Reading With Gospel Eyes: Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Lately, I’ve been reading Eric Metaxas’ biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  I was struck to see how deeply his way of reading the Bible and listening for God shaped his life and actions.  Though a well-schooled and brilliant theologian in his own right, Bonhoeffer essentially rejected the critical methods of Bible study taught in his university and seminary classes.  The listening heart had been cultivated in him as child, by his mother and governesses, all of whom were trained and influenced by the life that flowed from the Herrnhutt revivals of the 1720’s that formed the Moravian church.  It sounds much like what I refer to as “reading with Gospel eyes.”