Would Jesus Kill Hitler?

If the secret of academic publishing success is a catchy title, Regent Law School colleague Kenny Ching is well on his way to scholarly greatness. The subtitle of his work (abstract here) helps fill in the picture: “Bonhoeffer, Church, and State.” Ching considers early twentieth century German theologian and churchman Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s contributions to the historic Protestant notions of “natural law and the two kingdoms” (NL2K) as he reasoned his way toward the decision to participate in the plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler.

I’ve weighed in on aspects of NL2K here (Calvin’s use of natural law) and here (a review of lawyer-theologian David VanDrunen’s book on the history of NL2K in the Reformed tradition). Ching uses VanDrunen to set the stage for his analysis of Bonhoeffer but quickly moves into a fine analysis of Bonhoeffer’s leading ethical works to argue—successfully in my opinion—that Bonhoeffer offers a useful supplement contemporary efforts to revitalize the NL2K option. In what I think is Bonhoeffer’s signal contributions, that creation prepares the way for redemption and redemption completes creation, we have a solution to the creaky structural flaws I observed in my review of VanDrunen’s book. In other words, the two kingdoms are not parallel but sequentially intertwined. On Bonhoeffer’s account Church and State are institutionally distinct but each has rights and duties with respect to the other.

Would Jesus kill Hitler?  The question is only a symbol for the issue of the relationship between Church and State but we know that Bonhoeffer tried and left a trail of ethical reflection that has much to offer today’s world.