Bonhoeffer's Paths to Freedom

Author's name: Alois Prince

This book presents three journeys along different paths that intersect at a fateful and dramatic moment in the history of the German nation. The first is a journey into the personality of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the unique, multifaceted figure. He has been sanctified and exalted, and his name has been given to many schools, institutions, and fields in Germany, yet he has not yet been discovered. Here, without sanctification, we encounter all his weaknesses, complexities, and contradictions as he comes to know himself and the world and searches for the path to God. The second journey is historical, covering the history of Central Europe in the first half of the twentieth century, which was characterized by a rapid succession of events and the formation of fierce, conflicting, ideological empires with a chauvinistic orientation and an ugly tendency toward militarism and aggression. These empires directly influenced the crystallization of the thoughts of our hero. The third journey is primarily geographical, as the events lead us to its locations in Germany, the turbulent heart of Europe, and particularly in the Kingdom of Prussia and its unique capital, Berlin, the beautiful, unbreakable city.