Holocaust expert to discuss ‘Bonhoeffer and the Jews’ on Oct. 24
Dr. Steven Haynes, a member of the Religious Studies Department at Rhodes College in Tennessee, will discuss “Bonhoeffer and the Jews” in a talk at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24, in the auditorium of Northwestern Hall at Luther Seminary.
The talk, free and open to the public, is sponsored by the Jay Phillips Center for Jewish-Christian Learning at the University of St. Thomas and St. John’s University. Luther Seminary is a co-sponsor of the talk, which is being held in connection with the 100th anniversary of Bonhoeffer’s birth.
Bonhoeffer was a renowned German Lutheran pastor and theologian who was executed by the Nazis shortly before the end of World War II for his involvement in a plot to assassinate Hitler.
In the wake of the Holocaust, he has become a bridge between Jews and Christians. But while his actions on behalf of Jews were bold, his theology contains some mixed messages about Jews that make his post-Holocaust legacy ambiguous. In his talk, Haynes will discuss this legacy and its significance for today’s Jewish-Christian relations.
Haynes teaches courses on the Bible, theology, religion and racism, and the Holocaust. His 10 books include Prospects for Post-Holocaust Theology and The Bonhoeffer Legacy: Post-Holocaust Perspectives. He holds a doctorate in religion and literature from Emory University, as well as degrees from Columbia Theological Seminary, Florida State University and Vanderbilt University.
Haynes also will give this talk at 9:40 and again at 11:20 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 25, in Room AV-1, Alcuin Library, St. John’s University, Collegeville.
For more information about the lectures, call the Jay Phillips Center for Jewish-Christian Learning at (651) 962- 5780.
