Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Family Speaks Out Against Eric Metaxas (updated)

Family disturbed over new Bonhoeffer film, not based on Metaxas' book

See update below (11/20/24)

In a fascinating statement, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s descendants have come together to criticize Eric Metaxas’ misuse of Bonhoeffer’s work and legacy. Metaxas’ 2010 book, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy is being turned into a movie by Angel Productions to be released later this year. Apparently, this has moved the family to action. Here is the statement.

UPDATE (11/20/24): The director of the movie Todd Komarnicki recently told Homebrewed Christianity that the movie is not based on Metaxas’ book. In his appearance, Komarnicki denied using the book as a basis for his work.

I am updating this post to reflect Komarnicki’s statement. However, in my defense, I want to point you to this screening of the movie at the Museum of the Bible in October (see also Metaxas’ Instagram page). Eric Metaxas is featured as a pre-screening speaker and his status as the author of a book about Bonhoeffer is touted throughout the promotion for the “exclusive screening.” The movie and a glowing description of Metaxas’ book are conflated in the promotion for the screening:

Join us for an exclusive sneak-peek screening of Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin. with author Eric Metaxas, who will talk about Bonhoeffer’s legacy and its vital importance for us today.

In the first major biography of Bonhoeffer in 40 years, New York Times best-selling author Eric Metaxas takes both facets of Bonhoeffer’s life—the theologian and the spy—and tells a captivating story of moral courage in the face of evil. In a deeply moving narrative, Metaxas uses previously unavailable documents—including personal letters, detailed journal entries, and firsthand personal accounts—to reveal dimensions of Bonhoeffer’s life and theology never explored before.

I believe it is an honest mistake to think that the movie is based on Metaxas’ work given the screening which was allowed by the promoters of the movie. If those promoting the movie felt strongly about keeping the movie separate from Metaxas, why would they ever allow such a screening? They might also directly counter Metaxas on social media when he raves about the movie.

…………………………………. (original post resumes below)

Descendants: Do not distort and misuse Dietrich Bonhoeffer!

We are horrified to see how the legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer is increasingly being distorted and misused by right-wing extremists, xenophobes, and religious agitators. As direct descendants of the seven siblings of the theologian and resistance fighter executed by the Nazis, we can testify based on what we learned from our families that he was a peace-loving, freedom-loving humanitarian. Never would he have seen himself associated with far-right, violent movements such as Christian Nationalists and others who are trying to appropriate him today. On the contrary, he would have strongly and loudly condemned these attitudes.

A key figure in this abuse is Eric Metaxas, whose 2010 biography of Bonhoeffer was first published in the United States and sold more than a million copies in 20 languages. In the book, he ignored the historical context and misrepresented Bonhoeffer as a fundamentalist Evangelical. Metaxas, now a right-wing Trump supporter, regularly compares US President Biden to Hitler, speaks of 'total war' and posts photos of a gun on a Bible: “So we can now finally clearly see that Biden is our Hitler. In 1933-34. See my Bonhoeffer book for details. The parallels are staggering and increasingly obvious. Pray for this nation. PRAY.” The right-wing evangelical production company Angel Studios has secured the rights to a new Bonhoeffer movie, and this is now their advertisement on X: “The battle against tyranny begins now. Watch Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin”. The accompanying image shows Dietrich Bonhoeffer holding a gun. The history-distorting biopic, which turns Bonhoeffer into an evangelical saint, is scheduled to hit theaters shortly after the U.S. presidential election.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was not a lone fighter. The Bonhoeffer family was a tight-knit unit and worked together closely during this time. Dietrich's brother Klaus and his brothers-in-law Hans von Dohnanyi and Rüdiger Schleicher were executed for their resistance activities, just like Dietrich. They were driven by the search for truth, honesty, humanity and the struggle for freedom, the rule of law and democracy. They repudiated religious zealotry, nationalism, militarism, and blind obedience. Those who invoke Dietrich Bonhoeffer to justify anti-democratic, xenophobic aspirations are either misinformed or malicious.

The tasteless trivialization of Bonhoeffer's legacy has encouraged this misuse: he was a complex thinker who was primarily concerned with ethical issues. Unlike the majority of Germans, he did not turn a blind eye to the disenfranchisement, oppression, and mass murder that took place under Nazi dictatorship. His quotes have been taken out of context and reduced to set pieces for all kinds of occasions. More recently, they have increasingly been used by many whose intentions are diametrically opposed to Bonhoeffer’s thoughts and actions; ranging from Project 2025 – the Heritage Foundation's proposed program for Trump – to the German right-wing extremist Björn Höcke.

In a recent statement, theologians and historians who have studied Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his environment, have again spoken out against this appropriation. We are grateful for this. We descendants can bear witness to the attitude passed on in the family. We grew up listening to frequent talk and debate about resistance to National Socialism, its motives and consequences. At a time when intolerance, antisemitism and other forms of racism and xenophobia, nationalism and authoritarianism are on the rise around the world, we believe it is important to clarify publicly: Dietrich Bonhoeffer fought narrow-mindedness, oppression, and exclusion throughout his life. The abuse of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s legacy by Christian Nationalists and others is of such cynicism that we are unlikely to convince these demagogues. But we call on American voters in particular: Do not be deceived. Look carefully at history. Only by working together, in the spirit of freedom and concern for others, will we be able to solve our problems. This is what Dietrich Bonhoeffer stands for.

Responsible: Ruggero Schleicher-Tappeser and Tobias Korenke, Berlin

October 17, 2024: 86 of exactly 100 adult descendants of the Bonhoeffer siblings have signed this document. To see the statement in German and English, and to see the names of the descendants, click here.

For more information:

At his Current news site, John Fea has this statement and much more on Metaxas. I encourage you to view his post on this topic.

Bonhoeffer scholars have long criticized Metaxas’ book. Here is a petition from them on Change.org. Here is how it begins:

From Project 2025 to violent political rhetoric, the legacy of German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer is being invoked this election season on behalf of Christian Nationalism. It is a dangerous and grievous misuse of his theology and life. As an international group of Bonhoeffer scholars, we warn against it.

Metaxas is also responsible for spreading a quote falsely attributed to Bonhoeffer. See more about that here, here, and here.

A lot of people still falsely attribute this quote to Bonhoeffer because Metaxas and his publisher refuse to issue a correction. He was using the quote as recently as April of this year. However, it isn’t in Bonhoeffer’s writings.

A reminder that Metaxas loves his friend racist Katie Hopkins.