Week 7 of 14

Revenge - Ch. 12
Eye for an Eye... Tooth for a Tooth... so is revenge or violence ever called for? Again it's a calling to suffer. I still don't understand how this could be practically lived out in every situation in life. Bonhoeffer acknowledges the difficulty of living a life of non-aggression when other people are put under your care (mid p.143) and the fact that we are still living in a world of sin (mid p.144). So are we supposed to be passively "taking it" while others are wronging us? I'm all about loving our enemies (next chapter)... but I still don't understand this whole thing of non-aggression. It seems that in practical living... there are certain circumstances that require some sort of response.

The Enemy - "The Extraordinary" - Ch.13
"Every insult they utter only serves to bind us more closely to God and them. Their persecution of us only serves to bring them nearer to reconciliation with God and to further the triumphs of love." (top p. 150) Bonhoeffer says that this is an active love towards our enemy. So I guess that as we actively love the other person and pray for the other person, their hearts will start to turn towards God. In this passage, I guess it specifically calls out people who are our personally enemies. But I'm guessing that this applies to anybody who is an unbeliever (an enemy of God).

Just so that I remember how much I owe... as of today I owe a total of $20. Like I said last week, I'm going to be out of town again this coming Tuesday (3/6).