Faith in the Face of Tyranny

Lesser known than the Barmen Declaration, the Bethel Confession, authored by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Hermann Sasse, witnesses to Christian resistance against Nazi anti-Semitism and its infiltration in the church. Indeed, more than Barmen, the Bethel Confession powerfully called out Protestant compromise with Nazism because of its forthright loyalty to the Lutheran Confessions. Johansson provides a superb introduction to the Bethel Confession and commends it as a model for countering contemporary idolatries.

Mark Mattes
Lutheran Bible Institute Chair in Theology
Grand View University
Des Moines, Iowa

While it was eclipsed by the unionistic Barmen Declaration of 1934, the Bethel Confession of August 1933 stands as a testimony to the courageous efforts of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Hermann Sasse to use genuine Lutheran theology to critique the rise of National Socialism. Dr. Torbj?rn Johansson provides readers with a fine historical introduction and a robust theological commentary on the Bethel Confession, demonstrating that this document is timely model for Lutherans in the twenty-first century. Sasse complained of how the Lutheran churches needed to be awaken from their "dogmatic slumbers" to confront satanic lies with the truth of Christ. While recognizing differences between Bonhoeffer and Sasse, Johansson demonstrates that they shared a common allegiance to the Holy Scriptures, a reliance on Luther's theology, and a commitment to the Book of Concord. The Bethel Confession is a condensed systematic theology, demonstrating the vitality of Lutheran teaching to address contemporary issues. Faith in the Face of Tyranny: An Examination of the Bethel Confession Proposed by Dietrich Bonhoeffer Hermann Sasse in August 1933 is a most welcome addition to the body of scholarship on the history of the church under the Third Reich; but its value is not limited to academic researchers. This book is worthy of careful reading and reflection by pastors and lay people who struggle with questions of how the church bears witness with integrity before the powers of this age.

John T. Pless
Concordia Theological Seminary
Fort Wayne, IN