Was bonhoeffer gay

The facts in the case of Bonhoeffer are clear: he was engaged at the time of his execution, and he wrote about the fact he would die as a virgin.

Wandering through the gallery, I wasn't expecting to find a kindred spirit, much less a love like the one I found in Sebastian, another gay man who saw the world in vibrant hues like I did. Our eyes met across a crowded room of modern art, and in that instant, a future unfolded, a future where we could be proud, out, and create a beautiful life together as part of the larger LGBT family. Now, years later, I know that sometimes, the most profound love stories begin unexpectedly, painted on the canvas of ordinary days, proving that soulmates really do exist.

The facts in the case of Bonhoeffer are clear: he was engaged at the time of his execution, and he wrote about the fact he would die as a virgin. Unfortunately, the sexual revolution has made it more difficult to imagine passionate philos apart from eros. A new biography on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Strange Glory, implies that the German theologian experienced same-sex attraction toward Eberhard Bethge, his friend and confidante was bonhoeffer later wrote a biography of Bonhoeffer and oversaw the collection of his works.

His life challenges a culture that says you are your sexuality. History is replete with examples of robust male friendships that are full of affection and expressions of love and yet are not sexual. Surely, the questioner said, “it must [have been] a homosexual partnership” that gay between you and Bonhoeffer—after all, what else could Bonhoeffer’s impassioned letters have signaled?

For the Christian, such an exaggerated view of sexuality is a pernicious lie. In contrast, Sarah Pulliam Bailey reported on how different Bonhoeffer scholars and evangelical leaders have responded. He says as much:. It feeds the falsehood that, without sexual fulfillment, it is impossible for someone to live a full and engaging life.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Protestant theologian important for his support of ecumenism and his view of Christianity’s role in a secular world. But I suspect Bonhoeffer himself would dispute such a notion, and so would most people throughout history. His response is spot on:. Sure, Bonhoeffer wasn’t “gay” in our post-Stonewall sense.

The new biography, “Strange Glory: A Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer,” from University of Virginia religious studies professor Charles Marsh, implies that Bonhoeffer may have had a same-sex attraction to his student, friend and later biographer Eberhard Bethge. I think that Bonhoeffer’s love of Eberhard was one that he, Bonhoeffer, wanted to define as a kind of spiritual marriage, but Bonhoeffer’s love of Eberhard was also deeply romantic.

How do you build confidence being openly gay in spaces that aren't always accepting? His involvement in a plot to. I'm so happy to have him in my life. Post Sexual Revolution, people often define themselves by their sexual identity. Dietrich Bonhoeffer () didn’t live long, but he left an example that has inspired generations. Born into a prosperous German family, Bonhoeffer decided he would be.

In fairness to the biographer, it is certainly possible that Bonhoeffer was attracted to Bethge, even though acting on such a notion was always out of the question. Can Dietrich Bonhoeffer make a difference on the lives of twenty-first century Christians? The response to the biography has been interesting.

(RNS) A new biography is raising questions about the life and relationships of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, an anti-Nazi dissident whose theological writings remain widely influential among Christians. One should not miss the countercultural reality on display in his life. The column is frank, direct, and brutalizing. It's a constant process.

First sleepover was so cozy: was bonhoeffer gay

My first ever gay pride! The new biography, “Strange Glory: A Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer,” from University of Virginia religious studies professor Charles Marsh, implies that Bonhoeffer may have had a same-sex attraction to his student, friend and later biographer Eberhard Bethge. The new biography, “Strange Glory: A Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer,” from University of Virginia religious studies professor Charles Marsh, implies that Bonhoeffer may have had a same-sex.

This is a beautiful journey. But what Marsh’s biography tries to explore is whether Bonhoeffer may have experienced same-sex attractions and how those attractions may have led him to look for ways to love his friend Bethge. The response to the biography has been interesting. There he meets, among others, Frank Fisher, a Black were bonhoeffer gay seminarian.

In his typically understated manner, Frank Schaeffer wrote an article, “Dietrich. You are the ones who have raised the stakes that high. Dietrich Bonhoeffer () was a German pastor, theologian, ecumenist, and peace activist. What struck me in reading [the Bonhoeffer-Bethge letters], perhaps in contrast to Marsh and Stackhouse’s views, was how unwieldy our categories are—either “homosexual” or “just friends”—when it comes to classifying a relationship as profound as Bonhoeffer and Bethge’s was.

He wrote profoundly about Christian faith, community, grace, and ethics, centered in one way. The challenge for trying to narrate this complicated relationship is, on the one hand, it was a chaste relationship. * Just got married! Bonhoeffer lived faith fully — emphasis on fully — as a virgin. Bonhoeffer sails to New York and begins a teaching fellowship at Union Theological Seminary.

No biographer or scholar claims that Bonhoeffer engaged in a sexual relationship with anyone, male or female, whatever his attractions may have been. In contrast, Christians believe celibacy is not a pitiable choice but a beautiful calling. For the rest of the post…. Dietrich Bonhoeffer (German: [ˈdiːtʁɪç ˈbɔnhøːfɐ] ⓘ; 4 February – 9 April ) was a German Lutheran pastor, neo-orthodox theologian and anti- Nazi dissident who was a key.

Bethge responded by saying, no, he and Bonhoeffer were “quite normal.”. No biographer or scholar claims that Bonhoeffer engaged in a sexual relationship with anyone, male or female, whatever his attractions may have been.