Reviews for Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community

The average rating for Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-01-03 00:00:00 Ken Burton Whenever I read how-to books, I "skip to end" the consider the actual bio of the person. Does the person have a life narrative I admire? Would I actually want to be like them? If so, perhaps I'll take their advice. So here's Bonhoeffer. Nazi-resister, Gandhi liaison, secret super spy pastor. An amazing spirit, executed in a concentration camp, after laying a foundation for modern hearts to follow Christ. What a dude. I want to be like him, but maybe not in the exact manner he lays out here. This book is essentially "German engineering for Christian communities." A theologically-rooted how-to manual for living life with other Christians, following a very precise order. What would happen if you applied principles of theology AND utter efficiency to living life together? This book. It is highly prescriptive and slightly antiquated, with many many "musts" and "shoulds." But in Bonhoeffer's words, "It's not legalism, it's fidelity and orderliness." The passages on doing the "day with others" and "the day alone" give me pause: the schedule seems indeed a product of the 30s-50s, Germany, from a male perspective; lots of time for Orderly Pursuit of Structured Things (reading scripture, singing hymns, praying together, etc.), and it makes me evaluate my own chaotic household of boisterous kids, and I wonder where Bonhoeffer would find room for Playing Loudly With Preschoolers. I don't mean that dismissively: I think I could defend my schedule a little better against the chaos of the day in order to make time for meditation and solitude, and how I might invite my immediate family into more structured aspects of faith. Right now, Bonhoeffer's crew we ain't. The section on ministry is gorgeous. With its emphasis on listening, service, meekness, holding one's tongue, it calls people towards quite a powerful, quiet life of love. The passage on confessing was unexpectedly beautiful, and something I'll keep thinking about. This book has a few rough patches: the page where he rants about how NOT to do unison singing is quirky and adorable (those pesky basses and altos, always showing off their "astonishing range").

Review # 2 was written on 2007-06-25 00:00:00 Amanda Johnson 1/11/09 I just reread this book for another class. I think it's my fourth reading now. All I want to add is that this book gets better each time. I'm amazed by Bonhoeffer's insight and the understanding of God that informs the whole work. It's small but packed with import. You'd think I would have learned its lessons in the first three readings, but I again found myself deeply challenged about my own behavior in Christian community. This one is worth coming back to again and again. ------ 4/1/07 I re-read this book for the class I took on Bonhoeffer and found it even more enjoyable this time than the first couple of times. Bonhoeffer has some great practical advice about living in Christian community, as well as some challenging theological perspectives. It's easy to see the influences of Anglican monasticism on his view of communal life, which was particularly unique in protestant Germany at the time he wrote the book. The book is short and comprised of five chapters. Some of Bonhoeffer's insights are more helpful than others: his musings about the nature of community, confession, forgiveness, bearing, serving, etc. are all priceless. His thoughts on how prayer and worship ought to be conducted are interesting, but seem less universal. Even so, I highly recommend this challenging and thought-provoking book.