6. The Assassination Attempt on Adolf Hitler

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we review Bonhoeffer’s involvement in the assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler, focusing in particular on (i) the nature and extent of Bonhoeffer’s involvement in the July Bomb Plot (ii) the goals of the plot, and the plausibility of the conspirators fulfilling their ambitions (iii) Barth’s opposition to Bonhoeffer’s involvement in the plot (iv) Bonhoeffer’s reasons for his involvement (iv) non-violent opposition to the Nazi regime (v) the role hindsight plays when evaluating the ethical implications of Bonhoeffer’s involvement in the assassination attempt.

Course

In this course Dr Stephen Plant (University of Cambridge) explores the life and work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In the first module, we look at the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and the historical context in which his theology emerged. In the second module, we delve closer into Bonhoeffer’s theology in an increasingly secular society, and his response to other theologians of his day. In the third module we examine Bonhoeffer’s emphasis on the cost of discipleship, in the context of changing dynamics between the church and Nazi state. In the fourth module, we explore Christian ethics in emergency, before turning to Bonhoeffer’s relevance today in the fifth module. In the sixth and final module, we investigate the role Bonhoeffer played in an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler, and explore the ethics of his involvement, with note to the relevance of hindsight.

Lecturer

Dr Stephen Plant is a lecturer in Christian theology and on ethics in the Faculty of Divinity. He has written and edited several books including Bonhoeffer (2004), The SPCK Introduction to Simone Weil and Taking Stock of Bonhoeffer ( 2014). His current research includes theology and international development, and the theology and life of Karl Barth.