Protestantism without Reformation: Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Indictment of American Christianity

Bonhoeffer's critique of American Christianity reveals how he came to see his own understanding of the church's role in political resistance as foreign to the American context in which he had found himself during his brief sojourn in the United States in 1939. Bonhoeffer's understanding of the two kingdoms, of the church's relation to the state, and of the history of American Protestantism came together in his fateful decision to return to Germany. He came to see that Americans could not understand the church struggle in which he had engaged in Germany, that he could be of no service to American Christianity, and that he would be of better use in his homeland. This article examines Bonhoeffer's short essay, “Protestantism without Reformation,” which he completed upon his return to Germany, and which was published only after his death. Reading this essay helps us better understand Bonhoeffer's motives for returning to Germany in 1939 rather than remaining in the United States in safety. Bonhoeffer did not see his own understanding of political resistance as easily applicable to the US context. His critique of American Christianity has much to teach us today.