Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian, anti-Nazi dissident, and key founding member of the Confessing Church. His writings on Christianity's role in the secular world have become widely influential, and his book 'The Cost of Discipleship' has become a modern classic. Born on February 4, 1906, in Breslau, which was then in Germany (now Wrocław, Poland), Bonhoeffer grew up in a large family that valued education and religious thought.
During the rise of Hitler and the Nazi regime, Bonhoeffer became an outspoken critic of the government's treatment of Jews and other marginalized groups. He was involved in plans to overthrow the Nazi government and was arrested in April 1943. While in prison, he continued to write and reflect on the role of a Christian in the modern world, which formed the basis for his later book, 'Letters and Papers from Prison'.
Bonhoeffer's resistance to the Nazi regime and his moral conviction led to his execution on April 9, 1945, just weeks before the end of World War II in Europe. His theological insights and personal courage continue to inspire many in various fields of ethical, theological, and political thought.