Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Understanding of “This-worldliness” in the Chinese Context

Abstract This article begins with a brief review of the reception history of Bonhoeffer's thought in mainland China. Since 1992, academic circles in mainland China have begun translating, disseminating, and researching Bonhoeffer's works, but these activities have primarily focused on his late works, particularly studies of his Ethics and Resistance and Submission: Letters and Papers from Prison. The article argues that the key concept of "this-worldliness" in Bonhoeffer's entire body of thought deserves greater attention from researchers, and that studies of his late thought should be conducted while emphasizing the coherence of his ideas. Additionally, this article introduces the latest developments in Bonhoeffer studies within the Chinese-speaking world, including the published biography of Bonhoeffer written by Christiane Tietz and the author's ongoing translation of Dietrich Bonhoeffer Werke.