Living Deep: Beyond Superficial Faith

In his Ethics, which partly reflects Bonhoeffer's effort to clarify and even lay the moral foundations for a new societal order, the leading Christological question was about "Gestaltung" Anthonissen Within this context the church as God's most important order or mandate within the structure of society represents that part of humanity where Christ initially takes form, thereby serving as the first sign of a new humanity.

As such the church is called through its communal life, to exemplify the suffering Christ's inclusive and sacrificial love, thus reminding the world of its destination Anthonissen To express the unique character of the church as an alternative and completely inclusive community Bonhoeffer introduced the term "Gemeinwesen" Day In this "Gemeinwesen" or convivial togetherness, being a Christian and being human come together. The church becomes a space where human beings reach out to each other like Christ, caring and even suffering for one another. In alliance with each other they may now also enjoy play and friendship, thereby celebrating the resurrection of Christ.

In his Letters and Papers from Prison where Bonhoeffer was reflecting on the conditions for and especially on the form of the Christian faith in a modern secularized society, he took his reflections on the credible witness of the church as a unique and alternative community even further. Answering the leading Christological question of the time: That is the place where the church as the body of Christ needs to be. In fact Bonhoeffer in Thomas Day's words, proposed: As the heart of human sympathy the church would be the starting point to winning free space in the world for art and education, for free friendship, play, the whole of what Kierkegaard called 'aesthetic existence', a place where everything serves the community and community serves others.

Reflecting on the relevance of Bonhoeffer's ecclesiology and especially the ongoing challenge it entails for the church to become more credible, his notion of the church as an alternative community remains without doubt one of his most potent and valuable legacies. Thomas Day expressed the importance of this basic notion and thrust in Bonhoeffer's theology best when he wrote: It is no surprise that this particular focus on true community as the vital key, if not the crucial prerequisite for a more credible life and witness of the church in the world, has inspired many to explore and test Bonhoeffer's suggestions.

They have rightfully recognized that community not only expresses the heart of what a truthful church is all about, but also the place to which the gospel wants to constantly lead us - and that for the sake of a more just and humane world. In the words of the Franciscan writer Richard Rohr: Until and unless Christ is someone happening between people, the gospel remains largely an abstraction.

This of course latches on to Bonhoeffer's own observation: Bonhoeffer's concept of the church as community first of all reminds us that a church which is only geared to serve the so-called eternal needs of the individual can miss and even distort its real purpose.

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Writing in an extremely helpful way Richard Rohr gives interesting insight in what this distortion is and why it happened: But history has shown that individuals who are confirmed in their individualism by the very character of our evangelism will never create church, except after the model of a service station: We are saving souls while God is creating people" Rohr But the cause that I want to deal with is a certain kind of apathy, a fear of passion" Rohr Rohr's remark, apart from offering an interesting historical analysis, also draws our attention to the positive challenge that Bonhoeffer's concept of the church as an alternative community offers us.

This challenge is to become and at the same time offer a space where people from all walks of life, including Christians from different countries, traditions, cultures, sexes, classes and races can come together to really meet and serve each other.

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Of what can happen where people are drawn into real community and have an honest encounter with one another, Rohr writes grippingly: Here it is OK to show affection It is acceptable to feel here, and you do not have to be ashamed or afraid. We need quite simply places of sharing where the Word can be shared, and where hearts and bread can be broken and passed around If the church is to be renewed, if family is to happen anywhere, we must again make it possible for heart to speak to heart" Rohr For Bonhoeffer a church that risks following the incarnated Christ can never retreat into a ghetto, but is from the outset, exactly like her Lord, directed towards and involved in the world.

The church is not only an end in itself, but also a means to an end. The theological basis and impulse for this involvement was for Bonhoeffer throughout his life informed and guided by the notion of life orders, or as they were later called and explained in his Ethics, as "divine mandates". These mandates which consist of the church, marriage and family, culture and the state were to Bonhoeffer's mind life forms created by God. By existing and functioning together in harmony, interacting in a cordial and healthy way, these mandates express the will of God, thereby guaranteeing the necessary peace and justice society so desperately needs.

However, when one of these mandates, like in the time of Hitler's totalitarian state, oversteps its boundaries and claims the dominant place in this delicate network, it not only disturbs the God- given order in society, but also starts to erode the moral fibre and crucial human values that are so vital for the wellbeing, harmony and happiness of a society Anthonissen Then the time has arrived, according to Bonhoeffer, for the church as God's most important mandate to step in and to testify to God's will.

Bonhoeffer did not believe that it was the church's first calling to provide a recipe devised to solve the problems of the world.

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No, the church needed under all circumstances to remain a credible witness to its Lord by simply staying true to its own unique identity as the body of Christ, believing that the unique form of community that it represented and embodied - that is a community of reconciliation, love and forgiveness - is not only an image of a new humanity, but a first sign of God's love for all humanity, the crucial reminder of society's real purpose and destination Huber Being a sign or image of God's love of course does not exclude the courageous and prophetic proclamation of God's word but actually calls for it.

In fact the word of God and the authority of the preacher, is seen by Bonhoeffer as a vital key to and source of the church's ongoing existence, while the unique form of the church is the visible expression of the effect and influence of God's word in the church's life. In this way the church becomes the place of Christ's presence.

To express the importance and urgency of this challenge to continuously and bravely witness to the world, not only by speaking a prophetic word through preaching, but also by appealing to the world through the way in which the church exists, Bonhoeffer coined the almost provocative phrase, that the church should heed to the commandment of the hour. This challenge was not only put to the local church, but also to the ecumenical church Anthonissen As the situation in Germany worsened and the pressure on the church to conform grew, Bonhoeffer's view of the manner in which the church should involve and address the challenge of the hour also changed.

Whereas in earlier years the prophetic witness which Bonhoeffer expected of the church was to prepare a way for the word of God to be heard more clearly, allowing for the church to engage more cordially and patiently with the state , his expectation at a later stage changed. In his Ethics and his Letters from Prison, he for instance suggested a more drastic, open and confrontational character, expressed specifically by the word "responsibility" Anthonissen In a way the notion of "responsibility" characterizes Bonhoeffer's conviction of this ongoing obligation of the church to bravely render its witness to the world.

As Bonhoeffer's reflections on Christ's place and work in the world developed this responsibility became more urgent. It included not only official members of the church, but all those who were prepared to suffer for the oppressed. Listening to this presentation one can easily get the impression that Bonhoeffer was primarily a social activist, whose main interest was the church's ongoing involvement with the issues of society; that his effort to render the community credible, was geared only to witness in public.

Of course this is only partly true. For Bonhoeffer there was also a mystical core at the centre of his own life and also at the heart of the church as the body of Christ, which not only served as a nourishing source for himself and the life of the community, but also for its testimony in the world. It is the space where Christ himself enters the heart of his followers through his Word and Spirit and where the church - by practising amongst other things the disciplines of solitude, silent contemplation, prayer, meditation and confession - is able to receive and be consoled, and yes, even changed by the gift of God's love and grace.

How this spiritual gift should be received, embraced and nurtured is wonderfully expressed by Bonhoeffer in one of his last letters to Bethge on 21 August This more contemplative spirituality and pious commitment to Christ, was an indispensable part of Bonhoeffer's life. Not only did this commitment, shortly after his return from America, change his life and moved him during his time as a lecturer and pastor in Berlin to confront some of his students with the very personal question whether they loved Jesus - it is also well known how he nurtured this relationship with the living Christ himself through the regular practice of reading the Bible and prayer Bethge A vital part of the training of students in Finkenwalde within the relatively isolated context of community, was also the practising of these old disciplines, helping the Confessing Church at that time to be more prepared and defensible against the looming crises GS I: Even after Finkenwalde had to be shut down Bonhoeffer received letters from Finkenwalde students, thanking him for introducing them to the discipline of meditation Bethge In prison Bonhoeffer maintained the daily discipline of Scripture meditation and prayer he had been practicing for more than a decade.

Each morning he meditated for at least half an hour on a verse of Scripture. He also interceded for his friends and relatives, and for his brothers in the Confessing Church who were serving on the front. In one of his last letters to Bethge Bonhoeffer shares how he meditated on the Moravian daily readings "Losungen" , remarking that all boils down to being in Him, Christ Bethge But for Bonhoeffer the practice of these disciplines was not only a personal necessity, it was also an unfailing condition for a credible and meaningful testimony of the church in the world. For it is only when God is allowed to serve his followers in spaces of silence and prayerful expectation with his love, that their words and witness will also have power and meaning.

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That is why the so called cultus or inner life of the church is always extremely important for Bonhoeffer, also when suggests that the church has to interpret and live the gospel in a new non-religious way. What that would entail was never properly spelled out by Bonhoeffer, but he did give a clue by referring to the importance of the so-called disciplina arcana Anthonissen The disciplina arcana encompassed those disciplines which from earlier ages formed the sacred heart of the church's existence.

They were vital in protecting the church from rendering its message profane and impious. It is necessary to remind ourselves as believers of the importance and necessity to always in the way we live and testify to our faith, retain this balance between solidarity and silence, between social involvement and prayer?

Concerning this I want to highlight just one more aspect of this challenge - an aspect that Bonhoeffer himself stressed during his time at Finkenwalde - and which concerns the issue of theological training. Shortly before his return from London to take up the position as Director for Theological Training in Finkenwalde, he wrote to Erwin Sutz: In the case of all three these things this is currently not happening at the University" GS I: Later on 19 September , after Bonhoeffer had already practised theology in the context of a caring community in Finkenwalde, he shared his conviction in this regard with Karl Barth: That both our theological work, as well as a real caring and pastorally-inclined community can only grow in a kind of life together which is determined by regular morning and evening gatherings around the Word, and by established times for prayer, is for sure" GS II: Finally, in a letter to his brother Karl-Friedrich during this time, it becomes clear how he visualised the renewal of the church: These thoughts seem to me to be of extreme importance for the training of a next generation of pastors and theologians in our own context.

In this regard I finally want to share a story, if not a keen observation, which to my mind highlights some of the problems as well as some of the main challenges we face in this regard. According to a former student of this faculty, who in the meantime has become a lecturer at another University, most students when they come to study theology are usually quite pious and naive.

In fact it is exactly because of this piety, which mostly implies a strong sense of vocation that they come to study theology. However, during the course of their training they are inevitably exposed to the newer critical, historical and hermeneutical research and discourses which for many are a positive, liberating and enlightening experience, broadening their horizon and also stimulating a more rational engagement with the traditional concepts of their faith, often making them leave behind many of these concepts and the practices related to them.

For others, however, this introduction into the more critical tradition, is perceived as an erosion and even, in some cases, an undermining of their traditional piety and faith, leaving them with nagging doubt, growing confusion and even outright resistance or indifferent cynicism. In both cases a glaring spiritual vacuum often remains, one which, according to my colleague, requires a spirituality which can, on the one side help the more critically minded students to regain a so-called "second naivety", not forgetting or neglecting the disciplines of prayer, silence, meditation and even fasting.

On the other hand such a spirituality needs to restore new confidence in the authority of Scriptures for those who have become disillusioned while guarding at the same time against the dangers of fundamentalism and self-complacency. It would not be out of place to think of Bonhoeffer's suggestions in this regard - suggestions which in short amount to a critical revision of our current model of theological training, undergirding and complementing it with a tested spirituality which should be practiced and appropriated within the context of a nourishing and caring community.

The vital ingredients of this spirituality should be those which over the centuries have proved themselves to provide the so-called "spiritual armour" referred to in Ephesians 6. This armour has rendered most of the apostles fireproof in difficult situations. On a personal note: Consequently a first path that leads to the discovery of God is an attentive contemplation of creation.

Again, St Augustine was to write a famous sentence in which he says that God is more intimate to me than I am to myself cf. Confessions III, 6, This is another aspect that we risk losing in the noisy and dispersive world in which we live: The Catechism of the Catholic Church says: We must not forget, especially in the situation of our time, that the life of faith is a path which leads to the knowledge of and encounter with God.

Those who believe are united to God and open to his grace, to the power of his love.

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Thus their existence becomes a witness, not of themselves but of the Risen One, and their faith does not hesitate to shine out in daily life, open to dialogue that expresses deep friendship for the journey of every human being and can bring hope to people in need of redemption, happiness, a future.

Faith, in fact, is an encounter with God who speaks and works in history and converts our daily life, transforming within us mentalities, value judgements, decisions and practical actions. Faith is not an illusion, a flight of fancy, a refuge or sentimentalism; rather it is total involvement in the whole of life and is the proclamation of the Gospel, the Good News that can set the whole of the person free. A Christian and a community that are active and faithful to the plan of God who loved us first, are privileged paths for those immersed in indifference or in doubt about their life and action.

However, this asks each and every one to make their testimony of faith ever more transparent, purifying their life so that it may be in conformity with Christ.

In fact, at the root of every doctrine or value is the event of the encounter between man and God in Jesus Christ. Christianity, before being a moral or an ethic, is the event of love, it is the acceptance of the Person of Jesus. For this reason the Christian and Christian communities must first look and make others look to Christ, the true Way that leads to God. I also greet the El Shaddai European Convention. I welcome the Westminster Cathedral Choir and I thank them, and the other choirs present, for their praise of God in song. I address an affectionate welcome to the Italian-speaking pilgrims, especially the parish groups, associations and students.

I greet the participants of the Forum organized by Caritas Internationalis and the missionaries, priests and lay people who are taking part in the course organized by the Pontifical Salesian University: How we answer these questions can have a profound impact on the future spirituality or superficial faith of those impressionable children.

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Now, I hope you are equally shocked by even the possibility of responding the 2nd way as I am. Many non-believers started out as Christian children and they had questions. Poorly answered questions or rebuke led to their lack of belief. They had questions…lots of them.

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How questions were answered, in many ways, increased their superficiality and led to their lack of belief. There are people who can hear a simple truth and believe it without needing to dig much deeper. Jesus referred to this as having the faith of a child Mark Then there are people, much like me, who require more intellectual responses.

We NEED to understand. Having a superficial belief is not an option for us. So, how do you respond to intellectually skeptical children…especially when they are young, confused, questioning…and yet still open? Again, we have two choices. I urge you to choose 1. Treat them like true seekers that are important enough for us to give a reasoned response, regardless of their age. Work WITH them to find the answers. This way you will both develop a reasonable faith. Here is a quote from author Stephanie D. Instead of my Sunday school teacher answering my questions, and addressing my deep concerns, he conversely scolded me, hauling my rational queries over the coal.

He then admonished me to desist from asking such probing questions anymore, but to just believe and accept whatever the church told me. Here is another quote from a conversation I had with another Atheist: