HT2 Google Group

Spring semester HT2 students have been invited to join our class Google Group. The group will serve as a vehicle for class discussion beyond the classroom setting. From time to time, you will be required to participate. The board will be open at all times for class members only. You may use this forum to continue class discussions, for study inquiries, etc.

One of the important practices of Wesleyans is "Christian conference." Theological students and scholars have traditionally hammered out the sticking points of theology over tea, coffee and "spirited dialogue" (pun intended). So, we will simulate the experience of the Inklings or other such conclaves in cyberspace! Grab your coffee or tea and join the conversation.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

It seems timely to consider the contributions, and martyrdom, of Dietrich Bonhoeffer at this juncture in history and at this point in the school term.

HT2 begins with a look at the Reformation. Luther's contributions to both theology and western civilization are without question. But it is Luther's Germany which gives rise to the Third Reich and Hitler's violent anti-semitism. Though not a person given much consideration, due to time factors, in HT2, perhaps an on-going examination of Bonhoeffer's reflection on the dilemma in which he found himself would be fruitful for us.

I will post from time to time on Bonhoeffer and will set up a list of links. Today, I've begun a devotional journey through his thought with the aid of A Year With Bonhoeffer published by Harper San Francisco.

It is my hope that you will comment on how this brief look impacts you and your thought.

"An ethic of disposition or intention is just as superficial as an ethic of consequences. For what right do we have to stay with inner motivation as the ultimate phenomenon of ethics, ignoring that 'good' intentions can grow out of very dark backgrounds in human consciousness and subconsciousness, and that often the worst things happen as a result of 'good intentions'" (January 23, p. 25)