking of many who work for spiritual, political and civil rights, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Liberation Theology proponent Leonardo Boff. A Testament to Freedom spans Bonhoeffer's all too brief pastoral and theological career and includes excerpts from his major books, sermons, and selected letters. This magnificent volume takes readers on a historical and biographical journey that follows Bonhoeffer through the various stages of his life - teacher, pastor, seminary director, and ultimately, martyr in pursuit of peace and justice. Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was a renowned and beloved Christian minister, seminary professor, and theologian who was imprisoned and later executed by the Nazis for his resistance to Hitler. He was the author of the bestselling classic The Cost of Discipleship, Life Together, and Letters and Papers from Prison. Geffrey B. Kelly is professor of systematic theology at La Salle University in Philadelphia, and author of Liberating Faith: Bonhoeffer's Message for Today. F. Burton Nelson (1920 - 2004) served as professor of Christian ethics at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago for thirty-six years, and is the author of The Story of the People of God.

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