BONHOEFFER AND LAW

Dear Friends in Christ -
Today and tomorrow, we celebrate the lives of two men - Dietrich Bonhoeffer and William Law. William Law lived in the mid 1700s. Bonhoeffer lived in the mid 1900s. The thing these men had in common was that they had some tough choices to make.

Law was a theologian and teacher who lived in England in a time when the British crown changed hands. When the new regime came into power, all scholars were required to pledge allegiance to the new regime. When Law refused, he lost not just his job, but his career.

Bonhoeffer was a theologian and teacher who lived in Germany at the time of Hitler's rise to power. Bonhoeffer saw what Hitler and his Nazi regime were doing to the Jews, and they stood up against it. After it was clear that Hitler was annihilating Jews by the millions, Bonhoeffer participated in a plot to try to assassinate Hilter; he was caught and killed by the Nazis a week before the Allied troops liberated the death camp in which he died.

Unlike these men, we don't face the loss of our career or the loss of our life for standing up for what we believe. But the lives of these men challenge us not to shy away from the tough moral issues we face in day to day living. Stand up for what you believe. It's not easy, but it's right - and it's the way to LIFE - now and evermore.
Faithfully,
Janet+