Posts Tagged ‘Bonhoeffer’

Jude: Building one another up in an upside down world

UnknownIt doesn’t take much to convince us that something is not right—the world is not the way it is supposed to be. For Christians, there is a kind of clarity to this judgment: we live in a “fallen world” and look forward to the day when God will fully restore all of creation to its pre-fallen state. But for now, it is as if the world is turned upside down.

Is it ever ok to lie? Bonhoeffer on Truth-telling and Deception

images-1Is it ever morally permissible to tell a lie? On one end of the spectrum we find the philosopher Immanuel Kant, who argues that it is never, under any circumstance, permissible to lie. To lie, according to Kant, would be to act in a way that is less than rational (hence, less than human) and to treat others as a means instead of an end. On the other end of the spectrum, the situational ethicist, the relativist, and the ethical egoist, may argue that lying is morally permissible at anytime and in any situation, given the desired outcome.

Bonhoeffer, the Church, and the Consequence of Ideas

imagesWhat is the church? This question seems, for many, disconnected from any real-world payoff. After all, it is a question for theology; a question for those who think the Bible has something interesting to say. It’s a question for those interested in splitting hairs and marking out the boundaries between orthodox belief and heresy. Such a question is surely…obviously…of little importance to anyone outside the church. Right?