Ethics Book

"Ethics" was a difficult book to read and desperately cried out for some editing. In Bonhoeffer's defense, the book was published posthumously, so he never got the opportunity to refine it or interact with an editor. Modern publishers are no doubt hesitant to cut any material, though other publications present the material in different orders. Written while Bonhoeffer was actively involved in the resistance and a plot to assassinate Hitler, my expectation was that he would biblically and philosophically work through the moral dilemma of a Christian pastor engaged in such activities. And he did do this – in far more words than were necessary. Some take-aways, especially for those who have taken ethics from me:
1) He had little use for duty-based ethics or ethical mandates derived from universal principles. Ethics is about living real life before God in the context of relationships. Therefore ethics is always contextual and theological.
2) He landed in between a graded absolutism and ideal absolutism on moral dilemmas. His argument for ideal absolutism is that Jesus became sin for us so incurring guilt for the good of another is an entirely Christian thing to do. Ultimately, because of what I wrote in #1, his position on moral dilemmas would have to be some form of graded absolutism, where violating the law of God is not sin if it is done for the good of another.
3) His treatment of truth telling and whether it is ever right to lie was fascinating but incomplete. He never got the chance to finish it. Though I earlier complained about the length, I would have loved to have read more on this. He had some interesting insights and examples on how truth is contextual, depending on the nature of the relationship between the moral agents.
4) Bonhoeffer’s neo-orthodoxy is more evident in this book than in “Cost of Disicpleship” or “Life Together.”