In this article, I examine Bonhoeffer's relationship to the legacy of the Reformation in the ligh... more In this article, I examine Bonhoeffer's relationship to the legacy of the Reformation in the light of some of his remarks, sermons, and meditations related to the celebration of Reformation Day. These engagements, or so this article argues, point to the fact that for Bonhoeffer commemorating the Reformation did not entail mere restatement of seemingly timeless truths, but rather renewed and unscripted engagement with the legacy of the Reformation. This implies a historical hermeneutic which emphasizes that faithfulness to a tradition does not involve mere repetition, but performative and participatory remembering that requires ongoing interpretation, continual improvisation, and creative reenactment and embodiment. With these remarks in mind, this article attends to some of Bonhoeffer's Reformation Day sermons and meditations against the backdrop of the uses and abuses associated with acts of commemoration and, more pointedly, also in light of the 2017 Reformation 500 celebrations amidst complex forces of imperialism and neo-tribalism.
In this article, I examine Bonhoeffer's relationship to the legacy of the Reformation in the ligh... more In this article, I examine Bonhoeffer's relationship to the legacy of the Reformation in the light of some of his remarks, sermons, and meditations related to the celebration of Reformation Day. These engagements, or so this article argues, point to the fact that for Bonhoeffer commemorating the Reformation did not entail mere restatement of seemingly timeless truths, but rather renewed and unscripted engagement with the legacy of the Reformation. This implies a historical hermeneutic which emphasizes that faithfulness to a tradition does not involve mere repetition, but performative and participatory remembering that requires ongoing interpretation, continual improvisation, and creative reenactment and embodiment. With these remarks in mind, this article attends to some of Bonhoeffer's Reformation Day sermons and meditations against the backdrop of the uses and abuses associated with acts of commemoration and, more pointedly, also in light of the 2017 Reformation 500 celebrations amidst complex forces of imperialism and neo-tribalism.
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Papers by Lynda Bottcher