The Doubled Life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Book excerpt: Few twentieth-century theologians have had a bigger impact than Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a man who lived his faith and died at the hands of the Nazis. For Bonhoeffer, the theological was the personal: life and faith were deeply intertwined - and to thisday the world is inspired by that witness. Yet the true story of the women in this remarkable man's life has until now been obscured by a conventional narrative that has distorted their role. Using primary sources written by the women in his life, and even including the first ever photo of alleged 'first fiancee' Elisabeth Zinn, this book 'sees' these women fully for the first time. A highly readable but scholarly work of narrative nonfiction, The Doubled Life places Bonhoeffer's theology of love and sexuality within the context of his struggles with women, friendship, and the evils of Nazi Germany.