Community
In Community, Bonhoeffer opens his book by highlighting the blessing it is for Christians to live among other Christians. At a time when the Confessing Church was being dismantled, Bonhoeffer quoted Psalm 133:1: “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity.” The fact that Christian community was being stripped away from him and his brethren led Bonhoeffer to reflect on Finkenwalde and recognize the privilege Christians have in living together—a gift that should never be taken for granted. This is where I began my Life Together conversations with inmates Fredrick, Jacob, Larry, and Matt.
In prison, one has to try very hard to find the “pros” in a sea of “cons.” While the “pros” rarely outweigh the “cons,” identifying them can make doing one’s time easier and help one do their time well. This first chapter of Bonhoeffer’s book already provided a tally mark under the “pros” column. These four men took heart in the realization that they were, ironically, in a privileged situation compared to most of the Western Church. Matt made the important observation that even at Joseph Harp Correctional Center, they were in a more privileged situation than many other inmates. At this particular prison, the majority of the religious community is Christian. Matt contrasted this with facilities like Lawton Correctional Center, where there isn’t a strong presence of any religion. The men all agreed on how disheartening such environments could be. They shared rare moments of encountering another believer in those places—whether in the chow hall or the showers—and how those moments were like “a breath of fresh air,” as Matt described, in a dark world where everyone is your “enemy.”
Jacob McGrew spoke about the deep significance of the Christian community at Joseph Harp and how he never feels closer to God than when he is in the chapel, worshiping alongside his fellow inmate believers. This aligns perfectly with Bonhoeffer’s idea that we experience God most profoundly through our relationships with one another. Jacob wrote:
“The chaos of prison life is left outside the doors of the chapel, and in that moment, each person is together along with the Holy Spirit over us. The feeling is something else to be experienced. That inmates are able to come together and worship God is not to be taken lightly. And when you’re in prison, you do not see very many men shed tears, but here, when in worship to the one and only God, tears fall freely.”
The takeaway from this conversation was clear: Bonhoeffer deeply understood Christian community, and inmates should take heart in the fact that they can begin and end their days alongside fellow believers. The emotions and blessings that come with experiencing God through Christian community should never be overlooked or taken for granted. As Fredrick put it, “It’s a reason to praise, sing, and glorify.” Bonhoeffer would remind us all that, even in prison, Christians should be encouraged and full of joy at the privilege of living among one another. The four men resolved to never again take this for granted and to encourage their fellow Christian inmates to do the same.
This naturally led us to our next conversation: the challenge of living alongside Christians while simultaneously living among enemies. Christian inmates not only contend with a society that has imprisoned them and correctional officers who dictate their daily lives but also with fellow inmates who may wish them harm. In prison, there is a constant turf war—a steady struggle for influence, power, and loyalty. Gangs often rise to challenge the power of any collective group behind bars, including a functioning Christian church.
While the men were already familiar with these challenges, they hadn’t considered their situations through the lens Bonhoeffer provided. Bonhoeffer reminded them:
“Jesus Christ lived in the midst of his enemies. In the end, all his disciples abandoned him. On the cross, he was all alone, surrounded by criminals and jeering crowds. He had come for the express purpose of bringing peace to the enemies of God. So Christians, too, belong not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the midst of enemies. There they find their mission, their work.”
This chapter helped them realize that, while they may not be where they want to be, they are exactly where God wants them to be—at least for now. They are surrounded by a strong Christian community that many believers in the free world can only dream of, yet they are also surrounded by enemies. This was precisely the environment in which Christ lived. Many Christians on the outside actively avoid situations where they might be surrounded by “enemies,” but these inmates live that reality daily. Here, they can find their mission, calling, and work. Another tally was added under the “pros” column.
We discussed the rest of the chapter and how its lessons applied to their lives in prison. The men spoke about their desire to teach their fellow Christian inmates everything they had learned from Bonhoeffer. They took detailed notes and made plans to share these teachings. Matt closed our session in prayer after reading the final paragraph of Community:
“How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity.” This is the Scripture’s praise of life together under the Word. But now we can correctly interpret the words “in unity” and say “when kindred live together through Christ.” For Jesus Christ alone is our unity. “He is our peace.” We have access to one another, joy in one another, community with one another through Christ alone.
Christian inmates can take comfort in the fact that, in a world where they have few earthly possessions, few meaningful relationships, and little dignity, they share a bond with other believers that is eternal—unbound by bars, fences, or razor wire. They can take heart in the reality that, in many ways, they have a freedom in Christ that even those on the outside may never experience.
