Quick Facts
Theologian who chose martyrdom over silence. Executed for plotting against Hitler.
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Life Journey
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was born to Karl and Paula Bonhoeffer in Breslau, Germany, as the sixth of eight children.
At the age of 12, Bonhoeffer decides to pursue a career in theology, marking the beginning of his lifelong dedication to the church and theology.
Bonhoeffer enrolls at the University of Tübingen to study theology, laying the foundation for his future academic and pastoral work.
Bonhoeffer completes his doctoral thesis, 'The Communion of Saints,' and earns his Doctorate in Theology from the University of Berlin.
Bonhoeffer serves as an assistant pastor at the German Protestant Church in Barcelona, gaining practical experience in ministry and pastoral care.
Bonhoeffer travels to the United States to teach at Union Theological Seminary in New York, where he also becomes involved in the Harlem community and the civil rights movement.
Upon returning to Germany, Bonhoeffer begins lecturing at the University of Berlin, focusing on systematic theology and ethics.
Bonhoeffer speaks out against the Nazi regime's attempts to control the German Evangelical Church, becoming a prominent voice in the resistance.
Bonhoeffer establishes the illegal Finkenwalde Seminary, training pastors in resistance to Nazi ideology and promoting a free, confessing church.
The Gestapo closes the Finkenwalde Seminary, forcing Bonhoeffer to continue his work in secret and further solidifying his opposition to the Nazi regime.
Bonhoeffer briefly returns to London to lead a German-speaking congregation, but feels called back to Germany to continue his resistance efforts.
Bonhoeffer joins the Abwehr, the German military intelligence service, where he becomes involved in resistance activities and plots against Hitler.
Bonhoeffer is arrested by the Gestapo and imprisoned in Berlin's Tegel Prison, where he continues to write and reflect on his faith and ethics.
Following the failed July 20 plot to assassinate Hitler, Bonhoeffer is transferred to the Flossenbürg concentration camp, where he faces harsh conditions and uncertainty.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer is executed by hanging at Flossenbürg concentration camp, just weeks before the end of World War II, leaving behind a legacy of faith and resistance.