In his preaching, Bonhoeffer's strong, personal faith the foundation for everything he did shines in the darkness of Hitler's Third Reich and in the church struggle against it. Though not overtly political, Bonhoeffer's deep concern for the developments in his world is revealed in his sermons as he seeks to draw the listener into conversation with the promises and claims of the gospel a conversation readers today are invited to join.
Isabel Best has contributed translations to a number of volumes in the English language series of Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works published by Fortress Press, including Letters and Papers from Prison, Vol. 8 (2009), Berlin: 1932-1933, Vol. 12(2009), London, 1933-1935, Vol. 13 (2007), and Ecumenical, Academic, and Pastoral Work: 1931-1932, Vol. 11 (2012). She was also the translator of Ferdinand Schlingensiepen"s Dietrich Bonhoeffer 1906-1945: Martyr, Thinker, Man of Resistance (2010).
Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one of the most significant Protestant theologians of the twentieth century, a legacy sealed by his imprisonment in a German concentration camp and eventual execution. His resistance against Nazism and pivotal role in the Confessing Church movement have been key points of illumination for many on the nature of Christian political witness and action. Millions have been inspired by his rich reflections on the Christian life, especially his beloved works on discipleship and ethics. As a professor, seminary leader, and ecumenical theologian, Bonhoeffer's work also profoundly shaped academic theology, especially systematic theology, and the life of the church.