This episode of '5 Minutes in Church History' focuses on a Christmas sermon by Dietrich Bonhoeffer from December 25, 1939. Host Stephen Nichols sets the historical context: Hitler is firmly in power, Bonhoeffer had been kicked out of the University of Berlin, and his underground seminary at Finkenwalde was shut down by the Gestapo. Bonhoeffer's young seminarians were scattered, and he continued training them by sending letters and sermons. The sermon begins with Bonhoeffer stating that no pastor or theologian stood at the cradle of Bethlehem, yet all Christian theology finds its origin there in the miracle of God becoming man. He emphasizes that sacred theology originates in prayerful kneeling before the divine child. Bonhoeffer asserts that without the holy night of Christ's birth, there is no theology, as theology exists to preserve the mystery of the God-man, Jesus Christ. He explains that theology should not decode God's mystery or pull it down to the commonplace, which he calls the conspiracy of wisdom based on human experience and reason. Bonhoeffer identifies this as a critique of liberalism, referencing Friedrich Schleiermacher's emphasis on feelings over truth, and rationalism's reliance on human reason to dispense with miracles and biblical authority. He argues that Christmastide should kindle a love for holy theology, warning that if it doesn't, something is seriously wrong with individuals and the church. Flipping this positively, he sees Christmas as an opportunity to rekindle that love. In the sermon's conclusion, Bonhoeffer addresses his scattered students, who are living in farmhouses and training underground, praying that they be led to read biblical testimony with more reverence and sing Luther's Christmas hymns more thoughtfully. Nichols ends by extending Bonhoeffer's thoughts and prayers to the listeners, wishing them a Merry Christmas.
