Michael Martin

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Creating Ethos in Uncertain Circumstances Michael Martin German edition

In 1943 Dietrich Bonhoeffer was arrested and imprisoned by the Gestapo for crimes agains the government. What the Gestapo did not know is this German Lutheran Pastor was integrally involved in the plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. During his two years of imprisonment, Bonhoeffer manages extreme circumstances, including interrogation and isolation, but is able to protect both himself and his co-conspirators through careful rhetorical practices. How does a pastor and a loyal German justify his involvement in the plot? How does he manage to make sense of what he called a time of "equivocation and pretence," a time where all were suspicious? How could a pastor who penned a book titled Ethics, ethically justify his actions? This book considers some of those questions and is for theologians, ethicists, and rhetoricians as it examines the intersection of faith, politics, and classic rhetorical theory. It is also a text which will help us understand how amazing Bonhoeffer was and how his message is still relevant for us today.