Letters and Papers From Prison (54 page)

(d) Public morals - as shown by sexual behaviour.

Chapter 2.

(a) God and the secular.

(b) Who is God? Not in the first place an abstract belief in God, in his omnipotence etc. That is not a genuine experience of God, but a partial extension of the world. Encounter with Jesus Christ. The experience that a transformation of all human life is given in the fact that ‘Jesus is there only for others’. His ‘being there for others’ is the experience of transcendence. It is only this ‘being there for others’, maintained till death, that is the ground of his omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence. Faith is participation in this being of Jesus (incarnation, cross, and resurrection). Our relation to God is not a ‘religious’ relationship to the highest, most powerful, and best Being imaginable - that is not authentic transcendence - but our relation to God is a new life in ‘existence for others’, through participation in the being of Jesus. The transcendental is not infinite and unattainable tasks, but the neighbour who is within reach in any given situation. God in human form -not, as in oriental religions, in animal form, monstrous, chaotic, remote, and terrifying, nor in the conceptual forms of the absolute, metaphysical, infinite, etc., nor yet in the Greek divine
human form of ‘man in himself’, but ‘the man for others’, and therefore the Crucified, the man who lives out of the transcendent.

(c) Interpretation of biblical concepts on this basis. (Creation, fall, atonement, repentance, faith, the new life, the last things.)

(d) Cultus. (Details to follow later, in particular on cultus and ‘religion’.)

(e) What do we really believe? I mean, believe in such a way that we stake our lives on it? The problem of the Apostles’ Creed? ‘What
must
I believe?’ is the wrong question; antiquated controversies, especially those between the different sects; the Lutheran versus Reformed, and to some extent the Roman Catholic versus Protestant, are now unreal. They may at any time be revived with passion, but they no longer carry conviction. There is no proof of this, and we must simply take it that it is so. All that we can prove is that the faith of the Bible and Christianity does not stand or fall by these issues. Karl Barth and the Confessing Church have encouraged us to entrench ourselves persistently behind the ‘faith of the church’, and evade the honest question as to what we ourselves really believe. That is why the air is not quite fresh, even in the Confessing Church. To say that it is the church’s business, not mine, may be a clerical evasion, and outsiders always regard it as such. It is much the same with the dialectical assertion that I do not control my own faith, and that it is therefore not for me to say what my faith is. There may be a place for all these considerations, but they do not absolve us from the duty of being honest with ourselves. We cannot, like the Roman Catholics, simply identify ourselves with the church. (This, incidentally, explains the popular opinion about Roman Catholics’ insincerity.) Well then, what do we really believe? Answer: see (b),
(c),
and
(d).

Chapter 3.

Conclusions:

The church is the church only when it exists for others. To make a start, it should give away all its property to those in need. The clergy must live solely on the free-will offerings of their congregations, or possibly engage in some secular calling. The church must share in the secular problems of ordinary human life, not
dominating, but helping and serving. It must tell men of every calling what it means to live in Christ, to exist for others. In particular, our own church will have to take the field against the vices of
hubris,
power-worship, envy, and humbug, as the roots of all evil. It will have to speak of moderation, purity, trust, loyalty, constancy, patience, discipline, humility, contentment, and modesty. It must not under-estimate the importance of human example (which has its origin in the humanity of Jesus and is so important in Paul’s teaching); it is not abstract argument, but example, that gives its word emphasis and power. (I hope to take up later this subject of ‘example’ and its place in the New Testament; it is something that we have almost entirely forgotten.) Further: the question of revising the creeds (the Apostles’ Creed); revision of Christian apologetics; reform of the training for the ministry and the pattern of clerical life.

All this is very crude and condensed, but there are certain things that I’m anxious to say simply and clearly - things that we so often like to shirk. Whether I shall succeed is another matter, especially if I cannot discuss it with you. I hope it may be of some help for the church’s future.

To Eberhard Bethge

[Tegel] 10 August [1944]

Dear Eberhard,

That really was a … surprise …: your [essay]
¹²
… I’ll send it … back to you, although I would very much like to keep it, but for the moment I’m not keeping anything here …

By the way, you can do what you think best with my things (poems etc.). The only thing to be careful about is that nothing gets into the wrong hands. I think that your corrections are good (‘contemptible’ can be omitted. ‘Stand by God’ probably arose from thinking about the cross).

I can understand your no longer finding your memories ‘nourishing’. But the strength of thankfulness continually gives strength to memories. It is in just such times that we should make
an effort to remember in our prayers how much we have to be thankful for. Above all, we should never allow ourselves to be consumed by the present moment, but should foster that calmness that comes from great thoughts, and measure everything by them. The fact that most people can’t do this is what makes it so difficult to bear with them. It is weakness rather than wickedness that perverts a man and drags him down, and it needs profound sympathy to put up with that. But all the time God still reigns in heaven.

I’m now working on the three chapters that I wrote about. It’s as you say: ‘knowing’ is the most thrilling thing in the world, and that’s why I’m finding the work so fascinating. I think of you a great deal in your ‘solitude’. I’m so glad that now you’ve found a sideline to occupy all your attention … Maria is coming to my parents permanently, as an assistant receptionist. I’m very glad about that! Now let’s continue to remain confident and patient; I hope that we shall celebrate Renate’s birthday together again. God bless you and all of us each day and give us strong faith.

From my heart, your faithful Dietrich

To Eberhard Bethge

[Tegel] 11 August [1944]

Dear Eberhard,

The fact that you’ve managed to produce a little … work from your solitude, in the last few weeks, much to my amazement, leaves me so restless that I must write again straight away. Reading this couple of closely-packed pages was the most pleasant surprise I’ve had for a long time. I always felt that one day you would achieve something in the way of productive work and I’m now experiencing the joy which you’ve perhaps had already, the joy when a friend succeeds in a work … Many people write today about life in a country village, but they either lay things on too much or write with a false romanticism or with a deliberate harshness (as in
The Fishers of Lissau).
Who does it as simply as you? … You say that you had to wrestle very hard for sim
plicity; that I can believe. Simplicity is an intellectual achievement, one of the greatest. I believe that with a sure touch you’ve found the appropriate form for yourself - narrative, first person -and the right subject-matter - what you yourself have experienced, seen, observed, been through, felt, thought. Your gift of
seeing
seems to me to be the most important thing. And precisely
how
and
what
you see. This is no urgent, analytical, curious seeing, that wants to pry into everything, but clear, open and reverent seeing.
This
kind of seeing, with which I’m concerned in the problems of theology -
theoretically
- is now leading you to … descriptive writing. I think that here perhaps our strong spiritual affinity -with me it’s a matter of seeing with the intellect, whereas you use your eyes and all your senses, but the manner of seeing is related -or the most important result of our long spiritual fellowship is to be found …

Perhaps before long you will get a letter from one or two Italian officers who are friends of mine; Professor Latmiral
¹³
is a very refined and cultured man; if by any chance a meeting were possible, it would certainly be a great joy for both you and him; he speaks German well. Gilli is also a very nice boy. Anyway, you can always turn to them.

All is well in the family. When will I get the photos of the baptism? And a new picture of little Dietrich? I really can’t understand why Oster acted like I Samuel 31.4.
¹⁴
I still remember how it was
he
who one summer evening at home was interested in your missionary work and wouldn’t keep off the subject, although you weren’t really enjoying it very much. Don’t you also know Gisevius?
¹⁵

The new travel restrictions mean that my parents unfortunately won’t be able to travel. I’m sorry about that. Maria is not at all well …

What shall I send you for your birthday? I’ve already been thinking about it a great deal. Until then, all the best and above all keep your spirits up!

With all my heart.

Your faithful Dietrich

To Eberhard Bethge

[Tegel] 14 August [1944]

Dear Eberhard,

For the first time, this birthday will be marked only by letters for you; at present they will be on their way by many means and I hope that they will reach you at about the right time. Perhaps you yourself will have a quiet hour on your birthday to write letters home.
Epistula non erubescit -
and then one sometimes learns more from letters than is usually said at an ordinary birthday party. You will see from the letters how many people are fond of you, how they share in your life and depend on you. There is hardly anything that can make one happier than to feel that one counts for something with other people. What matters here is not numbers, but intensity. In the long run, human relationships are the most important thing in life; the modern ‘efficient’ man can do nothing to change this, nor can the demigods and lunatics who know nothing about human relationships. God uses us in his dealings with others. Everything else is very close to
hubris.
Of course, one can cultivate human relationships all too consciously in an attempt to mean something to other people, as I’ve been realizing lately in the letters of Gabriele von Bülow-Humboldt; it may lead to an unrealistic cult of the human. I mean, in contrast to that, that people are more important than anything else in life. That certainly doesn’t mean undervaluing the world of things and practical efficiency. But what is the finest book, or picture, or house, or estate, to me, compared to my wife, my parents, or my friend? One can, of course, speak like that only if one has found others in one’s life. For many today man is just a part of the world of things, because the experience of the human simply eludes them. We must be very glad that this experience has been amply bestowed on us in our lives…

[You] strive to live up to the highest demands. I’ve often noticed how much depends on what sort of demands we make on ourselves. Some people are spoilt by being satisfied with mediocrity, and so perhaps getting results more quickly; they have fewer hindrances to overcome. I’ve found it one of the most potent educative factors in our family that we had so many hindrances to overcome (in connection with relevance, clarity,
naturalness, tact, simplicity, etc.) before we could express ourselves properly. I think you found it so with us at first. It often takes a long time to clear such hurdles, and one is apt to feel that one could have achieved success with greater ease and at less cost if these obstacles could have been avoided … But one can never go back behind what one has worked out for oneself. That may be inconvenient for others and even for oneself sometimes, but those are the inconveniences of education …

For your new year I wish you - after you’ve returned to your family and into the ministry - a really great task and responsibility and at the same time the necessary calm to be able to write something very good from time to time. For myself, my wish is that our spiritual exchanges will continue to make it possible for our thoughts to arise, be expressed and clarified, and still more important, that in each other we shall always have someone in whom we can place unlimited trust. The readings for the 28th are splendid.
¹⁶
When I think of you that morning, I shall keep to them. The question ‘Is thy hand …?’ Num. 11.23 may perhaps remind us of some unfulfilled wishes and hopes. Over against this, II Cor. 1.20 says: God does not give us everything we want, but he does fulfil all his promises, i.e. he remains the Lord of the earth, he preserves his church, constantly renewing our faith and not laying on us more than we can bear, gladdening us with his nearness and help, hearing our prayers, and leading us along the best and straightest paths to himself. By his faithfulness in doing this, God creates in us praise for himself …

I’m sorry that I’ve been interrupted so much in writing this letter that it wasn’t as tranquil and profound as I wanted it to be. But you know how much I’m thinking of you and how I’m always with you with good wishes. What shall I give you for your birthday? Would you like the ikon that I once brought back from Sofia?
¹⁷
Or is there something else that you would like? The interpretation of I Sam. 31 somehow does not seem to fit.
¹⁸
Perhaps you can hide my letters somewhere. Nothing new about the family. Let us go forward into the future in patience and confidence. God bless and protect you and all of us.