Doing Christian community
well is difficult, for where people are involved, people will get hurt. In this
book, Bonhoeffer explores the importance of Christian community, what one such community
looks like, and the challenges it will face.
With only five
chapters, this book about Christian community is short, but Bonhoeffer is
incisive in his observations, being firm, yet gentle as he identifies potential
pitfalls and offers prescriptions.
In chapter 1, he
writes about the necessity of community and defines the term. He writes that ‘our
community with one another consists solely in what Christ has done to both of
us’ (p. 25). He also helpfully addresses the issue of Christians having an
ideal of what a Christian brotherhood should look like, saying its inevitable
ugliness and messiness is a place for God’s grace to be displayed. After all, ‘Christian
brotherhood is not an ideal which we must realise; it is rather a reality
created by God in Christ in which we may participate’ (p. 30).
Chapters 2 and 3
talks about communal and individual living. Chapter 2 is a series of prescriptions
on the activities a Christian fellowship should do in order to grow as a
community. Chapter 3 addresses the importance of individual time alone with
God.
In chapter 4, he
writes about ministries that are important for a local group of Christians. These
are very helpful because Bonhoeffer places a great focus on personal humility and
other-person-centredness. Chapter 5 ends the book with a call for the
importance of confession of sin to one another.
Bonhoeffer
writes with a loving tone. His voice is that of a pastor who cares greatly for
God’s people. The book is no academic treatise; it is a ‘this-worldly’ exploration
of what it means to be part of a Christian community. I really recommend this
book to anyone wanting to learn how to live with other Christians together,
better.
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