Bonhoeffer First They Came For

First they came is the poetic form of a post war confessional prose by the german lutheran pastor martin niemöller 1892 1984.

Bonhoeffer first they came for. Then they came for the socialists and the trade unionists but i was neither so i did not speak out. The story of a lutheran chaplain tending to the nazi war criminals as they were on trial at nuremberg it s a stunning read about how christians can become killers. His words were remembered and later retold by a captured raf pilot.

Then they came for the jews and i did not speak out because i was not a jew. So this brings me to bonhoeffer and his extraordinary life and why i d like to alert you to john hendrix s the faithful spy. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me niemöller did however speak out as did his friend dietrich bonhoeffer.

First they came for the socialists and i did not speak out because i was not a socialist. As they prepared him for his death he preached a final sermon. Then they came for the jews but i was not a jew so i did not speak out.

Then they came for the jews and i did not speak out because i was not a jew. As a consequence bonhoeffer lost his life and niemöller lost eight years of his freedom. Then they came for the trade unionist and i did not speak out because i was not a trade unionist.

It is about the cowardice of german intellectuals and certain clergy including by his own admission niemöller himself following the nazis rise to power and subsequent incremental purging of their chosen targets group after group. 4 february 1906 9 april 1945 was a lutheran pastor theologian anti nazi dissident and key founding member of the confessing church his writings on christianity s role in the secular world have become widely influential and his book the cost of discipleship has been described as a modern classic. And then they came for me and there was no one left to speak for me.

Dietrich bonhoeffer german pastor. This is for me the end the beginning of life. And when they came for me there was no one left to speak out for me.