Bonhoeffer in His Times and Ours:
Please join us for learning, reflection, meditation, and (if you are a praying person) prayer inspired by the life and work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945), pastor, theologian, and anti-Nazi resister. DB's life and writings have become known around the world, from South Africa to South Korea to the U.S and Canada.
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| Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Tegel Prison, Berlin, 1944 |
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
* "soft opening" on Saturday, November 30
This online offering is a weave of three threads:
educating us about the context of Bonhoeffer's life and writings.
Excerpts from Bonhoeffer's writings
The writings, posted online, will be short enough to read in the midst of your busy life and long enough to offer a glimpse into Bonhoeffer's thought, faith, and life commitments.
This is not a course with a long syllabus and whole books to read; nor is it an exhaustive examination of DB's work. Nevertheless, this offering is representative of major themes in DB's life and work. It is an invitation to ponder deeply both the readings and their context.Spiritual exercises
This thread is optional and invites participation from Christians who wish to observe Advent together with reflection, prayer, and action inspired by DB's life and work.
This year, the 3-and-1/2-weeks-long Christian liturgical season of Advent, which precedes the 12-day season of Christmas, begins on December 1 and, as always, ends on Christmas Eve, December 24.
This online course/retreat takes place on a members-only blog.
This means the blog is accessible only to people who have registered and signed onto the blog. It will be private and will not be searchable on the internet. Conversations (taking place in the comments section of the blog posts) will be among participants and closed to all other persons.You'll sign onto the blog once (I will send directions once you have registered) and the blog will recognize you after that whenever you click its home page url.
When/how often
Participation will be on your own time (i.e., it will be--if you like to use long words-- asynchronous): check into the blog at any time that works for you, day or night.
You can check in daily if you like to have a daily anchor for your learning and meditation, but three times a week is fine, so that at the very least you pay attention to the readings.
We will have a structure and a schedule, but you are the one who decides where and when to read and ponder the materials and whether and how to apply the invitations to practice prayer or other spiritual exercises.
Register and pay in a single transaction using the secure PayPal button below.
Note: You can use the PayPal button and its secure connection to pay with a credit or debit card even if you don't have a PayPal account. The button offers you a choice of payment modalities. The PayPal mechanism will record your name and e-mail address and serve as your registration. You will receive an automated acknowledgment from PayPal and a personal e-mail acknowledgment from me.
Do I have to talk to other people on this bloggy course-retreat? I'm a very private person.
See the answer to the next question.
Can I get some support here? I want some company.
This online offering offers you a choice; it is up to you to find your preferred balance between the solitary and the communal, between privacy and solidarity.
You can and may remain private and just read the blog and use the spiritual practices and meditations on your own. Nobody will force you to speak or disclose who you are.
Or you can and may take part in conversation with other participants. Conversation takes place in writing, through the comments feature on the blog posts.
Please be prepared to observe confidentiality and to respect other participants' diverse experiences and outlooks.
Use the retreat according to your personality and your circumstances. The online retreat is like a room in which you are welcome to sit in the company of others and to be either visible or invisible.
What, no Zoom?
Because this is a meditative experience and requires time for reading and pondering, and because participants will be from different time zones, the best format for this offering is a blog.
However... if you really want and need a real-time (aka synchronous) conversation, I will include an optional, weekly Zoom, most likely on Tuesdays December 3, 10, and 17, at either 10 a.m. or 7:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) depending which (morn or eve) works better for folks.
But: 1) this does not exempt you from signing onto the blog and reading the materials there and 2) You'll have to sign up ahead of time for each Zoom session. (I don't want to set up a Zoom link and have no one show up.)Sign up for the Zoom sessions by writing me. Please indicate whether you prefer the morning or evening time; we'll go with the will of the majority. There is no extra charge for the Zoom sessions, but you are welcome to make a voluntary donation for the session(s) you attend.
P.S. What about that new Bonhoeffer movie?
I am, to say the least, highly suspicious of it. You have to make your own choices. Mine are influenced by the letter from Bonhoeffer family members and the position of the International Bonhoeffer Society. See here. Read about DB's historical context and read and ponder some of his writings. Then use your reason and your conscience.
There are other films about Bonhoeffer. But most of all I encourage you to read and study and reflect. Take some time. Cultivate a discerning mind and heart. Join us on this online exploration.
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