Dr. Lori Brandt Hale is the Director of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences and Professor of Religion in the Department of Religion and Philosophy at Augsburg University in Minneapolis, MN. She started teaching at Augsburg in 1998. Brandt Hale is the president of the International Bonhoeffer Society - English Language Section Board of Directors, the co-editor with W. David Hall of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Theology, and Political Resistance and the Lexington Books series on faith and politics, and the co-author of Bonhoeffer for Armchair Theologians. Professor Brandt Hale has degrees from the University of Virginia (PhD), University of Chicago Divinity School (MA), and University of Iowa (BA). She has held a number of leadership roles at Augsburg and, in 2022, she received the “Faculty of the Year” Award given by the Augsburg Day Student Government. 

 

 

 

 

In his letter to the Romans, Paul writes, “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God” (12:2). This workshop will offer three key insights from Bonhoeffer’s theology that, when taken seriously, may help each of us discern what God is calling us to do during these troubling times. Bonhoeffer’s significance is as a theologian; he offers us fresh ways to renew our minds. It is then up to us to figure out how these insights translate into action in our own time and context. This workshop provides space for us to do that important work as we reflect on (1) his understanding of freedom as being free for others, not free from others; (2) his conviction that the teachings of Jesus are realistic ways to overcome evil in society and are nonnegotiable for Christians; and (3) his observation that in a time when Christian public witness has been thoroughly compromised, we can be Christian in only two ways: through prayer and the doing of justice.

 

 

Along with his deep and important reflections on the meaning of Christian faith and life, Bonhoeffer offered a profound reflection on the social and political events of his day. His resistance to political tyranny is an inspiration for many. Those who have been influenced by Bonhoeffer have often looked to his writings and his life as a source for making sense of times of political turmoil. This workshop explores what Bonhoeffer’s example can and, importantly, cannot tell us about our own tumultuous political situation.

 

 

 

This workshop focuses on how Bonhoeffer was read in South Africa during the struggle against apartheid and beyond, especially taking into account how it inspired resistance and hope. Attention will be given to the reception of key Bonhoeffer texts such as “Thy Kingdom Come!” (1932), “The Church and the Jewish Question” (1933) and extracts from “After Ten Years” (1942-1942), as well as how his work was interpreted by influential South African theologians such as Beyers Naudé, Allan Boesak, John de Gruchy and Russel Botman. In addition, the question will be asked what we can learn (and not learn) from the South African Bonhoeffer reception for our current global geo-political realities.