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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. Does Bonhoeffer say that an individual is lonely while meditating?

2. What, according to Bonhoeffer, enables God's redeeming help to another?

3. What did Bonhoeffer say that Jesus Christ gives his followers the authority to do in his name?

4. According to Bonhoeffer, what is one of the incorrect reasons for seeking others' company?

5. According to Bonhoeffer, what makes a person feel alone?

Short Essay Questions

1. Thinking back over Chapters 1-3, what was the overarching message of these chapters? (Hint: A clue can be gleaned from the chapter titles).

2. In Chapter 4, what did Bonhoeffer say that members of a community need to pay attention to?

3. While discussing the various ministries, Bonhoeffer states once again that all members of a community experience sin. What did he specifically say, while discussing the ministry of bearing, about bearing with another in sin?

4. Likewise, how does Bonhoeffer describe personal prayer in Chapter 3?

5. In Chapter 5, what did Bonhoeffer say that each man thinks he has a right to?

6. What is Bonhoeffer's objective in Chapter 4?

7. What is the scripture that Bonhoeffer utilized in Chapter 3 to emphasize, one last time, the importance to him of time spent alone?

8. When discussing the ministry of proclaiming, what did Bonhoeffer say we ultimately recognize when we see others as being in need of assistance, encouragement, and forgiveness?

9. What did Bonhoeffer say that confessing sin to a brother enables?

10. Why did Bonhoeffer call the rules and recommendations he established in Chapter 4 "ministries?"

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Perhaps the cornerstone of the ministries Bonhoeffer discussed in Chapter 4 was that of holding one's tongue. James, one of Jesus' disciples, described the tongue and the bad things we can say with it as able to set the entire world on fire. It is so easy, and even fun, to repeat bad things we hear and say bad things we think; however, Bonhoeffer's comments on not doing so hold a great deal of wisdom. Use the text to demonstrate Bonhoeffer's reasons why a person should never speak evil thoughts and why he absolutely forbade his seminarians to say ANYTHING secretly about each other. Then, compare and contrast this rule by which Bonhoeffer governed his seminary with the typical high school student's attitude towards and behavior when it comes to holding one's tongue, not saying bad things, and not saying things secretly about others.

Essay Topic 2

Define and explain, supporting with examples from the text, the three elements that Bonhoeffer says (in Chapter 1) define the meaning of Christian brethren in fellowship. In addition to the three elements defining the meaning of Christian brethren in fellowship, Bonhoeffer made, in Chapter 1, two additional claims in faith that are essential to understanding his beliefs about and his interpretation of Christian brotherhood. Using the text to support your statements, define and explain these additional claims about the nature of Christian brotherhood.

Essay Topic 3

In Chapter 3, how does Bonhoeffer use the metaphor of a sick and infected physical body to illustrate how he believed the spiritual body of a Christian community is affected by sin? Use the text to show this, then use the same metaphor to show how things like gossip, cliques, and bullying can damage the harmony, morale, and unity of your student body at school.

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