John W de Gruchy

Despite Dietrich Bonhoeffer's earlier theological achievements and writings, it was his correspondence and notes from prison that electrified the postwar world six years after his death in 1945. The materials gathered and selected by his friend Eberhard Bethge in Letters and Papers from Prison not only brought Bonhoeffer to a wide and appreciative readership, especially in North America, they also introduced to a broad readership his novel and exciting ideas of religionless Christianity, his open and honest theological appraisal of Christian doctrines, and his sturdy, if sorely tried, faith in face of uncertainty and doubt. This splendid volume, in many ways the capstone of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, is the first unabridged collection of Bonhoeffer's 19431945 prison letters and theological writings. Here are over 200 documents that include extensive correspondence with his family and Eberhard Bethge (much of it in English for the first time), as well as his theological notes, and his prison poems. The volume offers an illuminating introduction by editor John de Gruchy and an historical Afterword by the editors of the original German volume: Christian Gremmels, Eberhard Bethge, and Renate Bethge.

Christianity, Art and Transformation explores the historical and contemporary relationship between the arts and Christianity with reference to the transformation of society. Several major themes are discussed, among them the power of images, the relationship between aesthetics and ethics, the nature of beauty and its redemptive capacity, aesthetic existence and Christian discipleship, and the role of art in the public square and in the life of the Church. The book is a contribution to the study of theological aesthetics from both an ecumenical and Reformed perspective, global in its scope yet rooted in the author's South African context.

How can one genuinely follow Jesus today, and what does that mean about one's lifestyle, social and political commitments, and ethical stance? In this fine work, internationally renowned theologian John de Gruchy answers that question. Reviving an almost silenced tradition, he lifts the banner of Christian humanism - not secular humanism with a Christian veneer, but a critical retrieval of Christianity's core convictions and values in ways that are both critical of and yet constructively engaged with secular culture in serving the well-being of humanity.

When Dietrich Bonhoeffer was led into the courtyard of the concentration camp at Flossenburg on April 9, 1945, to be hanged, few would have guessed that his writings, indeed his most personal thoughts and fears, would attain worldwide fame and marked influence in just a few years. How did this happen? Much of the credit goes to Bonhoeffer's close friendship with his student and colleague Eberhard Bethge, says theologian John de Gruchy. It was Bethge to whom Bonhoeffer wrote most frequently from prison, he with whom he discussed his emergent theological writing, and he who organized and published the writings that would fall like a bombshell on the English-speaking religious world after World War II. In many respects, Bethge, working with his wife--Bonhoeffer's niece, Renate--was responsible for creating and shaping the reception of Bonhoeffer and his work. In this important and fascinating work, this Bonhoeffer expert narrates the course of that friendship, building on interviews and newly available primary sources. It provides testimony not only to a powerful friendship but to the eventual vindication of the life sacrificed that early spring morning.

Previously unpublished letters and essays presented in this volume that is key reading for students of Holocaust studies, as well as interfaith, social historical studies and theology.

Whether born in the Mideast, Africa, Asia, or brought home to the streets of America, violent hatreds often threaten to swamp the minimal cooperation needed to foster life and health. Does Christianity have anything besides warmed-over pieties to offer a world torn by estrangement, alienation, and violently opposed worldviews? In this signal contribution to public theology, John de Gruchy, an internationally esteemed political theologian, emphatically affirms the possibility and necessity of reconciliation. For Christians, he says, reconciliation is the center and perennial test of their faith. De Gruchy expands reconciliation's relevance beyond personal piety and ecclesial harmony to encompass group relations, politics, and even the environment. In all cases, he argues, it involves the restoration of justice. Forged in the recent experience of South Africa, his work delineates the political and ecclesial significance of reconciliation and shows its importance for interreligious relations, addressing victimization, and international peace. Reconciliation will be welcomed by all whose faith leads them to help alleviate the world's mounting agonies.

Christianity, Art and Transformation explores the historical and contemporary relationship between the arts and Christianity with reference to the transformation of society. Several major themes are discussed, among them the power of images, the relationship between aesthetics and ethics, the nature of beauty and its redemptive capacity, aesthetic existence and Christian discipleship, and the role of art in the public square and in the life of the Church. The book is a contribution to the study of theological aesthetics from both an ecumenical and Reformed perspective, global in its scope yet rooted in the author's South African context.

In this important study John de Gruchy examines the past, present and future roles of Christianity in the development of democracy. He traces the relationship from its gestation in early Christendom to its virtual breakdown as democracy becomes the polity of modernity, and focuses on five twentieth-century case studies, including Nazi Germany and South Africa, which demonstrate the revival of the churches as a force in the struggle for democracy. His conclusions point the way to the development of a theology for a just world order.

The need for global democratisation is now widely recognised, but there is considerable debate about what this means and how it can be achieved. In this important study John de Gruchy examines the historic and contemporary roles of Christianity in the development of democracy. He traces the gestation of modern democracy in medieval Christendom, and then describes the virtual breakdown of the relationship as democracy becomes the polity of modernity. Five twentieth-century case studies - the USA, Nicaragua, sub-Saharan Africa, Germany and South Africa - demonstrate the extent to which ecumenical Christianity has begun to reconnect with democracy and act as its contemporary midwife. De Gruchy argues that democracy needs to rediscover its spiritual heritage, while Christianity needs to develop a theology adequate for its participation in the realisation of a just democratic world order.

In this stimulating book, John W. de Gruchy points out the relevance of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's thought for the life of the church in South Africa, engaging in dialogue the theology of Bonhoeffer and the theology of South Africa. Both Bonhoeffer's theology and his life bore witness to the need for Christians to come face to face with the pressing political and social issues of the day. Bonhoeffer believed that to bear an authentic witness to Christ in certain settings was to go against the stream; the church in South Africa, says de Gruchy, faces the challenge to be just such a "troublesome witness." He finds in Bonhoeffer's theology direction and liberation for the oppressed -- as well s for the privileged, who need to be "freed for others." Throughout, the book demonstrates the abiding significance of Bonhoeffer's theology, which, according to de Gruchy, derives from the fact that he was, before all else, a witness to Jesus Christ. John de Gruchy is Robert Selby Taylor Professor of Christian Studies and Director of the Religion and Social Change Unit in the University of Cape Town.