Discipleship Paperback – 1 January 2003

One of the greatest book I had ever read...It is what Chriatian today need to read about..

I was using this book as a reference to write a theological paper. I found it particularly helpful . I have also read his biography and find him to be a very articulate writer on subjects that interest me. He is a historical icon whom I find challenging to read about .

This is an excellent scholarly edition of one of Bonhoeffer's best known works, with a very detailed note system.Bonhoeffer found himself in much the same situation as Kirkegaard (who greatly influenced him) in that both reacted against a dead Lutheran church. Like the earlier pietist movement, he also wanted to get back to faith of the real Luther, as opposed to lutheranism. He constantly criticizes the lutheranism of his day for its lack of spine, particularly in the area of repentance and obedience. Sometimes his reasoning is hard to follow and over-subtle and "churchy" rather than biblical. He is clearly influenced by late medieval pietism (the suffering Christ etc) and tends to stress this to the detriment of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He does not do enough justice to the Jewish background of most of the biblical passages that he discusses. On the other hand one has to realize that Bonhoeffer was a member of the Lutheran Church engaged in a life and death struggle with the Nazi ideology of his day. In spite of all this, his redeeming feature is that, as a (Christian) existentialist man of action, he practised what he preached and this eventually cost him his life.What I find particularly irritating with this particular edition of Bonhoeffer's work is the North American obsession with gender neutrality. It is an anachronism (and slightly dishonest) to put into Bonhoeffer's mouth gender neuter language. However, the editors are to be congratulated on using a modern translation of the Bible.

This is a book that every Christian should read. Bonhoeffer is among the twentieth centuries greatest theologians, and Discipleship (formerly titled The Cost of Discipleship in English translations) is his most popular and enduring work. In it we find the clarion call to return to simple obedience to Christ without the naiveté that can so easily creep into such a call. "A paradoxical understanding of the commandments has a Christian right to it, but it must never led to the annulment of a simple understanding of the commandments. Rather it is justified and possible only for those who have already taken simple obedience seriously at some point in their lives, and so already stand in community with Jesus, in discipleship, in expectation of the end" (80) Bonhoeffer's rejection of "cheap grace," that "mortal enemy of our church," and the accompanying call for disciples of Christ to embrace the way of the cross stands as the central thesis of the book. Such an argument, while never in fashion, is nevertheless needed for every church in every age, and nobody makes the argument like Bonhoeffer.A brief note on this edition of the book:The Bonhoeffer Works series is a must-own collection for serious students of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The updated translation is excellent, and though there are times when one longs for a particular turn of phrase from older translations there is little doubt that what is presented here is closer to the actual thought of the author. One place where the new translation is weaker (to my way of thinking) is its use of gender neutral language. I'm not opposed to changing the dominant masculine on ideological grounds, but there are times when a graceful or elegant turn of phrase becomes clunky or a the author's meaning is obscured because of it. The introductions, afterwards, bibliography, indexes, and extensive notation apparatus are invaluable tools that enable the reader to go deeper into the text when he/she wants to without being so obtrusive that they preclude him/her from simply taking in the words of the author.

Bonhoeffer is a powerful writer that has amazing and profound insights into theological concepts and Scripture that I have wondered about for years. I will definitely recommend this book if ever I have a conversation about the Beatitudes.I haven't personally read the old translation, but I have read from other reviews that it was quite old-fashioned and in need of improvement. This new version is really nice to read and given all the explanation about the translation work and the footnotes, you have confidence that you are reading what Bonhoeffer intended.

The product was fine and reasonable price.