I took my family to watch Bonhoeffer last night. It is a difficult watch as are the movies The Passion and Schindler's List. For those that do not know Deitrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor during WWII. He struggled with the influence of the Nazis on the church. The Nazis coerced, co-opted, corrupted, used and ultimately destroyed the German church as they knew it during their reign. Bonhoeffer also became (although slowly and reluctantly at first) uncomfortable with the persecution of Jews. He was forced to wrestle with how his faith, love, and submission with authority was sometimes at odds with what he felt he must to to resist evil. As a Christian wading through more difficult times, I feel this is a story I am really glad to be familiar with. I have read Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxas and in there you get a more detailed view of this struggle, but the movie does a good job. There are some artistic liberties, and while sometimes these are necessary, I kind of wish they were not necessary, but it is what it is. I feel the movie was faithful to the main parts of his story. It gives us a perspective of what a people and specifically Christians living in an evil time may face. I think it is good for me in that it helped me to see that there is a time to "throw a stick in the spokes of the wheel of government to stop it" when it becomes evil. There are always nuances, levels of severity in these situations. This by no means at all an invitation for that. The lessons I take away and what I wanted my family to see is that our fallen world is messy sometimes. There may be times where our faith and what we should do when things are perfect cause much tension with what we must do when things are not. There is a time to act and none of that should be entered into without struggle, and careful consideration. Also, the church in Germany did not put up much of a fight at the beginning. They were largely silent (this is why I think the trailer for this movie features Disturbed's version of "The Sound Of Silence"). I also take away, that often conservatives and Christian conservatives shy away from politics in the deadly spiral of "I just want to be left alone" or that religion and politics are not to be talked about in polite society and/or should not mix. It has been my position for a long time that while I am much less in favor of a government mandated religion, as a Christian, my Christian world view should inform and drive all of what I do, including my politics and who and what I vote for. We should not stay silent and we should let our voices be heard before things get as bad as they were in Germany.
Anyway, this is my Warrior Poet view on this movie (read the book too). It is more of an intellectual movie making me very uncomfortable at times, but worth the watch and worth thinking about.

Agree, went with the Mrs. and another couple from church. Both of the wives read the book, both of the husbands are protector mindset. Great way to spend an evening, spark a conversation, and initiate introspection (and put Bonhoeffer's books on my Christmas list).

I hope John does talk abt this. This story should be told. Caught Beck's interview with Metaxas last week and didn't know much of anything about Bonhoeffer (sp?) before that. Can't wait to see the film.