“If this earth was good enough for the man Jesus Christ, if such a man as Jesus lived, then, and only then, life has a meaning for us.” — Stephen J. Nichols Copy Share Image
“We are also brought into the church-community as a result of Christ’s death on the cross—a community of the forgiven, who should be quick… — Stephen J. Nichols Copy Share
“Bonhoeffer and Luther draw on Christ’s paradox of gaining one’s life by losing it. So we come to the ultimate paradox: by service—and ultimately,… — Stephen J. Nichols Copy Share
“It would be safe to say that by the nineteenth century, pietism had long since dislodged Puritanism as the dominant force in American religious life.” — Stephen J. Nichols Copy Share
“The God-man who is humiliated is the stumbling block to the pious human being and to the human being, period.” — Stephen J. Nichols Copy Share
“The ethics of the Sermon on the Mount are nothing less than extraordinary. To look at them as something that can be fulfilled within… — Stephen J. Nichols Copy Share
“Leaning on Augustine’s insight, Bonhoeffer sees the sanctorum communio as “the community of loving persons who, touched by God’s Spirit, radiate love and grace.”17” — Stephen J. Nichols Copy Share
“The church is the real thing when it is not consumed with the assertion of power in culture, but it is driven by service… — Stephen J. Nichols Copy Share
“A congregation that does not pray for the ministry of its pastor,” Bonhoeffer warns, “is no longer a congregation.”11 He then adds, “A pastor who… — Stephen J. Nichols Copy Share
“We could summarize all of this background to Bonhoeffer’s christology in one sentence, albeit a complex one: The cross was a stumbling block to… — Stephen J. Nichols Copy Share
“Gratitude is equally underrated and under-practiced. It too requires humility to say “thank you.” Saying “thank you” means one is dependent on the other,… — Stephen J. Nichols Copy Share
“His ecclesiology, though, is never an independent topic. It always flows from and back to Christ and his christology. Neither is Bonhoeffer content with… — Stephen J. Nichols Copy Share
“We seem especially susceptible to this pitting of spirituality against theology in American evangelical contexts. Perhaps we can chalk this up to the influence… — Stephen J. Nichols Copy Share
“If this earth was good enough for the man Jesus Christ, if such a man as Jesus lived, then, and only then, life has… — Stephen J. Nichols Copy Share
“Everything in the prior chapters has been leading us up to this point. Our look at his christology (chap. 2) and ecclesiology (chap. 3) laid… — Stephen J. Nichols Copy Share
