Overview

In Faith in the Face of Tyranny, Torbj rn Johannson looks at the work that Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Hermann Sasse brought to the forgotten Bethel Confession of 1933 to show just what a confessional response to national socialism and racism looks like. This work is relevant for today, when there are often calls for new confessions and declarations addressing different political ideologies, issues, and movements. Faith in the Face of Tyranny shows what such a confession should look like and why, as well as what considerations should be taken into account when looking at such a project.

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9781956658668

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Faith in the Face of Tyranny: An Examination of the Bethel Confession Proposed by Dietrich Bonhoeffer & Hermann Sasse in August 1933 is a most welcome addition to the body of scholarship on the history of the church under the Third Reich; but its value is not limited to academic researchers. This book is worthy of careful reading and reflection by pastors and lay people who struggle with questions of how the church bears witness with integrity before the powers of this age. John T. Pless Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne, IN Lesser known than the Barmen Declaration, the Bethel Confession, authored by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Hermann Sasse, witnesses to Christian resistance against Nazi anti-Semitism and its infiltration into the church. Indeed, more than Barmen, the Bethel Confession powerfully called out Protestant compromise with Nazism because of its forthright loyalty to the Lutheran Confessions. Johansson provides a superb introduction to the Bethel Confession and commends it as a model for countering contemporary idolatries. Mark Mattes Lutheran Bible Institute Chair in Theology Grand View University Des Moines, Iowa This discerning, insightful analysis of this confession of the faith demonstrates how Sasse and Bonhoeffer constructed it aptly for their context a century ago. At the same time Johansson astutely makes clear how their words continue to fit into our time and place, speaking most clearly to a time such as ours. Robert Kolb Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology Concordia Seminary, Saint Louis USA Dr. Johansson has done the church a service with this slender book. It is as accessible as it is relevant. As Christians today navigate life in a world of increasing cultural anxiety, political extremism, and religious confusion, Bonhoeffer and Sasse prove useful guides. Carefully situating the Bethel Confession within its historical and theological context, Johansson unpacks its significance and demonstrates its enduring weight, giving the confession and the steadfast labor that went into it well-deserved promotion. Wade Johnston Wisconsin Lutheran College, Milwaukee, WI Associate Professor of History and Theology

"Lesser known than the Barmen Declaration, the Bethel Confession, authored by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Hermann Sasse, witnesses to Christian resistance against Nazi anti-Semitism and its infiltration in the church. Indeed, more than Barmen, the Bethel Confession powerfully called out Protestant compromise with Nazism because of its forthright loyalty to the Lutheran Confessions. Johansson provides a superb introduction to the Bethel Confession and commends it as a model for countering contemporary idolatries. Mark Mattes Lutheran Bible Institute Chair in Theology Grand View University Des Moines, Iowa While it was eclipsed by the unionistic Barmen Declaration of 1934, the Bethel Confession of August 1933 stands as a testimony to the courageous efforts of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Hermann Sasse to use genuine Lutheran theology to critique the rise of National Socialism. Dr. Torbj�rn Johansson provides readers with a fine historical introduction and a robust theological commentary on the Bethel Confession, demonstrating that this document is timely model for Lutherans in the twenty-first century. Sasse complained of how the Lutheran churches needed to be awaken from their ""dogmatic slumbers"" to confront satanic lies with the truth of Christ. While recognizing differences between Bonhoeffer and Sasse, Johansson demonstrates that they shared a common allegiance to the Holy Scriptures, a reliance on Luther's theology, and a commitment to the Book of Concord. The Bethel Confession is a condensed systematic theology, demonstrating the vitality of Lutheran teaching to address contemporary issues. Faith in the Face of Tyranny: An Examination of the Bethel Confession Proposed by Dietrich Bonhoeffer Hermann Sasse in August 1933 is a most welcome addition to the body of scholarship on the history of the church under the Third Reich; but its value is not limited to academic researchers. This book is worthy of careful reading and reflection by pastors and lay people who struggle with questions of how the church bears witness with integrity before the powers of this age. John T. Pless Concordia Theological Seminary Fort Wayne, IN"

Author Information

Torbj rn Johansson (Theol. Dr., Lund University) is Rector of the Lutheran School of Theology in Gothenburg, Sweden. He teaches systematic theology and is a member of the Curatorium of the Lutherakademie Ratzeburg-Sonderhausen. Pastor, husband, and father, Bror Erickson resides in Fort Morgan, Colorado, with his wife Laura, and is a PhD student at the Institute of Lutheran Theology, as well as a 1517 Fellow. He enjoys preaching the gospel at Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Fort Morgan, Colorado, as well as hunting upland game with his dog Grinner, when he isn't translating the works of Bo Giertz.

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