ASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET
Date received (Office use
only)
Morling
College
STUDENT DETAILS
First Name
Min Young
Family Name/ Surname
Morling/Moodle
ID Number
Department
201000257
Course
Master of Divinity of Theology
Return
Address/email
Smyco2@hanmail.net
ACT Number
(if applicable)
Theology (on campus)
√ Theology (Distance)
 Southland College
 Plunge
Shon
201018906
 Counselling
(Distance Students)
UNIT /SUBJECT DETAILS
Unit/Subject
Code
CH502D
Lecturer’s
Name
Edwina Murphy
Unit/Subject Name
The Church from 1550 to Modern
Times
ASSIGNMENT DETAILS
Assignment
Question
In Part I of The Cost of Discipleship Dietrich Bonhoeffer contrasts cheap and costly
grace. Discuss how the context of the Lutheran Church of his day influenced his
teaching on cheap and costly grace.
Set Word
Length
1000
Actual Word Length
Due Date
27/8/2012
Extension granted until
1037
(please attach extension
form)
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Conditions
 Internal student
 Re-submission
 Other (please specify)
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Date
3/09/2012
Abstract
Bonhoeffer contrasts costly grace to cheap grace in his most popular book, The Cost of
Discipleship. His study on this subject was developed and written under the regime of Nazis,
and accordingly his idea in the book reflects his contemporary harsh political environment
which is the matter of a Jewish race and the State Church. Apparently, we see his
encouragement to act toward the world in this book, which reminds us of acting against the
unjust regime. However, the theme of the book was not wholly programmed to provoke the
action against Nazism. Rather, this theme by itself responded to the matter of injustice as it
had been developed along the orthodox reformative theology.
To the modern readers, cheap and costly grace is the most popular theme of Bonhoeffer’s
theology. In this essay, it will be shown how this theme and his contemporary environments
are interrelated. First of all, what the author intended to mean by cheap and costly grace in
The Cost of Discipleship will be addressed. And the relevant historical context will be
examined, which is the matter of Jews under Nazi regime and the State Church. In the end,
it will appear that the theme of costly grace was not solely triggered from the contemporary
political environment but also developed in response to the traditional issues of Christian
theology.
Cheap grace, being preached on the pupil with forgiveness as a general truth, instructs the
members of the church to live undistinguishably to others of the world. It is because the
dogmatic understanding of grace does not require the believers to go through a painful
experience of repentance any more.1 However, grace is never cheap but costly to be worthy
of the blood of the Son of God.2 Costly grace requires us to follow the way of Christ as the
Lord asks Peter to do with all his belongings abandoned. 3 It should be noted that this
‘requirement’ does not contradict the famous slogans such as ‘only by faith’ and ‘only by
grace’. The context which the slogans were announced is different to the one in the present
time. Luther having gone through the painful steps on the effort of living like Christ reached
the final answer of grace which requires the highest level of commitment to the one
presenting the grace. Yet, it is still grace given freely because even the recognition was led
by the sovereignty of God not by man or his formula of ‘forgiveness by grace’. To Luther,
following Christ is the major premise beyond all his theology letting it unnecessary to make a
separate statement for it. Bonhoeffer argued that it was Luther’s followers who perverted the
costly grace into cheap one. 4 A fossilized doctrine, general religious knowledge of grace for
sins made discipleship unnecessary.5 The false doctrine of justification of sins -but not of
sinners is now being dispersed, which put the whole German church at risk.6 However, the
true church is not concerned with the religious knowledge but acting with obedience to what
God wills.7
One aspect of context under which The Cost of Discipleship was written is the persecution
against Jewish race. The Third Reich had begun by Adolf Hitler’s becoming the chancellor of
1
John W. De Gruchy, Dietrich Bonhoeffer : witness to Jesus Christ, The Making of modern theology
(London ; San Francisco, CA: Collins, 1988), 156-58.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid., 159.
4 Ibid., 162.
5 Ralf K. Wüstenberg, A Theology of Life: Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Religionless Christianity (Michigan:
Grand Rapids, 1998), 15.
6 Stephen Plant, Bonhoeffer, Outstanding Christian thinkers (London ; New York: Continuum, 2004),
98.
7 Wüstenberg, A Theology of Life: Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Religionless Christianity, 14.
Germany in January, 1933. 8 The Aryan Clause was announced in April to expel Jewish
descents from the office of the German government.9 It inspired the German churches to
disapprove of pastors who had Jewish background. By the Nuremberg Laws announced in
1935, Jews were more formally isolated even marriage being prohibited with other Germans.
The Confessing Church was slow to act and failed to approve the resolution against the
policy of Nazi even though they did never agree with the policy.10 It was partly because the
Lutheran Church was kept from being involved in politics as long as the power is used to
keep order of the state. 11
The other aspect of the context is the new relationship between the church and state.
Luther’s idea of Two-Kingdoms was extremely misused and perverted under Hitler in
Germany. 12 Paradoxically, sharp distinction of two kingdoms led to bind the German
Christianity with the National Socialist. 13 In respond to Hitler’s favour toward the church,
Lutheran leaders made several remarkable statements. At conference in 1933 convened by
the bishop of Cologne-Aachen, it was affirmed that there is no universal church but only the
church rooted in the nationality. It was also declared that the state and church are both
ordained by God and the church is obliged to obey the state in every worldly matter.14 In the
same year, two famous Lutheran theologians, Althaus and Werner Elert put a document
which provide with theological background for National Socialist. In particular, they
suggested that the church do not have liberty to take actions in accordance with its own
order separately from the historical context. The church is not allowed to do something that
does not comply with the German regime. 15 At the National Synod held in Berlin in
September 1933, 80% of delegates appeared having worn in the Nazi uniform. 16 They
wished to take support from the Power by becoming the state church so that they could have
8
Eric Metaxas, Bonhoeffer : pastor, martyr, prophet, spy : a Righteous Gentile vs. the Third Reich
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010), 138.
9 Ibid., 151.
10 Ibid., 281-82.
11 Edwin Hanton Robertson, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Makers of contemporary theology (London,: Carey
Kingsgate P., 1966), 26-27.
12 Luther’s idea of Two-Kingdoms had put a profound impact on German Lutheran church in
understanding the relationship between the church and the state. Both were sacred organizations
which are used by the Divine Will. By 19th, this idea was developed to grant both the state and the
church to operate autonomously without interrelation. A Church historian, Hermann Jordan argues
that ‘independence of political life from faith is the fruit of Luther’s distinction between the two
kingdoms; Richard V. Pierard, "The Lutheran Two-Kingdoms and Subservice to the State in Modern
Germany," JETS 29, no. 2 (1986): 198.
13 It should be noted that by two kingdoms, Luther did not mean kingdoms of the state and church.
Instead, he meant the Kingdom of God and Kingdom of Evil which is also not insulated from God’s
providence; ibid., 193-95.
14 Ibid., 200-01.
15 Ibid., 201-02.
16 Metaxas, Bonhoeffer : pastor, martyr, prophet, spy : a Righteous Gentile vs. the Third Reich, 187.
a unified German church. They even believed that the opportunities of evangelism would
increase under Hitler’s reign.17
The Cost of Discipleship had been developed and written through this period. This is why
The Cost of Discipleship is often read as a resistant literature.18 With new definition of the
church19 and emphasis on discipleship, seemingly Bonhoeffer encouraged the church to act
against social injustice.20 However, it is not possible to take the whole idea of the book as
revolutionary against the Third Reich. Bonhoeffer already showed burning interest in how the
church proclaims God’s commandment into the World in the conversation with Barth in
1931.21 In US he faced the question of relation of the state and the church. He saw the
misuse of the terminology, ‘church’ there. From the experience in worship with African
Americans, he came to support the idea of the church of all races under the one Word of
God.22 Even in 1933 when the Aryan Clause is announced, Bonhoeffer did not protest the
policy itself but requested the church to play its own roles.23 More importantly, we recognize
from his sermons and teachings that the main themes in The Cost of Discipleship have been
almost completed before 1932.24
In sum, it is certain that we can see Bonhoeffer’s concerns in issues of the contemporary
world from The Cost of Discipleship. Apparently, he wanted to encourage the church and its
individuals to act appropriately toward the world. Yet, the idea found in the book was not
solely triggered from the historical context he faced. Rather, his theology of the reformation
inevitably came across the historical context at the time. Neither is the book revolutionary
nor isolated from the matters of the world. The right theology just alarms the world when it
requires.
17
Ibid., 156-57.
John W. De Gruchy, The Cambridge companion to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cambridge companions to
religion (Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999), 173.
19 In fact, his ecclesial idea goes well with his position against the policy of Nazi regime for Jews.
Bonhoeffer argued that there is only one church, which is the Church of Christ. The church is not a
simply gathering of believing souls but the body of Christ, in fact himself. No one build or divide the
church of the Lord. He also argued that the state does not have a right to interfere in the matter
affecting the membership of the church; Robertson, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 27.
20 Eberhard Bethge, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: theologian, Christian, contemporary (London,: Collins,
1970), 374.If we, the church are in discipleship, we participate in sufferings for others as united with
the Crucified
21 Ferdinand Schlingensiepen, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1906-1945 : martyr, thinker, man of resistance
(London ; New York: T&T Clark, 2010), 77.
22 Robertson, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 17-20.
23 Kenneth Hamilton, Life in one's stride; a short study in Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Grand Rapids,: W. B.
Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1968), 15.
24 Bethge, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: theologian, Christian, contemporary, 377-78.
18
Bibliography
Bethge, Eberhard. Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Theologian, Christian, Contemporary. London,: Collins, 1970.
De Gruchy, John W. The Cambridge Companion to Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Cambridge Companions to
Religion. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
———. Dietrich Bonhoeffer : Witness to Jesus Christ. The Making of Modern Theology. London ; San
Francisco, CA: Collins, 1988.
Hamilton, Kenneth. Life in One's Stride; a Short Study in Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Grand Rapids,: W. B.
Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1968.
Metaxas, Eric. Bonhoeffer : Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy : A Righteous Gentile Vs. The Third Reich.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010.
Pierard, Richard V. . "The Lutheran Two-Kingdoms and Subservice to the State in Modern Germany."
JETS 29, no. 2 (1986): 193-203.
Plant, Stephen. Bonhoeffer. Outstanding Christian Thinkers. London ; New York: Continuum, 2004.
Robertson, Edwin Hanton. Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Makers of Contemporary Theology. London,: Carey
Kingsgate P., 1966.
Schlingensiepen, Ferdinand. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 1906-1945 : Martyr, Thinker, Man of Resistance [in
Translated from the German.]. London ; New York: T&T Clark, 2010.
Wü stenberg, Ralf K. A Theology of Life: Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Religionless Christianity. Michigan:
Grand Rapids, 1998.