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Infusion Bible eStudies are downloadable small group studies that can be read online, printed, or emailed. Each study includes a leader guide and a study guide and is suitable for a one-hour group Bible study. Listen...to the words of the Scripture, and in them discover God's message for you today. Look...at a brief verbal snapshot from the scrapbook of contemporary life and discover its connection both to you and to the Scripture passage. Live...inside the Scripture to discover its context and message; then allow the Scripture to come alive in you and cause you to live out your faith in new and more-effective ways. Read an excerpt from this study below. -------------------------- Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German pastor and theologian who, in 1939, came to the United States for further graduate study at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. Recognizing the threat that Hitler posed for Germany, Bonhoeffer decided that as a responsible Christian citizen, he must return to his own country. Despite pleas of friends to remain in the safety of New York, Bonhoeffer returned to Germany to become involved in the struggle against Hitler. Within Germany, the general Protestant response was to focus on individual piety and to avoid conflict with the intimidating Nazi regime. There was, however, a Christian minority who recognized they had a responsibility to resist Nazism. Bonhoeffer became active in that resistance. In addition to fulfilling pastoral responsibilities and engaging in courageous preaching, Bonhoeffer taught in an underground seminary. Although a pacifist, he became involved in an unsuccessful plot to assassinate Hitler. Even before the plot was discovered by the secular authorities, Bonhoeffer was arrested. Imprisoned for nearly two years, he was executed at Flossenbürg just days before its liberation by American troops. During his imprisonment and knowing the likelihood of his execution, Bonhoeffer witnessed to his faith. He ministered to other prisoners and even to some guards. He also wrote letters that not only reflected his faith but also planted seeds for theological thought for decades to come. What could inspire someone like Bonhoeffer to choose daring faith over comfort and safety? What source of strength enabled him to challenge a powerful evil regime and to minister under the shadow of the gallows?
