Book Description
In his "Letters and Papers from Prison," Dietrich Bonhoeffer urges Christians to feel their longings for earthly realities to the fullest, and argues that such yearnings strengthen faith. This issue has been overlooked by Bonhoeffer scholars, despite its central place in the "Letters"; this study seeks to correct that oversight. Through a selective, chronological analysis of the "Ethics", this text shows Bonhoeffer progressively developing a positive view of the natural and of fallen life which undergirds his later encouragement of secular longings in the "Letters". This new perspective has rich implications for Christian anthropology and ethics. Contents: include: Earthly Desires in the "Letters and Papers from Prison" and Bonhoeffer's Pre-1939 Writings: An Introduction to the Problem; Earthly Desires in the Life of Bonhoeffer: Biographical Background of the Problem; Bonhoeffer on Earthly Desires in His "Ethics": Toward a Solution to the Problem; and Bonhoeffer on Desires: Does He Solve the Problem?

About the Author
Dr. Terrence Reynolds is Visiting Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Connecticut College and Pastor at St. Matthew-Trinity Lutheran Church.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In his "Letters and Papers from Prison," Dietrich Bonhoeffer urges Christians to feel their longings for earthly realities to the fullest, and argues that such yearnings strengthen faith. This issue has been overlooked by Bonhoeffer scholars, despite its central place in the "Letters"; this study seeks to correct that oversight. Through a selective, chronological analysis of the "Ethics", this text shows Bonhoeffer progressively developing a positive view of the natural and of fallen life which undergirds his later encouragement of secular longings in the "Letters". This new perspective has rich implications for Christian anthropology and ethics. Contents: include: Earthly Desires in the "Letters and Papers from Prison" and Bonhoeffer's Pre-1939 Writings: An Introduction to the Problem; Earthly Desires in the Life of Bonhoeffer: Biographical Background of the Problem; Bonhoeffer on Earthly Desires in His "Ethics": Toward a Solution to the Problem; and Bonhoeffer on Desires: Does He Solve the Problem?