1. religion and spirituality
2. christianity
3. catholicism

USED AND
ABUSED:
BONHOEFFER FOR ALL CAUSES
10th Australian Bonhoeffer Conference
Kincumber
NSW
31 July-1 August 2014
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the twentieth century theologian who lived during
the Second World War and was killed at the hands of the Nazi regime
69 years ago, has been a source of great inspiration, dialogue, and debate traversing the disciplines of theology, ethics and politics. As Tom
Greggs has noted in explaining Bonhoeffer’s contribution, it’s rare to find a theologian whose life is as
exciting as their theology, and the enduring significance of his life and work is further testament to
this.
‘In any event, to claim Bonhoef-
Nevertheless, this significance has not been without
its controversy, and it was a 2013 research paper
despairing how Bonhoeffer has become 'a pawn of political expediency'
which gave birth to this year’s Bonhoeffer Conference theme, Used and
Abused: A Bonhoeffer for All Causes. The title itself is provocative, for it
is clear by the example of his life that Bonhoeffer was not a person-forall-causes: to be as much would not have resulted in that prophetic
stance against the totalitarian regime for which he is so famous.
cally, it turns Bonhoeffer once
What, then, are the legitimate uses of Bonhoeffer’s life and work, and
what constitutes an abuse? What criteria do we use to decide on this?
And, founded on this conversation, what fruit can Bonhoeffer scholarship
bear today in its ongoing grappling with this remarkable figure?
I am delighted to welcome you to the 2014 Bonhoeffer Conference, in
which scholars from across the disciplines and public figures alike will aid
us in thinking through these questions and others that arise. In so doing,
we will become a microcosm of broader debates about Bonhoeffer’s life
and legacy, with the potential to contribute to enduring scholarship and
public discourse in this area.
Dan Fleming is Dean of Studies, The Broken Bay Institute, and also conjoint lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of
Newcastle.
www.newcastle.edu.au/events/faculty-of-education-and-arts/bonhoeffer-conference
fer for the conservative evangelical right, as Lyle Shelton
(managing director and spokesman for the Australian Christian
Lobby) has done, fails to read
both Bonhoeffer’s history and
his theology with sufficient sophistication. More problematiagain into a pawn of political
expediency, and does an injustice to the profound legacy his
life and wisdom have left us.’
Mark Lindsay, ABC Religion
and Ethics, May 2013.
DB’14

Six dynamic speakers a bishop, politician,
priests and professors

Education, ecumenical
worship, discussion, challenging discipleship

$195 all-inclusive

Email: Bonhoefferconference@ Newcastle.edu.au
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Bonhoeffer, Sociality and the Doctrine of the Church:
A Useful Ecclesiological Lens
Stephen Pickard
Assistant Bishop, Anglican Diocese of Canberra-Goulburn
Executive Director, Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture
Bonhoeffer has given theologians much to think about
and argue in relation to the doctrine of the church. Exactly how he might have developed his ecclesiology in
the light of the earlier emphasis on the world come of
age and religionless Christianity has been a matter for
theologians to ponder and dispute. However his early
doctoral inquiries into the theological sociology of the
nature of the church, his experiment in community described in Life Together and a number of profound insights into the relationship between the triune God and
community offer some interesting lines of inquiry. My
own doctoral supervisor, the late Daniel Hardy, had a deep knowledge and
abiding affection for Bonhoeffer. In a programmatic essay in the mid 1980’s first
read at the Society for the Study of Theology Hardy appealed to Bonhoeffer’s
concept of sociality as a point of departure (and critique) for the development
of his own insight into the nature of the church. In this brief paper I revisit the
Bonhoeffer/Hardy intersection and show how it formed the basis for Hardy’s
fundamental insight into the nature of the church and the significance it has
since had on my own ecclesiology, my debt to both theologians, and pointers
for a contemporary ecclesiology.
‘Present-ing’ the Word: The Use and Abuse of Bonhoeffer on the Bible
Sean Winter
Associate Professor, University of Divinity, Melbourne
Recent Bonhoeffer scholarship has shown a welcome concern for the significance of the Bible and biblical interpretation for any understanding of Bonhoeffer’s theology. In particular, Bonhoeffer’s name is now often associated
with the call for a form of theological hermeneutics marked by the relativization of—and sometimes outright hostility to—more obviously historically orientated modes of exegesis.
Building on earlier studies of Bonhoeffer’s early and late reflections on biblical
interpretation, this paper looks in detail at the material that emerges from
Bonhoeffer’s time as Director at Finkenwalde ( DBWE 14) as it relates to these
issues. Bonhoeffer’s well known lecture on the
‘Present-ation’ (Vergegenwärtigung) of New Testament Texts will be the focus of enquiry. In exploring
this material I will pay special attention to the way
in which Bonhoeffer describes the work of the interpreter in relation to the biblical text and the contemporary context. In contrast to studies that use
Bonhoeffer in support of models of interpretation
that downplay the work of interpretation, I argue
that Bonhoeffer, like Barth before him, affirms the
human work of the interpreter as a part of what it means to make the New
Testament ‘present’ to the world today.
www.newcastle.edu.au/events/faculty-of-education-and-arts/bonhoeffer-conference
Following Jesus ‘as if God
does not exist’: Bonhoeffer’s
useful misuse of the maxim
‘etsi Deus non daretur’
Kevin Lenehan,
Priest,
Catholic Theological College,
University of Divinity, Melbourne,
The maxim etsi Deus non daretur
(“even if God does not exist”) is a
contraction of a
traditional formula
used by Hugo Grotius (d. 1645) in his
major work on
international law
and the relations
between states
and persons. In this presentation,
I will locate Bonhoeffer’s use of
the etsi Deus maxim within the
overall argument of the ‘new
theology’ in his later prison writings, which involves addressing
the contested question of the relation of these late writings to
Bonhoeffer’s theology in general.
Then, I will trace Bonhoeffer’s
reception of this maxim via the
writings of Wilhelm Dilthey.
I will argue Bonhoeffer suggests a
more nuanced and challenging
task for the Gemeinde of Jesus’
disciples within a postChristendom culture such as Australia. It is a vision that is misinterpreted by those commentators
who continue to rank Bonhoeffer
among the secularisation thinkers
of the 1960s, and also by those
who fail to recognise the radical
nature of Bonhoeffer’s thought,
and of his call for the inner renewal of the church as it follows
its Lord into relationship with
others.
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Re-Writing the Icon: Exploring and Exploiting the Bonhoeffer Legacy
Mark Lindsay
Professor of Theology & Director Research, University of Divinity, Melbourne
As a symbol of resistance against tyranny, Bonhoeffer is explorable and exploitable by any and all who think themselves also to be victims of oppression. As a
theologian whose work remained incomplete and in parts ambiguous, Bonhoeffer can be, and has been, used by people and movements who think that
they can see in his writings support for their own ideals. As a martyr, Bonhoeffer is conveniently also unable to clarify his own work, or correct those who willfully or in ignorance misuse him. In this paper, I will consider these competing
uses of Dietrich Bonhoeffer through the lens of iconography. That is, I will contend that Bonhoeffer is more than simply a symbol and has become, in fact, an
icon for Western Protestantism. Whereas saints are
presented to the world and the church through a single constitutive narrative, Bonhoeffer – as an icon – is
susceptible to being written multi-vocally. Moreover,
and consequently, there is also, I will argue, a far
greater level of reader-response agency in Bonhoeffer
reception than is possible with the reception of saints.
I will propose that Bonhoeffer should in fact be released from the constraints of being either saint or
icon. I will suggest that his legacy will be properly understood and appreciated only after it has been freed
from the competing moral imperatives that overlay
both sainthood and iconography.
Bonhoeffer’s Christ In A Selfish Society
Senator Deborah O’Neill
Used and Abused:
Bonhoeffer for All
Causes
31 July - 1 August
2014
Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life and learning put him in the very particular context of
writing his book Ethics in the Benedictine Monastery at Ettal near Munich from
1940 to 1943. His ‘being’ in that particular place and time
provided him an intimate view of the Nazi regime. Bonhoeffer knew intimately the practical evil the Third Reich
unleashed, as well as the failure of politics and other instruments of society in the 1930’s to prevent Hitler’s rise and
rise. It is not then surprising that Bonhoeffer’s essential critique of philosophical discussion of ethics is that it too often
becomes a cerebral activity where theory trumps practical
action. He also cautions against the crusader or moral
dogmatist whose practical action too often becomes
trapped in a fanaticism and isolation from ‘others’. Intellectual or practical distance from the challenging work of
our times then is not an option. Bonhoeffer’s challenge to
us in all fields of endeavour is to acknowledge and engage
in the rich, ever-present and ever-changing moral challenges that the world presents.
For followers of Christ, and those who seek to use his teachings as a moral compass for all times, Bonhoeffer offers us a way of seeing that calls us to a
way of being – modelling Christ’s option for the “poor”. Bonhoeffer’s Christ is the
bridge between heaven and earth that calls us to opt for the used and abused,
the ‘othered’. Neither private virtue nor robust intellectual engagement with
the moral challenges of the day absolves us of our responsibility to “be” in the
world and of the world in our time, paying attention to Christ’s guidance and our
neighbour’s needs. It is a call to courageous and radical selflessness – a genuine
challenge in our selfish times.
www.newcastle.edu.au/events/faculty-of-education-and-arts/bonhoeffer-conference
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Re-claiming Bonhoeffer’s Revolutionary Spiritual Journey
John Moses
Priest and historian
Bonhoeffer was a uniquely reluctant and distinctly German Lutheran revolutionary. His powerful critique needs to be understood as the expression of a
devout Lutheran Protestant. My paper highlights Bonhoeffer’s spiritual journey to show how his endeavour to politically re-educate the German people
needs to be examined in theological terms and in doing so re-claim the integrity of his religiously inspired call to political opposition and Christian witness.
The author was the first speaker at the inaugural national Bonhoeffer conference, in 2005, and since then has continued to be the guiding influence of the
series. He taught at the University of Queensland from 1965-94. Since 2007
he has been professorial associate , and later honorary professor, of St Mark’s
National Theological Institute , Canberra.
To Register
The GST-inclusive fee of
$195 covers conference
attendance, overnight accommodation, and all
meals. Payment is to be
made with your registration.
Refunds in full only if you
cancel before 18 July. The
conference starts at 2pm on
31 July (lunch not included)
and ends after lunch on 1
August.
To register and pay, go to http://
www.uononlineshop.com/
index.php/default/2014dietrich-bonhoefferconference.html
Registrations close 25 July
Enquiries:
Wendy Grant
A ministry of the
Anglican Diocese of
Newcastle
University of Newcastle
02 4921 5880 (Thursday,
Friday only)
Bonhoeffer-conference@
newcastle.edu.au
The conference centre, Kincumber, 5km from Gosford on the NSW
Central Coast , is managed by the Order of the Sisters of St. Joseph
www.newcastle.edu.au/events/faculty-of-education-and-arts/bonhoeffer-conference
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THE CONFERENCE PROGRAM
Thursday, 31 July
2pm
Welcome and Introductions – Dan Fleming/chair
2.10pm
Re-writing the Icon: exploring and exploiting the Bonhoeffer Legacy — Mark Lindsay
3.00pm Afternoon Tea
3.30pm Re-claiming Bonhoeffer’s Spiritual Journey — John Moses
4.15pm
Present-ing the Word: The Use and Abuse of Bonhoeffer on the Bible — Sean Winter
5.15pm
Holy Eucharist, St Joseph’s Chapel. Celebrant — The Right Rev’d Greg Thompson, Bishop of the
Anglican Diocese of Newcastle. Preacher — The Rev’d Bruce Perry, chaplain, University of Newcastle
6.30pm Dinner
~8.00pm After-dinner Conversation: Bonhoeffer’s Christ In A Selfish Society — Senator Deborah O’Neill
~9.00pm Compline
Friday, 1 August
7.00am Prayers and Reflections — Kevin Lenehan
7.30am Breakfast
8.30am 2014 Flechtheim Scholar
9.15am
Bonhoeffer, Sociality and the Doctrine of the Church: A Useful Ecclesiastical Lens — Stephen Pickard
10.00am Morning Tea
10.30am Following Jesus ‘as if God does not exist’: Bonhoeffer’s Useful Misuse of the Maxim ‘etsi Deus non
daretur’ — Kevin Lenehan
11.15am
Open forum (the next decade) — Terry Lovat, Professor Emeritus and Senior Research Fellow,
University of Newcastle and Oxford University
Launch of Australasian Journal of Bonhoeffer Studies (2nd issue)
Plans to mark the 70th anniversary of Bonhoeffer’s execution (9 April 1945)
12.00pm Closing remarks — Dan Fleming
www.newcastle.edu.au/events/faculty-of-education-and-arts/bonhoeffer-conference
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St JOSEPH’S SPIRITUALITY & EDUCATION CENTRE
Kincumber, NSW
HOW TO GET TO THE CONFERENCE
If you are driving from Sydney take the M1 motorway as far as the Gosford exit
(about 25 minutes). If travelling from the north take the Gosford exit (Central
Coast Highway). At this point you have about 30
minutes to travel before reaching Kincumber South.
Follow all the East Gosford/Terrigal signs until you
end up on Central Coast Highway just past the
East Gosford shopping centre. Stay on this road for
about 2km.
Turn right at the lights to Kincumber and Avoca
Beach.
Stay on this road, Avoca Drive, until you pass Kincumber Shopping Village on left and Kincumber
Public School on left.
At the roundabout take a right turn to Woy Woy
and continue along Empire Bay Drive.
Pass Nautical Village on the right, then after 400m
turn right into MacKillop Road.
Turn right at the T-intersection into Humphreys Road, then right again at the
Centre’s driveway beside the sandstone Holy Cross Church.
www.newcastle.edu.au/events/faculty-of-education-and-arts/bonhoeffer-conference
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THE AUSTRALIAN BONHOEFFER CONFERENCE SERIES
Principal: Dr Terry Lovat
Convenor: Fr Stephen Moore
Year Conference Theme
Speakers
2005 ‘Who is Christ for Us Today?’
The Rev’d Dr John Moses
Dr Maurice Schild
Dr Bruce Barber
Br Bruce-Paul, SSF
Fr Ed Nixon, CSsR
Bp David Walker
2006 ‘Who is Christ for Me Today?’
The Rev’d Prof Dr Thorwald Lorenz
The Rev’d Prof James Haire
The Rev’d Dr Kevin O’Shea, CSsR
2007 ‘Religion and Politics’
Sr Veronica Brady, IBVM
The Rev’d Alexandra Sangster
Dr Gary Bouma
The Rev’d Tim Costello
Brig (Ret’d) Jim Wallace
2008 ‘A Cautious Embrace:
A Christian-Jewish Reflection’
The Rev’d Dr Bruce Kaye
The Hon. Marie Bashir
Prof Colin Tatz
Dr Christine Winter
Dr Rachael Kohn
Dr Jonathan Inkpin
Dr Morna Sturrock
2009 ‘Limits to Tolerance’
The Rev’d Dr Brian Douglas
The Rev’d Dr Noel Preston
Fr Peter Kennedy
Dr Mehmet Ozalp
Prof Tony Coady
Fr Andrew Hamilton
Dorothy Hoddinott
www.newcastle.edu.au/events/faculty-of-education-and-arts/bonhoeffer-conference
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THE AUSTRALIAN BONHOEFFER CONFERENCE SERIES
Year Conference Theme
2010 ‘Social Responsibility and
Christian Commitment’
Speakers
The Rev’d Dr William Countryman
The Rev’d Erich von Dietze
Bp Graeme Rutherford
2011 ‘Practical Mysticism: Bonhoeffer in
Conversation with Mary MacKillop’
Dr Terry Lovat
Dr Kathleen McPhillips
Sr Catherine Thom, rsj
Sr Colleen O’Sullivan, rsj
2012 ‘Religionless Christianity’
Dr Charlotte Bains
Dr John Henderson
Dr Gordon Preece
The Rev’d Rod Moore
Prof John McDowell
2013 ‘Hearing the Word, Acting in Faith’
The Rev’d Dr Christopher Holmes
Dr Luqman Zakariyah
The Rev’d Dr Rhyss Bezzant
Dr Tim Stanley
Elizabeth Scott
The Rev’d Simon Moyle
www.newcastle.edu.au/events/faculty-of-education-and-arts/bonhoeffer-conference
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