Bonhoeffer’s Stellvertretung: A Christ-Like Ecclesial Ethic for Serving “Galilean” Neighbors

As part of our Creating Space for Conversations series, we share a PDF of an article by Will Fredstrom, Bonhoeffer’s Stellvertretung: A Christ-Like Ecclesial Ethic for Serving “Galilean” Neighbors, from A Chosen Nation?, an issue of Word and World, Luther Seminary’s journal of theology.

“The ideas of America as either a “Christian” or “post-Christian” nation both reduce a complex relationship between church and state to a simplistic one. If the church is, as Bonhoeffer states, a representative of Christ’s redemptive presence in the world, then the church is primarily bound to serving all neigh- bors, both directly and through cooperation with the state.” —Will Fredstrom

Word & World is Luther Seminary’s quarterly journal of theology concerned with Christian ministry in and for the world. They explore how Christian thinking relates to questions posed by contemporary life.