HomeQuotesDietrich Bonhoeffer
Literature and scripture
Who stands fast? Only the man whose final standard is not his reason, his principles, his conscience, his freedom, or his virtue, but who is ready to sacrifice all this when he is called to obedient and responsible action in faith and in exclusive allegiance to God.
Letters and Papers from Prison, "Who Stands Fast?", 1943
Literature and scripture
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What this means, and why it matters to a father

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote these words from Tegel Prison in Berlin in 1943, after being arrested by the Gestapo for his resistance to the Nazi regime. He was 37 years old, engaged to be married, and facing execution.

There is more to this one. The full context — the events behind the words, what the author was living through, and how it applies to the specific situations of fatherhood — is in the app under Deeper Understanding.

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Sources

Related themes

courageidentityfaithresponsibility

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