Eighty years ago this week on April 9, 1945 the German pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed by the Nazis just days before he would have been liberated by Allied troops. Although he is most famous for being a Christian martyr, the focus of his life and work was on living as a disciple of Jesus Christ. From the earliest days of the Nazi regime, Bonhoeffer criticized the authoritarian leadership of Adolph Hitler. The day after Hilter became Chancellor of Germany in 1933, Bonhoeffer delivered a radio address called “The Younger Generation’s Altered View of the Concept of Fuhrer” that included the following warning that still resonates today:
If the leader tries to become the idol the led are looking for–something the led always hope from their leader–then the image of the leader shifts to one of a mis-leader, then the leader is acting improperly toward the led as well as toward himself. The true leader must always be able to disappoint. This, especially, is part of the leader’s responsibility and objectivity.
In stark contrast to following Hitler, Bonhoeffer wrote and preached extensively on what it means to follow Jesus in the modern world. His most famous work written in 1937 was a book titled “Nachfolge” in German that has been widely translated as The Cost of Discipleship. It is as insightful and challenging in 2025 as it was in 1937. In the book he draws a clear distinction between following Jesus and being a “Christian nation.” The words he wrote about Germany in the 1930’s apply to our nation today:
We justified the world, and condemned as heretics those who tried to follow Christ. The result was a nation that became Christian…, but at the cost of true discipleship…Jeus and his disciples will be condemned on all sides for undermining family life, and for leading the nation astray; they will be called crazy fanatics and disturbers of the peace.
While our historical context is not the same as 1930’s Germany, Bonhoeffer’s words about authoritarian leaders and Christian nationalism are relevant to our nation in 2025. Using Christian language and imagery is not the same as following the Way of Jesus. The first video posted below comes from a documentary about Dietrich Bonheffer. It features how Hitler and the Nazis used Christian language and symbols to coopt the majority of the Church in Germany. Please watch the clip and notice how much Christian language and imagery is used to support the Nazi version of Christian nationalism. Also notice the stark contrast that Bonhoeffer provides by emphasizing the true nature of Christian discipleship. The second video posted below is a report from the PBS News Hour about the rise of Christian Nationalism in our nation.