The 14th Annual Knutson Lecture in Religion: Bonhoeffer, the Church, and the Climate Question

This year's David and Marilyn Knutson Lecture features Rev. Dr. James Martin-Scramm '81. The lecture begins with an exploration of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s provocative 1933 essay on “The Church and the Jewish Question” and drawing parallels to climate change. Where virulent anti-Semitism was the most important issue facing the church in Bonhoeffer’s day, Martin-Schramm argues Bonhoeffer would have grave concerns about the impacts of climate change on present and future generations. Martin-Schramm explains how Martin Luther’s doctrine of the two kingdoms shaped Bonhoeffer’s critique of the church and state in his day regarding “the Jewish Question” and ponders how Bonhoeffer might challenge the feeble responses of both the state and the church to the climate crisis. The lecture explores tensions between patriotism and resistance and considers how God is at work in the world today among all who are striving for climate justice.