"The church has only
one altar, the altar of the Almighty...before which all creatures kneel... Whoever seeks something other than this must keep away; he cannot join us in the house of God... The church has only
one pulpit, and from that pulpit, faith in God will be preached, and no other faith, and no other will than the will of God, however well-intentioned."
Well spoken Dietrich! Well spoken!
Dietrich Bonhoeffer got it. I mean that he really GOT IT. Theologian that he was, he was also a preacher, prophet, spy and martyr. Bonhoeffer said it how it was. He believed in the word of God and the work of God.
"The fearful danger of the present times is that above the cry for authority...we forget that man stands alone before the ultimate authority and that anyone who lays violent hands on man here is infringing eternal laws and taking upon himself superhuman authority which will eventually crush him."
Bonhoeffer preaches during the time of the Nazi regime. He talked openly about his dislike for Hitler's aspirations.
On the day that Hitler finally rose to power, January 30, 1933, Bonhoeffer delivered a speech that was written well before Hitler's rise. The speech was admittedly prophetic as it dealt with issues such as men in power, what man has done with the power that God has given him, and how a true leader should act. The connection over the radio was terminated and Bonhoeffer was not able to finish his speech. Some say that is was work of the Nazis.
In talking of leaders Bonhoeffer says, "...He must radically refuse to become the appeal , the idol, i.e. the ultimate authority of those whom he leads..."
Look now upon our country, the United States of America, are we being lead... Or are we being pushed around? Does our leader look at himself as the Savior of the nation still? He did, after all, say that he would bring America back to greatness... What has our Government been doing in order to make his a better country? Have they lead or pushed?
Protecting one's people should not be disarming them, should it? Imagine being a wife and mother at home alone with you small children in Boston this past week... Would you have wanted a gun? If that 19 year old bomber had crashed in your back door with a bazooka, would you want to be armed with you iPhone trying to dial 911, or would you want a 12 g. shotgun to give you and you're helpless little ones a chance. I know that some people are reading this and thinking that I'm some radical weirdo that just wants a gun to run around with. Your wrong. When I have a family of my own, I want the right to protect them if need be. Who ever would have thought that we would soon loose the right to defend ourselves. If our own government is disarming us, how are we to guard against the truly evil person who is going to find a gun and kill no matter how many gun laws, charges, or threats are in place.
This bombing in Boston is crazy and sad. It just goes to show how desperate the Terrorist's creed is. They are willing to die, kill the infidels, and go to prison over what they believe. What I am saying here in this very post makes me an infidel, possibly what our government now calls a "home grown terrorist". How messed up can our world get? The terrorists are rushed out of the country and the innocent and wounded are left to bear the loss of loved ones, limbs, and suspicions.
Bonhoeffer saw it coming before it happened. He watched as Hitler rose to his full glory. He wrote and spoke against the falsity and ferocity of this new regime, and not many listened. The people were looking for a quick fix. A leader to fix them, their problems, and their enemies. Well Germany got what it was crying for. It got a ruler. It got an idol. It got something to worship and run after... But the question is, did it really get a leader? Was Hitler a leader or was he a dictator? Germany was looking for a leader... They received a tyrant, and Bonhoeffer saw it coming even as the throngs became infatuated with this young, powerful man. Here is your god Germany, here is your king, here oh Germany is your salvation...
... Salvation never came. For the beauty became the beast and the pleasant breeze became the storm. Here oh Germany stands Der Fuhrer, The Leader.
God is our leader and He has withdrawn his hand from this nation. We have handed ourselves over to the wolves. Because we look for a quick fix, we have found eternal damnation. (not all of America is damned, but those who refuse the Word of the Almighty and the hand of God) We, as a nation have pulled away from our foundation, to create feet of clay. Without Christ who made way for us to settle in this country many a year ago, we will not be able to stay settled for long. As it is, there is only a matter of time before these feet of clay give way.
God always wanted us to be deeply rooted in him...not shallowly spread out over rocky soils that slowly chokes the life out of us.
What was said by Hitler? "Give me the children and in ten years I will have changed the nation" (not exact words, off the top of my head) ... Children no longer look to their parents for direction and help. They look to the schools (truly a branch of the government). Parents work and children grow distant while away at school learning what ever this society wants to feed them.
This all goes back to leadership and what leadership really means. Bonhoeffer's expression of a good leader, "...He must radically refuse to become the appeal, the idol, i.e. the ultimate authority of those whom he leads..."
Truth and Peace,
~Rachel
