Interpreting the Divine Mandates in a Bonhoeffer Moment. Issue 7 (3rd October 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mauldin, Joshua T.
• Is Part Of: Political theology. Volume 20:Issue 7(2019)
• Page Start: 574
• Page End: 594
• Publication Date: 2019-10-03
• Subjects: Bonhoeffer -- Dietrich -- Bonhoeffer moment -- Donald Trump -- political resistance -- divine mandates; Christianity and politics -- Great Britain -- Periodicals; Political theology -- Periodicals; Christian socialism -- Periodicals; 261.7094105
• DOI: 10.1080/1462317X.2019.1588493
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1462-317X

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States has led many political commentators to declare a "Bonhoeffer moment." But the meaning of this "Bonhoeffer moment" is unclear. Our understanding of a Bonhoeffer moment is advanced by attending to Bonhoeffer's conception of the divine mandates, which are central to his account of political resistance and to his understanding of how societies can break down. The divine mandates constitute the forms of ethical life that gives substance to our lives in society, and a Bonhoeffer moment is a time to reflect on the basic structures that keep chaos and tyranny at bay. This framework serves as a warning against uses of Bonhoeffer's legacy that risk destroying the very social structures that he saw as indispensable to the well-being of society across time.