I'm surprised because his theology, his politics and his activism seem to out-of-place for Christians in the United States. So many different conservatives praise him.
Some people laud him for his non-violent pacifism, and other for his violent attempt at activism. Some laud him for his commitment to community, and others for his religion-less Christianity. Some laud him for his non-metaphysical theology, and others for his pastoral care. Some laud him from the far left, and others from the far right.
When this happens -- as it inevitably does -- I just look at them and wonder, "Is there something else going on here?"
Lots of folks like to think of Bonhoeffer as a hero. Personally, I view him as a cautionary tale.
The forgotten lesson, it seems, is that far too many of us strive to be like Bonhoeffer, instead of being the Church that wouldn't need him.
Instead of looking for the next Bonhoeffer -- someone who will lead the charge in some heroic protest -- why don't we enter the humble protests of daily life in the way Dietrich did?
You see, Bonhoeffer only became the Bonhoeffer we remember because the German Christians failed to be the Church.
That's the forgotten lesson of Bonhoeffer by American Christians: The Church in Germany failed, because the Church in Germany capitulated so much to the German State.
That's why I'm worried when Americans start praising Bonhoeffer as much as we do. Could it be -- I think it is already! -- true that the Church in America is dreaming too much of the American Dream without living the Kingdom Reality.
The US just celebrated yet another July 4th, so the answer to this question is significant: Are we Christians in America more American than Christian? How would we know? Does the distinction of that question even make sense? Because, if it doesn't, then I worry. I worry that we've turned Bonhoeffer into an inspirational story rather than a cautionary tale.
Bonhoeffer is anything but a Christian celebrity. Bonhoeffer is a warning -- a warning of what happens when Christians look less like the Kingdom of God and more like the kingdoms of this world.