christianity

Besides the Word of God (the bible), there are three other books every Christian should read, if he/she is serious about their faith.

Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan; The Cost of Discipleship by D. Bonhoeffer, and this book, Life Together, by the same author. This book changed my perspective...totally, on how to live with 'my neighbour.' Think you really do love your neighbour? What about your brother and sister in the Lord? With so many church splits, arguments over trivial doctrinal issues, petty squabbles, and gossip justified as 'good ol' christian concern', this book is needed. It shows how we are REALLY to treat one another. Patterned after Christ, and based in scripture--this book is a must.

I am reading 2 Timothy as I read this book and it really brings out some of the really important elements of Christian life and the church. Both Paul and Bonhoeffer are writing from the perspective of someone who is imprisoned, who is never sure when their life may end. If fact, both are probably sure that life will end very soon. So when they write, they are writing what is truly on their hearts, bringing to their reader exhortations that they hope to leave with them that will most strengthen their faith and respective communities.

This book talks about very simple things: singing together, living together, reading together. It touches little on how to overcome politics or proper forms of leadership. What he wants most is to make sure that, of all things, we learn how to be true brothers and sisters, which can ONLY be done through Christ. Without him and His will, we can do nothing. The Christocentric nature of his writing is alomost startling, yet, like Karl Barth, is essential to understanding Bonhoeffer.

I was most affected by the chapter about reading the Bible. He refers to booklets (writeen by the Moravians in his time) that focus only on a few verses. He challenges us to read whole chapters, whole books, of the entire Bible. This is so very true today. If we even take the time to read the Bible, we don't take part in the great narrative of God's grace, in Israel's crossing of the Red Sea, of thier crying out to God for help. When God rebukes them, he also rebukes us.

Perhaps some aspects of the book are somewhat anachronistic. The part about singing is a bit opinionated. I understand his desire for true unison singing - that it captures the symbol of all God's people joining as one in Christ. But singing also can reflect diversity, the diversity of the people in our congregation joined by the words but diverse in HOW it is sung. That is how I see it. And I find his rebuke of "unmusical" singers a little elitist. What would he think of current contemporary music with instruments, a leading band, and multiple melodies? On the one hand he DOES give us necessary pause for thought - we cannot succumb to the desire to be "current" while compromising the gospel; on the other hand I think he is a bit stuffy in his comments.

What makes this a classic is that it is not just a list of exhortations, but a THEOLOGICAL work, not a take on business models for the church, or sociological ana;yses. It is a book steeped in Scripture and that is very good.

Life Together was written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer while he was in a Nazi Gestapo prison during WWII. The book's Introduction is a 6 page mini-bio of Bonhoeffer, which will inform the reader as to why he was in a Nazi Gestapo prison. He was executed by the Nazi's just weeks before the end of the war.

Life Together was written while Bonhoeffer was being held by the Nazi's. It is his short treatise on Faith in Community - what it means to be the Body of Christ. During his time in prison, Bonhoeffer undoubtedly had interaction with Christians of many denominations. This probably led to contemplation of what it meant for all of them to worship together, even in a prison camp.

The book is just five chapters:

1. Community
2. The Day with Others
3. The Day Alone
4. Ministry
5. Confession and Communion

Amazingly enough, Bonhoeffer thinks seriously and deeply about what it should be like for Christians to experience Life Together as the Church. Few current authors are packing so much in so little a book.

In the first chapter he looks at relating to one another as Jesus would have us relate to one another. He distinguishes between the worldly and the biblical concepts of living in community. His observations are astounding and would do many churches a great deal of good today.

In chapters 2 and 3, he looks at one's relationship with God as it should be lived both corporately and individually. He even gives us a glimpse of what family worship was expected to look like at that time. Again, his observations would do Christians much good today.

The chapter on ministry is outstanding, but one really cannot do it justice in just a few sentences. The final chapter on confession and communion was a mixed bag for me. His ideas on confession were pretty good. However, his beliefs on communion are different from my beliefs (he was a Lutheran, I am a Baptist). Even still, I would recommend reading this chapter with one's eyes open.

When all is said and done, this is a wonderful book. It was written in 1940's German and translated to English, so there are some places where the translation is not always the clearest. The reader should know that Bonhoeffer was not only a pastor, but also a theologian - his writing is meaty, not fluffy. For those brave enough to sink their teeth in, this book will be a great read (and probably a great re-read). There is much to learn in this little book. I even found that much of this book can be applied within the marriage context. Read, enjoy, apply it to all aspects of your life.