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Life Together
Dietrich Bonhoeffer bequeathed to humanity a legacy of theological creativity and spirituality that continues to intrigue people from a variety of backgrounds. Life Together gathers Bonhoeffers 1938 reflections on the character of Christian community, based on the common life that he and his seminarians experienced at the Finkenwalde Seminary. Using the acclaimed DBWE translation, adapted to a more accessible format, this new edition features supplemental material from Victoria J. Barnett and an insightful introduction by Geffrey B. Kelly to clarify the theological meaning and social importance of Bonhoeffers work.
122 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1939
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December 30, 2015
Whenever I read how-to books, I "skip to end" the consider the actual bio of the person. Does the person have a life narrative I admire? Would I actually want to be like them? If so, perhaps I'll take their advice.
So here's Bonhoeffer. Nazi-resister, Gandhi liaison, secret super spy pastor. An amazing spirit, executed in a concentration camp, after laying a foundation for modern hearts to follow Christ. What a dude. I want to be like him, but maybe not in the exact manner he lays out here.
This book is essentially "German engineering for Christian communities." A theologically-rooted how-to manual for living life with other Christians, following a very precise order. What would happen if you applied principles of theology AND utter efficiency to living life together? This book. It is highly prescriptive and slightly antiquated, with many many "musts" and "shoulds." But in Bonhoeffer's words, "It's not legalism, it's fidelity and orderliness."
The passages on doing the "day with others" and "the day alone" give me pause: the schedule seems indeed a product of the 30s-50s, Germany, from a male perspective; lots of time for Orderly Pursuit of Structured Things (reading scripture, singing hymns, praying together, etc.), and it makes me evaluate my own chaotic household of boisterous kids, and I wonder where Bonhoeffer would find room for Playing Loudly With Preschoolers.
I don't mean that dismissively: I think I could defend my schedule a little better against the chaos of the day in order to make time for meditation and solitude, and how I might invite my immediate family into more structured aspects of faith. Right now, Bonhoeffer's crew we ain't.
The section on ministry is gorgeous. With its emphasis on listening, service, meekness, holding one's tongue, it calls people towards quite a powerful, quiet life of love.
The passage on confessing was unexpectedly beautiful, and something I'll keep thinking about.
This book has a few rough patches: the page where he rants about how NOT to do unison singing is quirky and adorable (those pesky basses and altos, always showing off their "astonishing range").
So here's Bonhoeffer. Nazi-resister, Gandhi liaison, secret super spy pastor. An amazing spirit, executed in a concentration camp, after laying a foundation for modern hearts to follow Christ. What a dude. I want to be like him, but maybe not in the exact manner he lays out here.
This book is essentially "German engineering for Christian communities." A theologically-rooted how-to manual for living life with other Christians, following a very precise order. What would happen if you applied principles of theology AND utter efficiency to living life together? This book. It is highly prescriptive and slightly antiquated, with many many "musts" and "shoulds." But in Bonhoeffer's words, "It's not legalism, it's fidelity and orderliness."
The passages on doing the "day with others" and "the day alone" give me pause: the schedule seems indeed a product of the 30s-50s, Germany, from a male perspective; lots of time for Orderly Pursuit of Structured Things (reading scripture, singing hymns, praying together, etc.), and it makes me evaluate my own chaotic household of boisterous kids, and I wonder where Bonhoeffer would find room for Playing Loudly With Preschoolers.
I don't mean that dismissively: I think I could defend my schedule a little better against the chaos of the day in order to make time for meditation and solitude, and how I might invite my immediate family into more structured aspects of faith. Right now, Bonhoeffer's crew we ain't.
The section on ministry is gorgeous. With its emphasis on listening, service, meekness, holding one's tongue, it calls people towards quite a powerful, quiet life of love.
The passage on confessing was unexpectedly beautiful, and something I'll keep thinking about.
This book has a few rough patches: the page where he rants about how NOT to do unison singing is quirky and adorable (those pesky basses and altos, always showing off their "astonishing range").
July 8, 2025
Ouch!
This is an excellent short work on life in community with other Christians. It is not an Utopian view of life together but a rather sober and honest one and very convicting.
I didn't like this book the first time I read it and I understand why now. I wasn't able to hear the words.
This is an excellent short work on life in community with other Christians. It is not an Utopian view of life together but a rather sober and honest one and very convicting.
I didn't like this book the first time I read it and I understand why now. I wasn't able to hear the words.
January 12, 2009
1/11/09 I just reread this book for another class. I think it's my fourth reading now. All I want to add is that this book gets better each time. I'm amazed by Bonhoeffer's insight and the understanding of God that informs the whole work. It's small but packed with import. You'd think I would have learned its lessons in the first three readings, but I again found myself deeply challenged about my own behavior in Christian community. This one is worth coming back to again and again.
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4/1/07 I re-read this book for the class I took on Bonhoeffer and found it even more enjoyable this time than the first couple of times. Bonhoeffer has some great practical advice about living in Christian community, as well as some challenging theological perspectives. It's easy to see the influences of Anglican monasticism on his view of communal life, which was particularly unique in protestant Germany at the time he wrote the book. The book is short and comprised of five chapters. Some of Bonhoeffer's insights are more helpful than others: his musings about the nature of community, confession, forgiveness, bearing, serving, etc. are all priceless. His thoughts on how prayer and worship ought to be conducted are interesting, but seem less universal. Even so, I highly recommend this challenging and thought-provoking book.
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4/1/07 I re-read this book for the class I took on Bonhoeffer and found it even more enjoyable this time than the first couple of times. Bonhoeffer has some great practical advice about living in Christian community, as well as some challenging theological perspectives. It's easy to see the influences of Anglican monasticism on his view of communal life, which was particularly unique in protestant Germany at the time he wrote the book. The book is short and comprised of five chapters. Some of Bonhoeffer's insights are more helpful than others: his musings about the nature of community, confession, forgiveness, bearing, serving, etc. are all priceless. His thoughts on how prayer and worship ought to be conducted are interesting, but seem less universal. Even so, I highly recommend this challenging and thought-provoking book.
November 22, 2019
Published in 1939, two years after The Cost of Discipleship, this book shares the basic theological underpinnings of the earlier one, and is written in the same style --which is to say, earnest, serious, and academic-intellectual. The editors of the Afterword, interestingly, assert that here Bonhoeffer avoided "an academic style of language and a scholarly form of argumentation" to speak more directly to lay readers; and to be sure, this book originally didn't have the elaborate footnotes that characterize academic writing. (Those are supplied, however, in the edition I read, part of Fortress Press' multi-volume translation of Bonhoeffer's collected writings!) One can also recognize that the style is not the extremely dry, jargon-laden style used for, say, a doctoral dissertation (something Bonhoeffer had also written earlier). But the reading level is still college-level, and the structure of the thought complex; Bonhoeffer presupposes that his readers understand the meaning of big words and grasp theological concepts. I've recommended it for college-educated Christians (as in the earlier book, the author here is addressing the faith community, and it's not a book nonbelievers would be drawn to read).
For those who are up for the intellectually challenging nature of the read --I didn't find it dry, but I did find it demanding, and sometimes had to read slowly, or reread sentences, in order to grasp the thought; so it's not a "quick read," even though it's relatively short-- however, it's a rewarding one. In the earlier book, Bonhoeffer had discussed the nature of the Christian church as the Body of Christ in the world, organically united with him and with each other in service to God. Here, he lays out in more practical, nuts-and-bolts fashion a blueprint for what common life in this God-created fellowship should be like for Christians privileged to share the same roof. (This is patterned directly on the kind of life he and his students shared in the Confessing Church's underground seminary at Finkenwalde in 1935-37.) Unlike some Christian sects such as the Hutterites and the Bruderhof, he's not arguing that life under a common roof is a mandate for all Christians, nor setting forth a legalistic demand for common ownership of all money and property as a Biblical mandate (although he takes it for granted that Christians share with others in need). So the kind of daily routine he sets forth here is not a directly transferable manual for how the average Christian congregation made up of multiple family households could or should be expected to operate. (He notes himself that the forms of community life in, for instance, households with children will vary from those in a seminary.) But it does give principles for common life that are applicable wherever Christians gather together.
Specifically, he considers it important to both start and conclude the day with common worship: Scripture reading, worship in song, and prayer. Bonhoeffer gave a very high place to the use of the book of Psalms in prayer, and one of his more interesting (at least, to me) thoughts, based on the fact that Jesus quoted from Psalms on the cross, is the idea that the entire book is best seen as Christ's own prayers, which we can pray with him because of our union with him in salvation. (In this light, the imprecatory Psalms make sense; we ask with Christ that God's wrath against sinners be vented in the cross, which then becomes the basis for grace and forgiveness.) Much of the day is spent in work, and maybe even in work where we can't be with our fellow Christians; but we're sustained through it by the consciousness that we are part of Christ's body, sharing in his work. He also gives a high place to the observance of the Lord's Supper (and appreciates common meals with other Christians generally). Another insight that was a key take-away for me here was the value of verbal confession of our shortcomings to a fellow believer, who expresses God's forgiveness to us. That makes the reality of confession and forgiveness tangible to us in a way that silent confession to God alone often does not. (That's an idea expressed in several places in the New Testament; but it's one that, in my reading of the latter, I'd always tended to unconsciously gloss over.) Above all, the author constantly stresses the central fact that the bond of Christian unity is created solely by God through Christ and kept alive and healthy by the love that only God's Spirit provides; it is not something we can psych up ourselves, but is a gift of God's free grace on which we must depend.
This edition has an Afterword, translated from the German edition of Bonhoeffer's collected works that served as the basis for this English-language one, that helpfully sets the book in its historical, biographical and theological context. I particularly appreciated the editors' demonstration of the essential unity of Bonhoeffer's theology throughout his life, although he certainly grew and matured in insight over time; and also their perceptive understanding of his distinction between true Christianity and "religion." (A statement I heard in college, to the effect that "religion is mankind's attempt to reach God [by our own efforts], Christianity is God's effort to reach mankind," isn't a Bonhoeffer quote; but it's an idea he would have heartily endorsed!)
Although I came to my reading of Bonhoeffer this month with a vague memory of having read something by him in my early 20s, I had no memory of what I'd read then. All of this material was as new to me as if I'd never read it before, and indeed I'm not sure that I ever did; but I'm glad to have read it now. Some of the ideas expressed here, such as the role of verbal confession, I intend to put into practice in my own life. I won't adopt all of his advice for the daily routine (being tone deaf, for instance, I don't get much out of hymn singing); but I think this is an important book for both congregational life and the home life of a Christian couple or family. And I certainly think modern-day Christian seminary and college life would benefit as well by putting similar ideas into practice!
For those who are up for the intellectually challenging nature of the read --I didn't find it dry, but I did find it demanding, and sometimes had to read slowly, or reread sentences, in order to grasp the thought; so it's not a "quick read," even though it's relatively short-- however, it's a rewarding one. In the earlier book, Bonhoeffer had discussed the nature of the Christian church as the Body of Christ in the world, organically united with him and with each other in service to God. Here, he lays out in more practical, nuts-and-bolts fashion a blueprint for what common life in this God-created fellowship should be like for Christians privileged to share the same roof. (This is patterned directly on the kind of life he and his students shared in the Confessing Church's underground seminary at Finkenwalde in 1935-37.) Unlike some Christian sects such as the Hutterites and the Bruderhof, he's not arguing that life under a common roof is a mandate for all Christians, nor setting forth a legalistic demand for common ownership of all money and property as a Biblical mandate (although he takes it for granted that Christians share with others in need). So the kind of daily routine he sets forth here is not a directly transferable manual for how the average Christian congregation made up of multiple family households could or should be expected to operate. (He notes himself that the forms of community life in, for instance, households with children will vary from those in a seminary.) But it does give principles for common life that are applicable wherever Christians gather together.
Specifically, he considers it important to both start and conclude the day with common worship: Scripture reading, worship in song, and prayer. Bonhoeffer gave a very high place to the use of the book of Psalms in prayer, and one of his more interesting (at least, to me) thoughts, based on the fact that Jesus quoted from Psalms on the cross, is the idea that the entire book is best seen as Christ's own prayers, which we can pray with him because of our union with him in salvation. (In this light, the imprecatory Psalms make sense; we ask with Christ that God's wrath against sinners be vented in the cross, which then becomes the basis for grace and forgiveness.) Much of the day is spent in work, and maybe even in work where we can't be with our fellow Christians; but we're sustained through it by the consciousness that we are part of Christ's body, sharing in his work. He also gives a high place to the observance of the Lord's Supper (and appreciates common meals with other Christians generally). Another insight that was a key take-away for me here was the value of verbal confession of our shortcomings to a fellow believer, who expresses God's forgiveness to us. That makes the reality of confession and forgiveness tangible to us in a way that silent confession to God alone often does not. (That's an idea expressed in several places in the New Testament; but it's one that, in my reading of the latter, I'd always tended to unconsciously gloss over.) Above all, the author constantly stresses the central fact that the bond of Christian unity is created solely by God through Christ and kept alive and healthy by the love that only God's Spirit provides; it is not something we can psych up ourselves, but is a gift of God's free grace on which we must depend.
This edition has an Afterword, translated from the German edition of Bonhoeffer's collected works that served as the basis for this English-language one, that helpfully sets the book in its historical, biographical and theological context. I particularly appreciated the editors' demonstration of the essential unity of Bonhoeffer's theology throughout his life, although he certainly grew and matured in insight over time; and also their perceptive understanding of his distinction between true Christianity and "religion." (A statement I heard in college, to the effect that "religion is mankind's attempt to reach God [by our own efforts], Christianity is God's effort to reach mankind," isn't a Bonhoeffer quote; but it's an idea he would have heartily endorsed!)
Although I came to my reading of Bonhoeffer this month with a vague memory of having read something by him in my early 20s, I had no memory of what I'd read then. All of this material was as new to me as if I'd never read it before, and indeed I'm not sure that I ever did; but I'm glad to have read it now. Some of the ideas expressed here, such as the role of verbal confession, I intend to put into practice in my own life. I won't adopt all of his advice for the daily routine (being tone deaf, for instance, I don't get much out of hymn singing); but I think this is an important book for both congregational life and the home life of a Christian couple or family. And I certainly think modern-day Christian seminary and college life would benefit as well by putting similar ideas into practice!
November 7, 2022
I found portions of this book as rich and deep as anything I have read on the Christian life. And I found a few portions of it hard to resonate with or find reasonable. But the good and rich far outweighed the negative. The principles outweighed the unrealistic practices.
November 28, 2019
I rarely give five stars to anything, but this book definitely deserves it. An excellent look at Christian community and the Christian life, this is full of thoughts that everyone who follows the Way needs to hear. Mr. Bonhoeffer may be long gone from this world, but his words still impact lives; they sure did mine!
June 6, 2020
What an unexpected power punch! I should have expected it from Bonhoeffer after The Cost of Discipleship but this book looked so innocently short. He packs a lot into his 100+ pages.
I was surprised by how much I didn't immediately agree with, but whether I agreed or not I was challenged throughout.
Anyway, I think Jeremiah's review says it best so go check his review out. I couldn't say it better.
I was surprised by how much I didn't immediately agree with, but whether I agreed or not I was challenged throughout.
Anyway, I think Jeremiah's review says it best so go check his review out. I couldn't say it better.
February 2, 2024
This edition has a back blurb from Henri Nouwen, a Catholic priest who died in the 90s.
The Introduction is a short biography and highlights Bonhoeffer's desire for the real, as opposed to the ideal.
Ch. 1 begins with the recognition that it is a great gift and privilege for Christians to dwell with other Christians. I appreciated Bonhoeffer's emphasis on our embodied experience and the important implicants from that reality (pp. 19–20). It was great to see the reference to the "alien righteousness" that Luther spoke of (p. 22).
In Chapter 2 (on the parts of the day spent with others), the emphasis is on the morning, which sets the tone for the entire day. Old Testament days began in the evening, but New Testament days begin in the morning because of the resurrection. Bonhoeffer stresses the importance of orienting ourselves not with the burdens of the upcoming day's work, but by giving the day to God together through common Scripture reading, singing, and prayer. He has a section on the Psalms, which he calls the prayers of Jesus. Psalms teach us what prayer means, what to pray (including imprecations), and how to pray as a fellowship. The parallelism is more than a literary feature; it may also be an indication of their corporate purpose, with parallel parts being prayed antiphonally. There's an odd section in which Bonhoeffer expresses antipathy towards part-singing (because it's distracting). Christian families should try to memorize hymns. Both formal and free prayers can be helpful, but Bonhoeffer prefers the genuineness of free prayers. Table fellowship communicates the truth that all of life is a gift to be received with gratitude for the sake of Christ, who is present in such fellowship. Meals together should be festive and joyful. All of this occurs before thy day's work. Bonhoeffer concludes briefly by addressing the noontime break and evening prayers, in which petitions for forgiveness are most appropriate.
Chapter 3 is about time alone during the day and begins with a section on solitude and silence. Both community and solitude are necessary, and each without the other leads to problems. Silence is a receptivity to the Word of God, and a person needs time alone to engage in meditation, prayer, and intercession. Bonhoeffer says that community Bible readings consist of long passages, but individual Bible reading focuses on shorter passages, and even words and phrases. Meditation leads to prayer, and we use Scripture to help us pray. If our minds wander during prayer, we can simply shift our prayers to those topics we have wandered to. Intercession is on behalf of others, and it is a daily service we owe them as Christians. Training ourselves to observe regular times of meditation, prayer, and intercession is not legalism; it's faithfulness. Meditation is tested when we are in unchristian environments.
Chapter 4 covers several types of ministries. The first two seem (holding one's tongue and meekness) to fold into the third (listening), because starting at listening, Bonhoeffer begins to repeat the ministries as the chapter progresses. It's common to think of the ministry of proclaiming the Word of God as the highest ministry, yet without some of these others, we may not have anyone who will listen to the proclamation (see the issue of trust at the end of the chapter). So Bonhoeffer describes the ministries of listening, helpfulness, and bearing, which all lay a foundation for the ministries of proclaiming and authority. Bonhoeffer gets into the psychology the tension between the responsibilities of speaking and being silent—this freedom of speech is much more difficult than the ordered speaking of preaching. We need to be saturated with Scripture so that when we do speak to others, we speak the words of God. Any authority must be based on the authority of God. Humility appears in a number of these ministries.
Ch. 5 is short and is mostly on confession (with a little on communion at the end). Bonhoeffer spends a little time discussing the superiority of confession to a Christian over discussion with a psychologist. "The fellowship of the Lord's Supper is the superlative fulfillment of Christian fellowship."
The Introduction is a short biography and highlights Bonhoeffer's desire for the real, as opposed to the ideal.
Ch. 1 begins with the recognition that it is a great gift and privilege for Christians to dwell with other Christians. I appreciated Bonhoeffer's emphasis on our embodied experience and the important implicants from that reality (pp. 19–20). It was great to see the reference to the "alien righteousness" that Luther spoke of (p. 22).
In Chapter 2 (on the parts of the day spent with others), the emphasis is on the morning, which sets the tone for the entire day. Old Testament days began in the evening, but New Testament days begin in the morning because of the resurrection. Bonhoeffer stresses the importance of orienting ourselves not with the burdens of the upcoming day's work, but by giving the day to God together through common Scripture reading, singing, and prayer. He has a section on the Psalms, which he calls the prayers of Jesus. Psalms teach us what prayer means, what to pray (including imprecations), and how to pray as a fellowship. The parallelism is more than a literary feature; it may also be an indication of their corporate purpose, with parallel parts being prayed antiphonally. There's an odd section in which Bonhoeffer expresses antipathy towards part-singing (because it's distracting). Christian families should try to memorize hymns. Both formal and free prayers can be helpful, but Bonhoeffer prefers the genuineness of free prayers. Table fellowship communicates the truth that all of life is a gift to be received with gratitude for the sake of Christ, who is present in such fellowship. Meals together should be festive and joyful. All of this occurs before thy day's work. Bonhoeffer concludes briefly by addressing the noontime break and evening prayers, in which petitions for forgiveness are most appropriate.
Chapter 3 is about time alone during the day and begins with a section on solitude and silence. Both community and solitude are necessary, and each without the other leads to problems. Silence is a receptivity to the Word of God, and a person needs time alone to engage in meditation, prayer, and intercession. Bonhoeffer says that community Bible readings consist of long passages, but individual Bible reading focuses on shorter passages, and even words and phrases. Meditation leads to prayer, and we use Scripture to help us pray. If our minds wander during prayer, we can simply shift our prayers to those topics we have wandered to. Intercession is on behalf of others, and it is a daily service we owe them as Christians. Training ourselves to observe regular times of meditation, prayer, and intercession is not legalism; it's faithfulness. Meditation is tested when we are in unchristian environments.
Chapter 4 covers several types of ministries. The first two seem (holding one's tongue and meekness) to fold into the third (listening), because starting at listening, Bonhoeffer begins to repeat the ministries as the chapter progresses. It's common to think of the ministry of proclaiming the Word of God as the highest ministry, yet without some of these others, we may not have anyone who will listen to the proclamation (see the issue of trust at the end of the chapter). So Bonhoeffer describes the ministries of listening, helpfulness, and bearing, which all lay a foundation for the ministries of proclaiming and authority. Bonhoeffer gets into the psychology the tension between the responsibilities of speaking and being silent—this freedom of speech is much more difficult than the ordered speaking of preaching. We need to be saturated with Scripture so that when we do speak to others, we speak the words of God. Any authority must be based on the authority of God. Humility appears in a number of these ministries.
Ch. 5 is short and is mostly on confession (with a little on communion at the end). Bonhoeffer spends a little time discussing the superiority of confession to a Christian over discussion with a psychologist. "The fellowship of the Lord's Supper is the superlative fulfillment of Christian fellowship."
May 5, 2020
This was one of my favorite Christian books I have ever read! It was basically an overview of living the Christian life, particularly in Christian community. I have never read Bonhoeffer before, and I just couldn’t believe how well he meshed a heavenly perspective with earthly pragmatism. In spiritual books of any sort, even outside of Christian writing, authors always seem to struggle with this balance. Some books seem to compromise on truths from God, and others assert those truths in such a lofty way that they feel removed from everyday life. With Bonhoeffer this is not the case, he just nailed it!
I particularly would encourage people early in college to read this book! It bluntly stated some very important lessons that my roommates and I took 3 long years to figure out the hard way.
I particularly would encourage people early in college to read this book! It bluntly stated some very important lessons that my roommates and I took 3 long years to figure out the hard way.
May 29, 2025
This book is amazingly insightful. It carefully walks the line between "get your life in order" and "God's love is all you need."
In other words, it balances truth and love.
You have to be willing to get past some of his particular "this is the way it ought to be done" type phrases and understand them to be not legalistic commands, but rather advice for ways that the important principle can be applied.
In all, the book was powerfully convicting, inspiring, and written. If this book is not on your to read list, it should be. And if it is in your list, it should be moved to the top.
In other words, it balances truth and love.
You have to be willing to get past some of his particular "this is the way it ought to be done" type phrases and understand them to be not legalistic commands, but rather advice for ways that the important principle can be applied.
In all, the book was powerfully convicting, inspiring, and written. If this book is not on your to read list, it should be. And if it is in your list, it should be moved to the top.
March 31, 2016
SO convicting! If the church truly looked like this, the world would have no choice but to look and see what this was all about.
My pastor said a few weeks ago in Sunday service that we come together not as a judge on "The Voice," deciding whether to turn around because we like the music or the person beside us or the sermon. For some reason that has stuck so closely with me for weeks now and has freed me tremendously. I think somewhere along the way I exchanged discernment (a good and necessary thing) for judgment, constantly trying to discern if this music or if this method was following after God as closely as it ought to be. He reminded me that that's not my job. I'm not the head of the church and so while I don't accept just anything, the Holy Spirit is my filter.
Life Together cemented so many of those things about my role in the body. I might need to reread this each time I've become part of a new fellowship. Because this book is so practically helpful, it would look different in every community. Because of my husband's job in the Navy, we move around a good bit and it was so fun to look at Life Together through the lens of every church we've been a part of and see the strengths of each congregation.
This would also be an excellent read for any head of a body - whether that's a small family unit of marriage and family, a pastor, a Sunday school teacher, the head of a ministry team.
One of the richest books I've read in a long time. I will certainly return to this again and again.
My pastor said a few weeks ago in Sunday service that we come together not as a judge on "The Voice," deciding whether to turn around because we like the music or the person beside us or the sermon. For some reason that has stuck so closely with me for weeks now and has freed me tremendously. I think somewhere along the way I exchanged discernment (a good and necessary thing) for judgment, constantly trying to discern if this music or if this method was following after God as closely as it ought to be. He reminded me that that's not my job. I'm not the head of the church and so while I don't accept just anything, the Holy Spirit is my filter.
Life Together cemented so many of those things about my role in the body. I might need to reread this each time I've become part of a new fellowship. Because this book is so practically helpful, it would look different in every community. Because of my husband's job in the Navy, we move around a good bit and it was so fun to look at Life Together through the lens of every church we've been a part of and see the strengths of each congregation.
This would also be an excellent read for any head of a body - whether that's a small family unit of marriage and family, a pastor, a Sunday school teacher, the head of a ministry team.
One of the richest books I've read in a long time. I will certainly return to this again and again.
March 31, 2012
In Life Together Bonhoeffer gives us penetrating definitions of human and spiritual love, just as he outlined the distinction between cheap and costly grace in The Cost of Discipleship. Listening to him give specific after specific, you get the decided impression he has lived the experience of which writes. Well could I get lost in his requirements, for often have I strayed down the paths of human love not realizing what a poor substitute it was for the real thing—not speaking for anyone but myself. And Bonhoeffer doesn’t seem to be ‘judging the other’ so much as speaking to the self: this is what you must do to love spiritually and not as a mere human. His concern is with the giving of love, not the being loved, so much the preoccupation of today. He goes on to describe Christian communal prayer, ministry, reading of Scripture, proclaiming, meditation, and individual prayer, concluding with one of the best rationales of one-on-one confession I’ve yet heard. Not so good as the The Cost of Discipleship, but certainly a Christian mainstay and well worth reading.
January 16, 2022
2022: This time I listened to the Christian Audio edition narrated by Paul Michael, and it was fantastic. This is a wonderful book.
So many wonderful gems in this book. Love this book so much!
So many wonderful gems in this book. Love this book so much!
January 18, 2022
In such an individualistic culture it is easy to see how faith becomes seen individualistically as well. This book serves to convict and remind that we are members of one body untied in Christ, and through living faithfully alongside one another we further partake in fellowship with Christ Himself.
February 24, 2022
10/10 recommend everyone read. i love this book. will most likely reread someday.
April 30, 2025
Fourth Reading
So good to read this again with some of my students. Chapter 1 and the "wish dream" is the word for my season of life.
Third Reading in First-Year Seminary Course
I changed my rating from a 4 to a 5 because through this course, I have been able to discover new insights into this text. My favourite passages struck me again but with new force: his passage on what Bonhoeffer elsewhere calls the "early grace of God" (Chapter 2); his aid in reading the Psalms (unforgettable! although I do wish he made some elaborations when he discussed the imprecatory psalms) (Chapter 2); his stuff on how an awareness of sin should shape our ministry and confession (absolutely indispensable!) (Chapter 4+5). The Psalms and confession passages have stuck with me since the first time I've read this book in 2020! My understanding (and appreciation) of this passages deepened greatly.
I also cannot express how excited I was to read this book with others who have never read (some who have never heard of!) Bonhoeffer and hearing the passages that stuck out to them and the confusions (there are a few) as well. Indeed, that was another gift of reading this in community. I now understand some of Bonhoeffer's more cryptic passages! Most notably, his passage responding to readers who might misunderstand his argument for what community isn't and "how to do it" (Bonhoeffer, 38-39: Harper & Row Publishers).* The one or two cryptic passages should certainly not deter you from picking this book up though!
One new thing I noticed this time around is how central the Scriptures are for Bonhoeffer. Although this is unsurprising given his background and theological tradition (Lutheran, I believe), I could not help but notice how central the Scriptures were to everything he talked about. This was appreciated. To be clear, it's not that he was constantly quoting Scripture (like the Puritans lol), although there were many references (and also one or two apocryphal references!). It was how he wrote about all his practices and "suggestions" in reference to the Word.
Finally, it must be said that Bonhoeffer is, frankly, intense. He is honest and demands a lot (probably comes off as "too idealistic" in our day. but remember to read him in his context, like any author!). I do feel like he moralized some of his preferences (I will leave it to you to find which passages those are). They are a good laugh in my opinion! However, his intensity is a stage for his more pastoral exhortations, and when those come, one feels a refreshing uplifting of the soul. (I will also leave that to you to experience). In doing this, it is clear that he is writing by the "spirit of divine severity and divine love" (119).
Second Reading with BNH
It was potent. Some salient points this time around:
- Bonhoeffer is hard-core (but hard-core discipleship is necessary in order to bring counter-formation to the world around us)
- Begin and end the day in Scripture and prayer; don't let anything else but God have the first and last word of the day
- The community of the brothers can act as Christ through confession, encouragement and presence
- "Let him who cannot be alone beware of communityl...let him who is not in community beware of being alone"
So good to read this again with some of my students. Chapter 1 and the "wish dream" is the word for my season of life.
Third Reading in First-Year Seminary Course
I changed my rating from a 4 to a 5 because through this course, I have been able to discover new insights into this text. My favourite passages struck me again but with new force: his passage on what Bonhoeffer elsewhere calls the "early grace of God" (Chapter 2); his aid in reading the Psalms (unforgettable! although I do wish he made some elaborations when he discussed the imprecatory psalms) (Chapter 2); his stuff on how an awareness of sin should shape our ministry and confession (absolutely indispensable!) (Chapter 4+5). The Psalms and confession passages have stuck with me since the first time I've read this book in 2020! My understanding (and appreciation) of this passages deepened greatly.
I also cannot express how excited I was to read this book with others who have never read (some who have never heard of!) Bonhoeffer and hearing the passages that stuck out to them and the confusions (there are a few) as well. Indeed, that was another gift of reading this in community. I now understand some of Bonhoeffer's more cryptic passages! Most notably, his passage responding to readers who might misunderstand his argument for what community isn't and "how to do it" (Bonhoeffer, 38-39: Harper & Row Publishers).* The one or two cryptic passages should certainly not deter you from picking this book up though!
One new thing I noticed this time around is how central the Scriptures are for Bonhoeffer. Although this is unsurprising given his background and theological tradition (Lutheran, I believe), I could not help but notice how central the Scriptures were to everything he talked about. This was appreciated. To be clear, it's not that he was constantly quoting Scripture (like the Puritans lol), although there were many references (and also one or two apocryphal references!). It was how he wrote about all his practices and "suggestions" in reference to the Word.
Finally, it must be said that Bonhoeffer is, frankly, intense. He is honest and demands a lot (probably comes off as "too idealistic" in our day. but remember to read him in his context, like any author!). I do feel like he moralized some of his preferences (I will leave it to you to find which passages those are). They are a good laugh in my opinion! However, his intensity is a stage for his more pastoral exhortations, and when those come, one feels a refreshing uplifting of the soul. (I will also leave that to you to experience). In doing this, it is clear that he is writing by the "spirit of divine severity and divine love" (119).
Second Reading with BNH
It was potent. Some salient points this time around:
- Bonhoeffer is hard-core (but hard-core discipleship is necessary in order to bring counter-formation to the world around us)
- Begin and end the day in Scripture and prayer; don't let anything else but God have the first and last word of the day
- The community of the brothers can act as Christ through confession, encouragement and presence
- "Let him who cannot be alone beware of communityl...let him who is not in community beware of being alone"
June 20, 2025
(first read - August 2, 2022)
I liked this book - it was a great read that I got to do with some Christian brothers (#BNH). So many things to start adding into life, so many quotes to remember too! We need community with our brother mans and sister womans to be strong in our faith - confessing our sins, encouraging each other, worshipping together. But we also need to be strong when we are alone - waking early to read and pray and hear God's voice, ending our day with time with God, and spending time with God in silence and solitude.
(second read - June 20, 2025)
Always loved how Bonhoeffer keeps Jesus at the center of everything - the reason, source, why, and how for Christian life and community. He's also helped me change my perspective on church - recognizing that my love for the community must never come before my love for the individuals there - which also means that my ideals/goals for the community can't be larger than my love, care, and interests in the people there. Excited to see how this book's ideas will influence my leadership for Society YA next year ♨️ 5 stars, easily.
I liked this book - it was a great read that I got to do with some Christian brothers (#BNH). So many things to start adding into life, so many quotes to remember too! We need community with our brother mans and sister womans to be strong in our faith - confessing our sins, encouraging each other, worshipping together. But we also need to be strong when we are alone - waking early to read and pray and hear God's voice, ending our day with time with God, and spending time with God in silence and solitude.
(second read - June 20, 2025)
Always loved how Bonhoeffer keeps Jesus at the center of everything - the reason, source, why, and how for Christian life and community. He's also helped me change my perspective on church - recognizing that my love for the community must never come before my love for the individuals there - which also means that my ideals/goals for the community can't be larger than my love, care, and interests in the people there. Excited to see how this book's ideas will influence my leadership for Society YA next year ♨️ 5 stars, easily.
April 6, 2022
A short and easy to read book. One of the best on community and its importance. Bonhoeffer expertly defines and explains what living in community is all about. Many great challenges and practical advice on building better community.
2022
This is either my 3rd or 4th time reading through this book and it always has useful insight into the life of believers and community.
2022
This is either my 3rd or 4th time reading through this book and it always has useful insight into the life of believers and community.
January 11, 2022
gave this book 3.7 stars truly. love bonhoeffer and his heart for true discipleship to Rabbi Jesus. this book offers his thoughts on Christian community which are mostly backed by scripture. sometimes, he would make a pretty hard and weighty point and not back it up with scripture. i would say 85% of the points he makes are scripture based.
my favorite parts of the book had to be when he talked about how Christians should interact with certain times of the day. found it very fascinating and honestly convicting! but, the last chapter on confession and communion were just phenomenal.
also, sometimes bonhoeffer is just way too smart for me and i zone out. pages 60-80 i believe were a blur for me just because how he writes is so intelligent.
all in all, the book was life-giving and said some beautiful things about Christian community when it comes to fellow brothers and sister in Christ, confession, communion, and spiritual love.
i’ll end with these two quotes,
“the Church does not need brilliant personalities but faithful servants of Jesus and the brethren.”
“we are members of a body, not only when we choose to be, but in our whole existence. ever member serves the body, either to its health or to its destruction.”
my favorite parts of the book had to be when he talked about how Christians should interact with certain times of the day. found it very fascinating and honestly convicting! but, the last chapter on confession and communion were just phenomenal.
also, sometimes bonhoeffer is just way too smart for me and i zone out. pages 60-80 i believe were a blur for me just because how he writes is so intelligent.
all in all, the book was life-giving and said some beautiful things about Christian community when it comes to fellow brothers and sister in Christ, confession, communion, and spiritual love.
i’ll end with these two quotes,
“the Church does not need brilliant personalities but faithful servants of Jesus and the brethren.”
“we are members of a body, not only when we choose to be, but in our whole existence. ever member serves the body, either to its health or to its destruction.”
October 29, 2015
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, 'Life Together' (London: SCM Press, 1962)
- - -
A bold and penetrating book challenging Christians to the life of community, which is to say, a life of Cross-centred living.
- - -
Chapters:
1.Community.
2.The Day with Others.
3.The Day Alone.
4.Ministry.
5.Confession and Communion.
- - -
Memorable quotes include:
Ch.1 - Community.
"It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of Christian brethren is a gift of grace, a gift of the Kingdom of God that any day may be taken from us..."
"One who wants more than what Christ has established does not want Christian brotherhood. He is looking for some extraordinary social experience which he has not found elsewhere; he is bringing muddled and impure desires into Christian brotherhood. ...Christian brotherhood is threatened most often at the very start by the greatest danger of all, the danger of being poisoned at its root, the danger of confusing Christian brotherhood with some wishful idea of religious fellowship, of confounding the natural desire of the devout heart for community with the spiritual reality of Christian brotherhood." (p16)
"Innumerable times a whole Christian community has broken down because it had sprung from a 'wish/dream. The serious Christian, set down for the first time in a Christian community, is likely to bring with him a very definite idea of what Christian life together should be and try to realize it. But God's grace speedily shatters such dreams...” (p16)
By sheer grace, God will not permit us to live even for a brief period in a dream world. He does not abandon us to those rapturous experiences and lofty moods that come over us like a dream... A community which cannot bear and cannot survive such a crisis, which insists upon keeping its illusion when it should be shattered, permanently loses in that moment the promise of Christian community. Sooner or later it will collapse. Every human wish/dream that is injected into the Christian community is a hindrance to genuine community and must be banished if genuine community is to survive. He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even thought his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial. (p17)
God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. The man who fashions a visionary idea of community demands that it be realized by God, by other, and by himself. He enters the community of Christians with his demands, sets up his own law, and judges the brethren and God accordingly. He stands adamant, a living reproach to all others in the circle of brethren. He acts as if he is the creator of the Christian community, as if his dream binds men together. When things do not go his way, he calls the effort a failure. When his ideal picture is destroyed, he sees the community going to smash. So he becomes, first an accuser of his brethren, then an accuser of God, and finally the despairing accuser of himself." (p17-18)
- - - -
Ch.2 - The Day with Others.
“The Fellowship of the Table”
“Ever since Jesus Christ sat at table with his disciples, the table fellowship of his community has been blessed by his presence.” (p56)
“The Scriptures speak of three kinds of table fellowship that Jesus keeps with his own: daily fellowship at table, the table fellowship of the Lord;s Supper, and the final table fellowship in the kingdom of God.” (p56)
“The fellowship of the table teaches Christians that here they still eat the perishable bread of the earthly pilgrimage. But if they share this bread with one another, they shall also one day receive the imperishable bread together in the Father's house. 'Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God” (Luke 14:15). (p59)
- - -
Ch.3 - The Day Alone.
“Solitude and Silence”
“Let him who cannot be alone beware of community. … Let him who is not in community beware of being alone.” (p67)
- - -
“But perhaps we do not think enough about the fact that no Christian community ever comes together without this argument appearing as a seed of discord.” (p93)
- - -
Ch.5 – Confession and Communion.
“The day of the Lord’s Supper is an occasion of joy for the Christian community. Reconciled in their hearts with God and the brethren, the congregation receives the gift of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and, receiving that, it receives forgiveness, new life, and salvation. It is given new fellowship with God and men. The fellowship of the Lord’s Supper is the superlative fulfillment of Christian fellowship. As the members of the congregation are united in body and blood at the table of the Lord so will they be together in eternity. Here the community has reached its goal. Here the joy in Christ and his community is complete. The life of Christians together under the Word has reached its perfection in the sacrament.” (p112)
- - -
- - -
A bold and penetrating book challenging Christians to the life of community, which is to say, a life of Cross-centred living.
- - -
Chapters:
1.Community.
2.The Day with Others.
3.The Day Alone.
4.Ministry.
5.Confession and Communion.
- - -
Memorable quotes include:
Ch.1 - Community.
"It is easily forgotten that the fellowship of Christian brethren is a gift of grace, a gift of the Kingdom of God that any day may be taken from us..."
"One who wants more than what Christ has established does not want Christian brotherhood. He is looking for some extraordinary social experience which he has not found elsewhere; he is bringing muddled and impure desires into Christian brotherhood. ...Christian brotherhood is threatened most often at the very start by the greatest danger of all, the danger of being poisoned at its root, the danger of confusing Christian brotherhood with some wishful idea of religious fellowship, of confounding the natural desire of the devout heart for community with the spiritual reality of Christian brotherhood." (p16)
"Innumerable times a whole Christian community has broken down because it had sprung from a 'wish/dream. The serious Christian, set down for the first time in a Christian community, is likely to bring with him a very definite idea of what Christian life together should be and try to realize it. But God's grace speedily shatters such dreams...” (p16)
By sheer grace, God will not permit us to live even for a brief period in a dream world. He does not abandon us to those rapturous experiences and lofty moods that come over us like a dream... A community which cannot bear and cannot survive such a crisis, which insists upon keeping its illusion when it should be shattered, permanently loses in that moment the promise of Christian community. Sooner or later it will collapse. Every human wish/dream that is injected into the Christian community is a hindrance to genuine community and must be banished if genuine community is to survive. He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter, even thought his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial. (p17)
God hates visionary dreaming; it makes the dreamer proud and pretentious. The man who fashions a visionary idea of community demands that it be realized by God, by other, and by himself. He enters the community of Christians with his demands, sets up his own law, and judges the brethren and God accordingly. He stands adamant, a living reproach to all others in the circle of brethren. He acts as if he is the creator of the Christian community, as if his dream binds men together. When things do not go his way, he calls the effort a failure. When his ideal picture is destroyed, he sees the community going to smash. So he becomes, first an accuser of his brethren, then an accuser of God, and finally the despairing accuser of himself." (p17-18)
- - - -
Ch.2 - The Day with Others.
“The Fellowship of the Table”
“Ever since Jesus Christ sat at table with his disciples, the table fellowship of his community has been blessed by his presence.” (p56)
“The Scriptures speak of three kinds of table fellowship that Jesus keeps with his own: daily fellowship at table, the table fellowship of the Lord;s Supper, and the final table fellowship in the kingdom of God.” (p56)
“The fellowship of the table teaches Christians that here they still eat the perishable bread of the earthly pilgrimage. But if they share this bread with one another, they shall also one day receive the imperishable bread together in the Father's house. 'Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God” (Luke 14:15). (p59)
- - -
Ch.3 - The Day Alone.
“Solitude and Silence”
“Let him who cannot be alone beware of community. … Let him who is not in community beware of being alone.” (p67)
- - -
“But perhaps we do not think enough about the fact that no Christian community ever comes together without this argument appearing as a seed of discord.” (p93)
- - -
Ch.5 – Confession and Communion.
“The day of the Lord’s Supper is an occasion of joy for the Christian community. Reconciled in their hearts with God and the brethren, the congregation receives the gift of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, and, receiving that, it receives forgiveness, new life, and salvation. It is given new fellowship with God and men. The fellowship of the Lord’s Supper is the superlative fulfillment of Christian fellowship. As the members of the congregation are united in body and blood at the table of the Lord so will they be together in eternity. Here the community has reached its goal. Here the joy in Christ and his community is complete. The life of Christians together under the Word has reached its perfection in the sacrament.” (p112)
- - -
April 9, 2025
This book is absolutely incredible! It begs to be reread, but after the first read I have taken away so much wisdom.
“Our brother’s ways are not in our hands; we cannot hold together what is breaking: we cannot keep life in what is determined to die. But Gid binds elements together in the breaking, creates community in the separation, grants grace through judgment.”
August 23, 2022
Read like an older book. A book on practical advice for Christians and families. Advice on how to pray, read your Bible, minister together and etc. Knowing this man’s background it makes it even more meaningful.
August 7, 2025
Worth more than one read.
August 15, 2022
Solid teaching!
I zipped through this & am now rereading each morning as part of my devotions.
I zipped through this & am now rereading each morning as part of my devotions.
January 2, 2024
The first few pages brought me to tears. Being in Christian community is such a gift that we often take for granted. To be encouraged and strengthened by one another is something I hope I cherish forever.
This book has a lot of things to think about and strive towards when cultivating a community centered on Christ.
This book has a lot of things to think about and strive towards when cultivating a community centered on Christ.
February 10, 2023
An excellent work from a man who was wise beyond his years.
April 12, 2025
Leads me to repentance
July 10, 2025
Would Bonhoeffer have hated Twitter as a community destroying media source or loved it as a platform for his absolutely stellar zingers???
January 10, 2011
In my book club, we finished reading Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It is a fantastic book that I will probably return to and read again (hopefully each year). It is a short read, my version has 147 pages, but it is filled with wisdom and biblical truth's. The book is about living life together in Christian community. The chapters breakdown the different aspects of life together.
The book starts with an introduction that gives a background on Bonhoeffer and his life. He was born in 1906 and was martyred at the hands of the Gestapo in 1945. It is amazing, to me, to know that he wrote this book while living in a concentration camp, yet he writes with a peace that can only come from God.
Chapter 1: Community - talks about the importance of the Christian community and how it is not only an essential but a tremendous blessing to our lives. He explores how we should serve one another as Christ served the church and how it is only because of Christ's love that we can love our neighbor.
Chapter 2: The Day with Others - this chapter lays out, almost hour by hour, what a typical day could/should look like in a Christian community. He talks about prayer life in the morning and evening. He also address the importance of reading Scripture on a daily basis. He doesn't forget the fact that people have to work too. He says we all need to work and do the job God has set before us. I love this part, he says "Without the burden and labor of the day, prayer is not prayer, and without prayer work is not work." It's like prayer gets us through the work day and work makes our prayer life significant.
Chapter 3: The Day Alone - this chapter addresses silence and solitude. Bonhoeffer explains how even when we live in community, we still need times of solitude, prayer, silence, meditation and intercession. He hits on this but at the end of the chapter he again reminds us that we are apart of the body and that after a time alone, we should again be joined in community.
Chapter 4: Ministry - this chapter is about the ministry of serving each other. I learned a lot in the chapter as he talks about the ministry of holding one's tongue, the ministry of meekness, of listening, of helpfulness, of bearing, of proclaiming and of authority. He address these in the context of sharing our lives with each other.
Chapter 5: Confession and Communion - this chapter is just what the title explains, confessing to one another and then celebrating communion.
Overall, this book is a great read and I would highly recommend it. He definitely challenged my thinking of community and how I can serve those around me. Bonhoeffer writes with such wisdom but also with humility. He really addresses how important it is to live in community. A final quote "In a Christian community everything depends upon whether each individual is an indispensable link in a chain. Only when even the smallest link is securely interlocked is the chain unbreakable."
The book starts with an introduction that gives a background on Bonhoeffer and his life. He was born in 1906 and was martyred at the hands of the Gestapo in 1945. It is amazing, to me, to know that he wrote this book while living in a concentration camp, yet he writes with a peace that can only come from God.
Chapter 1: Community - talks about the importance of the Christian community and how it is not only an essential but a tremendous blessing to our lives. He explores how we should serve one another as Christ served the church and how it is only because of Christ's love that we can love our neighbor.
Chapter 2: The Day with Others - this chapter lays out, almost hour by hour, what a typical day could/should look like in a Christian community. He talks about prayer life in the morning and evening. He also address the importance of reading Scripture on a daily basis. He doesn't forget the fact that people have to work too. He says we all need to work and do the job God has set before us. I love this part, he says "Without the burden and labor of the day, prayer is not prayer, and without prayer work is not work." It's like prayer gets us through the work day and work makes our prayer life significant.
Chapter 3: The Day Alone - this chapter addresses silence and solitude. Bonhoeffer explains how even when we live in community, we still need times of solitude, prayer, silence, meditation and intercession. He hits on this but at the end of the chapter he again reminds us that we are apart of the body and that after a time alone, we should again be joined in community.
Chapter 4: Ministry - this chapter is about the ministry of serving each other. I learned a lot in the chapter as he talks about the ministry of holding one's tongue, the ministry of meekness, of listening, of helpfulness, of bearing, of proclaiming and of authority. He address these in the context of sharing our lives with each other.
Chapter 5: Confession and Communion - this chapter is just what the title explains, confessing to one another and then celebrating communion.
Overall, this book is a great read and I would highly recommend it. He definitely challenged my thinking of community and how I can serve those around me. Bonhoeffer writes with such wisdom but also with humility. He really addresses how important it is to live in community. A final quote "In a Christian community everything depends upon whether each individual is an indispensable link in a chain. Only when even the smallest link is securely interlocked is the chain unbreakable."
August 31, 2016
Read 2013-2014
Technically, my third time reading this book. First time solo; second with wife; third with community group.
Friends, I cannot overstate how good this book is. My marginal notes exponentially increase with every read. If you haven't read this classic on Christian community, please read it this year. I can think of few other books that will be a help in marriage, humble you in relationships, increase your love for the church and your appreciation of the grace of community like Bonhoeffer's short, but epic, reflection. So, so good.
Read 2012: Most likely this will be my favorite book of 2012. So rich.
Chapter 1: Community
the Word of God, the gospel, grounds community and creates it. The gospel takes us out of ourselves and points us to the other in Jesus Christ.
Chapter 2: the Day with Others
How to do, lead, participate, and enjoy family/community worship in the AM and PM. It should consist of reading, singing, praying.
Chapter 3: the Day Alone
The importance of silence and solitude, as well as private meditation.
Chapter 4: Ministry
Official word ministry most important. However, we all have ministry of holding our tongue, meekness, listening, helping, bearing, and proclaiming to and for the other. Ministry of authority comes through service.
Chapter 5: Confession & Communion
The importance and benefit of private confession of sin, especially before Lord's Supper.
What I'd really like to do is assign this as reading for anyone who was engaged, thinking about starting small groups, needed encouragement, tips, or grounds for family worship, wanted to find out how to do private devotions. Recording all the gems of quotes in this book would take way too long.
Technically, my third time reading this book. First time solo; second with wife; third with community group.
Friends, I cannot overstate how good this book is. My marginal notes exponentially increase with every read. If you haven't read this classic on Christian community, please read it this year. I can think of few other books that will be a help in marriage, humble you in relationships, increase your love for the church and your appreciation of the grace of community like Bonhoeffer's short, but epic, reflection. So, so good.
Read 2012: Most likely this will be my favorite book of 2012. So rich.
Chapter 1: Community
the Word of God, the gospel, grounds community and creates it. The gospel takes us out of ourselves and points us to the other in Jesus Christ.
Chapter 2: the Day with Others
How to do, lead, participate, and enjoy family/community worship in the AM and PM. It should consist of reading, singing, praying.
Chapter 3: the Day Alone
The importance of silence and solitude, as well as private meditation.
Chapter 4: Ministry
Official word ministry most important. However, we all have ministry of holding our tongue, meekness, listening, helping, bearing, and proclaiming to and for the other. Ministry of authority comes through service.
Chapter 5: Confession & Communion
The importance and benefit of private confession of sin, especially before Lord's Supper.
What I'd really like to do is assign this as reading for anyone who was engaged, thinking about starting small groups, needed encouragement, tips, or grounds for family worship, wanted to find out how to do private devotions. Recording all the gems of quotes in this book would take way too long.
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