The man in the photo above was Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, born in 1906 and executed by the Nazi party on April 9, 1945. My brother Oliver and I were just talking about this man last night--how he struggled, among many other things, with what to put first: God or his country.
He was born and raised in Germany, a country full of nationalism and patriotism. If you were German but against your country, something was terribly wrong with you. But as the Nazi party and Hitler took over the country before WWII, Bonhoeffer realized that he would have to choose between his country, and God, both of which he deeply loved.
In the end, he abandoned his country for his faith. He knew what the Nazi party was doing to the Jews was wrong, and he was one of the few bold enough Christians to say so. By 1941 the Nazis did not allow him to publish or print anything. So he instead turned to the Abwehr, an anti-Hitler resistance that attempted to assassinate Hitler. On April 5, 1945, he was arrested, and killed that same month on the 9th.
To me, Bonhoeffer is one of the world's unsung heroes. No, he did not manage to assissinate Hitler, but he was one of the few Christians left in Germany that stood up, and put God first, which cost him his life. I hope that if it comes down to it in this country, someday, I will react as he did, and put my God and my faith above everything, including my life.
~Kathy
P.S. Focus on the Family made a 3 hour audio drama on his life, and his struggle with God. I highly encourage you to find it and listen to it; it is moving and eye-opening.
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