Our Lenten journey is rapidly drawing to a close, friends. Yesterday in a hotly contested matchup between Constance and Julian of Norwich, Julian prevailed 55% to 45%. She will meet the winner of today's Faithful Four battle between Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Sojourner Truth for the Golden Halo.
To make it to the Faithful Four, Bonhoeffer defeated Athanasius, Barnabas, and Columba while Truth made it past Soren Kierkegaard, Frances Joseph-Guudet, and Absalom Jones.
In the last in-season episode of Monday Madness, Tim and Scott discuss the millions of blank mugs sitting in a warehouse just waiting to be graced with the image of the 2016 Golden Halo Winner. Among other things.
After today, the scene will be set for the Championship Round on the Wednesday of Holy Week, aka "Spy Wednesday." In the meantime, go vote!
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
As we begin Holy Week reflecting on the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a man whose lifetime could have overlapped mine if only he had been less courageous and committed to living a fully Christian life, I find myself queasy. Queasy over his gruesome death at Flossenbürg only days before that death camp would be freed by the allied soldiers. Queasy over my knowledge that much as I wish it weren’t true, I wouldn’t have his courage.
Bonhoeffer came from a privileged family where a life of music, scholarship and travel was the norm. Yet when the German Evangelical Church welcomed the Nazi regime into power, Bonhoeffer joined the “Confessing Church” in protest. He began teaching at Finkenwalde, a Confessing Church seminary. But in 1937 the Nazis declared the teaching of these students illegal. After two years of being banned from teaching and even from public speaking, Bonhoeffer left Germany to teach at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.
Within a few weeks he felt that he had made a mistake and made plans to return to his homeland. His New York friends, fearing for his safety, encouraged him to continue doing God’s work of teaching and preaching far from the threatening Nazi regime. But, he opted to go back to Germany knowing of the dangers.
At about this time, Bonhoeffer’s brother-in-law, Hans von Dohnanyi was employed in the Nazi’s military intelligence office. In 1940, D
ohnanyi arranged for Bonhoeffer’s employment in his office. But while in this role he was assisting with the resistance movement. As part of this work, he and his brother-in-law amassed large financial donations ear-marked to help Jewish people escape Germany and other Nazi-occupied countries. It was by tracking these funds that the Nazis found out about their resistance work and had both men arrested, ultimately leading to their deaths.
After the war, ordinary German people, many of whom considered themselves to be Christians, said that they were unaware of the extermination of millions of people. They didn’t speak out against the atrocities because for years they had been stirred into a frenzy of hatred and fear of the “other.” Did they not really know what was happening to those families who were disappearing? Did they not really know what was happening in those camps?
Of course, they didn’t have 24/7 news cycles and social media as we do today. We don’t have an excuse to ignore those who stir up hatred and fear. As Christians, we must speak out against those who create dissent because of fear of people of another faith tradition or those speaking another language. As we worship in this Holy Week, we are called to follow Jesus. And we have the added benefit of having Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s example to follow. His witness and courage spans the decades, challenging us in this 21st century culture of “us” versus “them.” I pray that we will heed his message.
-- Beth Lewis
Sojourner Truth
When I started researching Sojourner Truth, I knew about what a 5th grader knows while doing a basic report for Black History Month: she was an ex-slave in early America, and gave a famous speech about women’s rights. She had that catch phrase, “Ain’t I a woman?” which made her sound folksy, like someone you’d want to drink a beer with.
What I did not expect was how stone cold brilliant she was. She spoke Dutch and English fluently. She spoke extemporaneously about political and social issues with more persuasion than men like Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. She carved out a place and a name for herself with little more than her wits. Her words remain as wise, as relevant, and as slyly funny as they were in the 19th century. (“Oh no, honey,” she said once. “I can’t read little things like letters. I read big things like men.”)
Sojourner was so prescient as to be eerie. Her advocacy of prison reform, for the abolition of capital punishment, for the rights of women, and for Black women specifically, reflect concerns that few others were talking about at the time, but would occupy American politics years in the future (and continue to occupy us today). Before the end of the Civil War, she asserted that newly-freed slaves would need reparations, and access to the property that had been confiscated from former Confederates, because otherwise they would be restricted to sharecropping, and other forms of economic slavery. (She was right).
But it would be a grave mistake to relegate Sojourner to being only a social activist. She did everything she did because of her unshakeable faith in 
Jesus Christ, and in her identity as a beloved and chosen child of God. She walked away from her life in bondage because Jesus told her to go. She changed her name because Jesus told her she had a job to seek the truth. She traveled the country, preaching the Good News of the equality that was the reality in God’s kingdom, and how to make that a reality in the kingdoms of the world. And she fought, tooth and nail, to live her life to make that true. Her every action was grounded in her faith in Christ.
I cannot imagine being in Sojourner’s shoes. Her life was filled with tragedy from a young age; not to mention what she faced from society at large. Yet, in the face of all that was arrayed against her, Sojourner held on to her faith, and her vision of Jesus called this world to, and with her heart fixed on these, she left us an incredible example, leading the way to a new world. After all, in her own words, “The truth is powerful, and will prevail.”
Vote Sojourner.
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218 comments on “Dietrich Bonhoeffer vs. Sojourner Truth”
For me, Bonhoeffer. Because he challenges us to grow up and live in the "real" world of ugliness and pain and refuses to let anyone escape into any kind of sweet by-and-by. We have to live in the world as if there were no God supporting it-- "etsi deus non daretur".
Kudos to Beth and Megan for such compelling writing today. Made it even harder to choose. Both of these choices seem so relevant to current times.
Great and wonderful celebrity bloggers, we appreciate your fine work... and in Holy Week too. Thank you.
I still haven't decided, but I want to thank Megan for the end of her essay. I don't think I have really thought about Sojourner through this lens of strong faith before and it makes her courage and her accomplishments all the more inspiring.
"She did everything she did because of her unshakeable faith in Jesus Christ, and in her identity as a beloved and chosen child of God." That sentence just says it all, and I find it incredibly moving this holy week. May we all do the same.
Thanks to both bloggers. You did such a great job, I may not be able to choose! But I loved the learning.
I've just made that quote my screen saver. Thank you Megan and Yvonne.
If I were a betting man, I would put my money on Bonhoeffer.
Very difficult choice today.
Thank you Beth Lewis for your post about Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the comparison between his world and ours today. I too hope and pray we Americans will heed his message.
SOJO gives me hope, comfort, and courage today.
“I feel safe in the midst of my enemies, for the truth is powerful and will prevail.”
Unlike other days, this day I have been obsessed with reading all of the comments. In God's eyes, both are equally worthy. But as I look at the current political climate, I have too look deeply at Bonhoeffer. He came from privilege and wealth. It would have been easy to “go along with the crowd.” But as a wealthy educated person who had the choice of living out his life in freedom in the United States, he instead chose to return to his own country embroiled in evil. He knew that when good people do nothing, evil thrives. He also had to know that this might not end well for him. Someone earlier mentioned Black Lives Matter. That is true. But in fact ALL LIVES MATTER. The Black churches in the USA had a profound influence on Dietrich. He willingly chose to give up his freedom in this country to fight evil in his home country. He knew that All Lives Matter. In the end, because of his decision, he bore a heavy cross; a “cross unto death” for what he knew to be right. I can think of no higher example, consdidering what is happening to different ethnicities in our current time, and the political climate in which we live. Dietrich truly practiced the ultimate cost of discipleship: He became a martyr for the faith.
Thank you.
Sojourner Truth was a prophet.
I believe that Sojourner's Truth's faithful witness is most relevant to the world today and to my own life. In part, this is because we all need more exposure to the witness of Christians who aren't white, especially women. The write-up on her today was also excellent, and that reenforced my decision.
I voted for Bonhoffer as a means of keeping his name and the horrors in Nazi Germany
during World War 2 in front of us. Hitler singled out a single religious group for
destruction...
I agree, Christi. Lest it happen again, we should never forget the Holocaust. Hitler singled out for destruction not only the Jews, but also the Roma, Communists, Jehovah's Witnesses, pacifists, homosexuals, and many others, into the millions.
Let us always remember.
They both are amazing, but come on people you have to vote for Sojourner Truth! I want her to win the whole thing. I'll be so sad if she doesn't. (Okay, I know that is not the most compelling reason, vote for this person because I want you to, but still...)
This was so hard. I love Sojourner Truth, and her responsiveness to God, and her ability to articulate her wisdom; when I knew she was in the bracket, I had her pegged for the Golden Halo. But in the end, I find myself voting for the charism I think I need, which is the ability to run to danger rather than away from it. How can I, like Bonhoeffer, be an ally? As always, my Lent Madness vote is one that chooses the Saint whose work and ministry calls me out of my complacency. (Which, to be fair, both do. But there's something about Bonhoeffer returning to Germany that moved me.)
What a joy to read such rigorous debate on two individuals so worthy of their saintly designation! I determined to vote for Bonhoeffer as long as possible back in round one, because I believe his life and message deserve to be spread further and wider in our part of the world. I am thankful Sojourner Truth does not need the vehicle of Lent Madness to launch her to prominence. She is a central figure in our country's history - and happily someone most U.S. children now appropriately learn about in school. Not so with Dietrich, although it's just as important our youth hear his wisdom and learn from his actions. With great respect and thankfulness for the life of Sojourner Truth, I confess I'm simply thrilled to see the distance widen in Bonhoeffer's favor this morning!
Ahhh! Lent Madness you have succeeded in driving me crazy: I really love both of these! Having voted for S.T. I regret not voting for DB as on reflection, neither of them were doing work that has been completed.
#BlackLivesMatter and Beth Lewis' poignant words about prejudice and not supporting leaders that incite it.
Wow!
This was a tough decision, but ultimately I went with Bonhoeffer. This man left certain safety to return to Germany. Once there, he went into the lion's den to work, with his brother-in-law, right beneath the enemy's nose. Such courage.
One reason that I had to vote for Mr. Bonhoeffer over Sojourner Truth is the political climate of the USA today.
The campaign of Mr. Trump especially makes me fearful for the "other" here and in the world.
You & me both!
Me three.
"His witness and courage spans the decades, challenging us in this 21st century culture of 'us' versus 'them.' I pray that we will heed his message." Amen. And thank you, CB Beth Lewis. Sojourner Truth is a remarkable woman, but Bonhoeffer gets my vote. My family's history is entangled with that of WWII Germany, so his story hits very close to home. As the daughter of a refugee and someone who lives outside my passport country, my mind is occupied by the current refugee crisis and all the fear and anger revolving around that. Bonhoeffer's witness speaks to that.
What has been left out of Bonhoeffer's biography, is his involvement in the plot to kill Hitler. It was for this action he was executed.
It has been discussed in the comments. Apparently, Bonhoeffer had friends who were involved in the assassination plot. He was not a conspirator but was considered guilty by association. His "crimes" were humanitarian acts to save lives of Jewish people, not efforts to take the life of Hitler--regardless of what the charges said. Given the timing of his execution and the circumstances of his death, it's clear his actions mattered little. He was a victim of vengeance and fury. His endless faith and gentleness only fueled the anger of his captors.
Both undeniably extraordinary saints but Sojourner Truth wins my vote. Bonhoeffer made a noble choice to return to Germany and support the resistance, ultimately paying with his life but Sojourner Truth had an uphill battle her entire life.
God is the winner with saints like these.
What a contest! I have voted for both in all prior rounds, but I voted for Bonhoeffer today because his story is less well known in America; perhaps the Golden Halo will improve his exposure! Thanks to all the CBs, but especially to those who have done a terrific job with the Faithful Four, and most especially to Beth Lewis for reminding us today that "As Christians, we must speak out against those who create dissent because of fear of people of another faith tradition or those speaking another language."
That threat is as real today in America as it was 75 years ago in Bonhoeffer's Germany. I can no longer say Go, Constance, but today I say Go, Dietrich! God give me the courage to be on your team.
Toughest choice of the contest, in my opinion. I finally just had to make a choice. I went with Sojourner, but with no specific reason other than I had to make a choice.
To everyone who wants SOJO to win the Golden Halo: Rally your friends and relatives! Go on Facebook and ask your friends to vote for SOJO!! Ask your office mates to vote for SOJO!!
An impossible choice. Two real modern saints. I voted for Dietrich Bonhoeffer because he died a martyr's death for what he believed. If I only had a teaspoon of his courage...
I continue to be vaguely offended by the insistence of folks who it seems ought to know better that there is something incredibly "folksy" about the comment "ain't I a woman?" As I've written here before, I've had the pleasure of working next to a bunch of folks of various types, many of whom would have matter-of-factly said the same thing this great lady did (or her biographers suggest she did), years ago.
All of us have been using the term "ain't" for decades now, if not centuries. I think I recall Alistair Cooke commenting (introducing "Upstairs Downstairs") on it having crept into the usage in England in the early 1900s. Unfortunately, the term "folksy" takes on the form of a code for "not like us." I disagree. I feel a real kinship with the many women this lady represents. I am a much better man than I could have been because there were some amazing women in my life.
I feel a real pull toward Dieter as well, having stood in the classroom dedicated to his memory. However, it's hard not say to Sojourner, "You go, Ma'am!" After all, just try to picture her reaction if she knew that at the State University of New York at New Paltz (not terribly far from where she was born, I believe), the library is named after her. I think she would maybe giggle a little and grin and make some observation about boys and girls borrowing books in a library named for a lady who could not read.
There are no 'losers' today. . . either choice is excellent for sooo many reasons! The arguments of my brothers and sisters are all valid and praiseworthy. Blessings on those who think so deeply and earnestly.
Thank you.
I think I remember from an earlier round that everything we have of what Sojourner said was written down, quite possibly by white men who may have used expressions like "ain't" as a kind of folksy blackface so she would sound as their readers expected. She reportedly spoke excellent English and Dutch by the standards of the time, whatever that might mean: maybe that itself carried a subtext of "for one of her race and station," or maybe not.
I don't use "ain't" myself but wish I felt free to do so: it can be very useful, especially as Sojourner reportedly used it, to replace the nonexistent "amn't." Unfortunately countless generations of doubtless otherwise admirable schoolteachers have beaten it out of too many of us. The same is true in England, where in polite usage it only ever was an affectation of the Lord Peter Wimsey set and died out with them. It's alive and well among British working folk, though, as I learned from a summer's work on a construction site where no one, me included, would have dreamed of saying anything else.
[Replying to Jim Oppenheimer 's comment at 3:55 -- the system of Chinese boxes to house substrings of discussion doesn't seem to work all the time.]
I think your point on the Israel/Palestinian conflict is quite valid, St. Celia.
I agree. Apartheid is wrong no matter where.
Yes, Johannes, it is very, very frightening from where I sit here in Georgia as well. (Our legislature just passed another one of those so-called "religious freedom" bills in the last week.) The political landscape on a national level looks very reminiscent of pre-WW2 Germany to me as well. We should never think that it can't happen here.
In his sermon at the Chrism Mass for the clergy of the Diocese of NJ today, our Bishop Chip Stokes said more than once that present trends in America had made him think of Bonhoeffer and the Confessing Church, and I don't think the Bishop is following Lent Madness. He was reflecting, in part, on the Word to the Church recently issued by the House of Bishops (if you haven't yet read it, do:http://www.episcopalchurch.org/posts/publicaffairs/episcopal-bishops-issue-word-church) as well as on the passion of Jesus. I voted for Bonhoeffer this morning, or I would do so again -- and I say that full of great admiration for Sojourner Truth. These two certainly deserve to be in the Faithful Four!
This was a tough, tough choice. I went for Ms. Truth. Off topic as this may be, you folks are the perfect group to ask. I am a UU raised as a an Irish Catholic who works for a florist. Today, I took an Easter order with a message for on its card, "Happy Resurrection Day". I've never heard such a greeting. Can anyone help me with this one? Just curious....
This message might be a reflection of Eastern Orthodox liturgical practice, in which one name for Easter is "Sunday of the Resurrection" or "Resurrection Sunday." Another fact: Orthodoxy recognizes 12 Great Feasts but does not include Easter in the list because that would detract from its unique status. No Easter, no Christianity! As Episcopalians we are indebted to Orthodoxy for the form of our Great Thanksgiving, which differs sharply from the English BCP in certain key respects. I can't tell whether the floral arrangement was ordered by an Orthodox Christian or an Orthodox sympathizer, and of course there may be another reason altogether, but this is an educated guess on my part, whatever it's worth! Peace and joy be yours this Eastertide, ~jl
Thank you for this helpful information. I will share it with my boss
Well, according to the all-knowing Wikipedia, that name is "preferred by some Protestants." Perhaps that's because "Easter" was the name of the pagan spring festival named for the Germanic dawn goddess, which the Church unblushingly repurposed without bothering to change the name. In doing so they expressed a common Christian attitude toward pagan customs, but it's quite understandable that other Christians might find it excessively tolerant.
Meanwhile we converted pagans may show that we do know the difference by singing "O Day of Resurrection" on that happiest of mornings.
Thank you for offering another possible source for the phrase. I didn't think of going to the Wiki as I knew LM participants are a fount of knowledge.
At some point in the Madness it quite suddenly became apparent to me -- not in any absolute sense, just to me -- that Sojourner Truth was a monumental figure in the history of the Church and the world, on the plane of the greatest saints of history. I can't even say any more clearly what I mean by that -- and no, I make no claim to special insight and no hazelnuts were involved -- but there it is. So my vote goes to Sojourner today and -- spoiler alert, O waiting world! -- tomorrow as well.
I continually return to Bonhoeffer's book "Life Together", especially the confessional material (mutual confession). This is one of the many reasons I have voted for Bonhoeffer all along. And because of the Barmen Declaration....but most of all, I consider what an agonizing decision it must have been to join the plot...and what a terrible tragedy it is that he died so close to liberation days. Since Madness is coming to an end, perhaps I will turn to the writings of the wonderful saints we have met this season, starting with Dietrich Bonhoeffer. And I will miss all of your commentaries.