What “Bonhoeffer” says about the role of the church in society
Standing in the wake of the new wave of antisemitism propaganda that has arisen over the past year, the new movie Bonhoeffer produced by Angel Studios delivers a powerful reminder of the dark past.
Set during the events of WWII, Bonhoeffer recounts the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young German pastor who refused to assimilate to Hitler’s takeover of the German church. His zeal and passion for the protection of God’s Word and the Jewish people eventually led him to join in on an assassination attempt against Hitler, an attempt which led to his imprisonment and death.
People can argue Bonhoeffer’s morals and the movie’s closeness to the true story all they want, but those aren’t the elements that left me in tears when the movie was over. It was the spirit, the courage, and the love of God and country I felt from the movie’s namesake that left me speechless. For me, this movie wasn’t so much about one man’s fight against tyranny, but about the role of the Christian church against violence.
As a Christian myself, I am not ignorant to the mistakes and grievances of the church throughout history. Even modern churches, who claim to be more accepting and inclusive, have strayed just as far from the original teaching and purpose of the church as those who led the Crusades did. These errors grieve me more than anything else, and a part of me does not blame the negative view people have of Christianity today. This is why I believe the message of Bonhoeffer to be so important: it re-centers a common misconception about the church back to reality. The misconception? That churches need to take sides with politics.
Nowhere in Jesus’ teachings or in the writings of the New Testament Apostles is it ever mentioned that churches should pander to a certain political party, candidate, or power to gain favor or increase attendance. In fact, that sort of compromise is largely discouraged.
In the Bible it says, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first,” Jesus says in John 15, “If you belonged to the world, it would love you . . . As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (John 15: 18-19).
The story of the New Testament makes it clear: neither Jesus, Paul, or any of the apostles were held in high esteem by either the religious or political leaders of their time, and they were just fine with that. Why is it then, that we feel this extreme need, Christian or not, to pander our beliefs and alliances to a political candidate, party, or cause?
This is the exact situation we see in Bonhoeffer. The German church, either too afraid of the consequences or too blind to see the outcome, was willing to cater to Hitler’s blasphemous ideology and rhetoric, placing him on a pedestal above God. Bonhoeffer saw this, how the church was standing aside amidst the destruction of millions, and knew there had to be a change.
In the movie, Bonhoeffer’s first sermon reiterated some of Jesus’ harshest words for all of the people in attendance: hypocrites, whitewashed tombs, and brood of vipers. Who were Jesus and Bonhoeffer addressing with these words? The teaching of those who took the Bible and twisted it to their own ideologies, simultaneously twisting the church away from its intended purpose.
I think the biggest takeaway from this powerful movie, and one that I’ve come to from my personal reading of the Scriptures, is that the church is not meant to be about power. It never has been. The role of the church in society is quite simple: the church is asked to teach people about their spiritual need for salvation, but also to speak out and confront the evils that are being perpetrated in the lives of others. The Bible says that Christ, during his time on earth, reached out to the oppressed, the marginalized, the outcasts, the sick, the hungry, – those who knew they needed his saving grace – and gave them the way to be united with him forever. This is the purpose God has called the church to.
Why are Christians leaving the work and ministry that God placed into our hands onto the desk files of a party or candidate that’s ultimately going to let us down in some way? Providing for the homeless should be a ministry of the church, not the state. Taking care of widows, single mothers, orphaned children – these are the people God commanded Christians to bring His message to, and yet Christians are leaving them to the hands of a faithless government. Jesus did not pour his blood, sweat, and tears into the cross for Christians to argue over which candidate they voted for at Thanksgiving.
The minute someone else holds the center of attention at the church, whether that be a political candidate, a pastor, or a new ministry, churches lose their purpose. Christ should be at the center of all that Christians do. As Jesus did, Christians are meant to reach into the darkest places to people they may not even agree with, and show them the path to life.