BONHOEFFER AFTER EIGHTY YEARS

Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) was a German pastor, theologian, ecumenist, and peace activist. He wrote profoundly about Christian faith, community, grace, and ethics, centered in one way or another on the question, "Who is Christ for us today? The atrocities of the Nazi Regime, which resulted in unspeakable human suffering, compelled him to participate in a conspiracy that tried unsuccessfully to assassinate Hitler and install a new government that would end the war and those atrocities. Imprisoned during the last two years of his life, Bonhoeffer was executed just weeks before the end of the war, on April 9, 1945. The life, legacy, words and works of Dietrich Bonhoeffer continue to inspire people of faith and conviction today. His witness of faithful, costly discipleship to Jesus echo through the decades into the present, and there is much that the modern church – across the lines of tradition and denomination – can still learn from him.

To this end, and in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of his execution, Open Table Faith will be hosting BONHOEFFER AFTER EIGHTY YEARS, a conference exploring his life, legacy, word and witness -- asking and wrestling with the question: Who is Dietrich Bonhoeffer for us today?" This conference will take place April 4-5, 2025 (Friday night and Saturday) at First Christian Church in Tyler, TX, and will feature several national and local speakers, including:
THE REV. DR. JENNIFER MCBRIDE is the Associate Rector of Formation at All Saints Episcopal Church in Atlanta, GA. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and has an M.A. and Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Virginia. Since 2008, she has worked in graduate level theological education, and has served on the faculty of Wartburg College in rural Iowa and McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. She is the author of a number of books and journal articles and is President of the International Bonhoeffer Society. Rev. Dr. McBride will present material from her book The Church for the World: A Theology of Public Witness. The book draws offers a new theology for repentance as public witness, based on Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s thought concerning Christ, the world and the church. She shows how the church can offer a non-triumphal witness to the lordship of Christ through repentant activity in public life.
DR. REGGIE WILLIAMS is the Professor of Christian Ethics at McCormick University in Chicago, IL. Dr. Williams received his Ph.D. in Christian ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in 2011. He earned a Master’s degree in Theology from Fuller in 2006 and a Bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies from Westmont College in 1995. His research interests include Christological ethics, theological anthropology, Christian social ethics, the Harlem Renaissance, race, politics and black church life. He is a member of the board of directors for the Society for Christian Ethics, as well as the International Dietrich Bonhoeffer Society. He is also a member of the American Academy of Religion and Society for the Study of Black Religion. He has published a number of books, articles and essays. Dr. Williams will present content from his book Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus: Harlem Renaissance Theology and an Ethic of Resistance. The book is an analysis of Bonhoeffer’s exposure to Harlem Renaissance intellectuals, and worship at Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church during his year of post-doctoral study at Union Seminary in New York. The book was selected as a Choice Outstanding Title in 2015, in the field of religion.
THE REV. DR. BARRY HARVEY is Professor of Theology at Baylor University in Waco, TX, and an ordained Baptist minister. Dr. Harvey received his Ph.D. from Duke University in 1987, and an M.Div. from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1982. His academic interests include ecclesiology, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Herbert McCabe, ecumenical theology, ressourcement theology, theological interpretation of scripture, theology and social theory. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the International Bonhoeffer Society, English Language Section, and as a member of the Editorial Board of Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works English Language Edition, published in conjunction with Fortress Press. He has published a number of books, articles and essays. Dr. Harvey will be presenting content from his book Taking Hold of the Real: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Profound Worldliness of Christianity. In this book, he engages in constructive conversation with Bonhoeffer, contending that Christians are called to participate in the profound this-worldliness that breaks into the world in the apocalyptic action of Jesus Christ.
DR. JOEL LOOPER is a dynamic communicator and impassioned writer and researcher with more than a decade of teaching experience at the secondary and collegiate levels, who strives to impart the desire necessary for lifelong learning to students from every background. Dr. Looper received his Ph.D. in Divinity from the University of Aberdeen, and both and both an M.A. in Theology and an M.A. in New Testament from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has been an Adjunct Professor at Baylor University in Waco, TX, and the Shalom Mission Communities Denominational Coordinator. He is a Senior Fellow in Theology at the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Institute (Washington D.C.), and a member of the International Bonhoeffer Society, the American Academy of Religion and the Society for Classical Learning. Dr. Looper will be presenting content from his book Bonhoeffer’s America: A Land Without Reformation. This book explores Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s trips to America, and is a provocative mix of history and theology that helps the reader rethink the church’s place in today’s society.
THE REV. DR. MARK BRAATEN is a retired Lutheran pastor who served in congregational ministry for forty years. He how serves as the Southern Area Assistant to the Bishop for the North American Lutheran Church (NLCA), providing pastoral care and discipleship for deans, pastors, and playing a crucial role in maintaining the unity and effectiveness of the church’s mission. His Doctor of Ministry degree focused on the book of Revelation. One of his passions in ministry is helping people to understand the power and proclamation of Revelation, and he has spent 30 years studying and teaching the book in numerous places in the United States and Ethiopia. He has published multiple books, including his most recent work Engaging Revelation. Rev. Dr. Braaten has also given lectures on the life and theology of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

THE REV. ALFRED M. WALKER, D. Min is the Community Regional Minister for Reconciliation and Anti-Racism for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the Southwest. Rev. Walker has also served as the Senior Minister of Bonnie View Christian Church in Dallas, Texas, as well as Staff Chaplain with Baylor Scott & White Health. Before uniting with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Rev. Walker had significant pastoral experience with Baptist Churches, most recently with the New Hope Baptist Church in Dallas Texas. He is an honorably discharged Navy Veteran, loving husband and father.

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