The Cost of Discipleship

By: Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Narrated by: Paul Michael

Length: 9 hrs

Publisher's summary

What can the call to discipleship, the adherence to the word of Jesus, mean today to the businessman, the soldier, the laborer, or the aristocrat? What did Jesus mean to say to us? What is his will for us today? Drawing on the Sermon on the Mount, Dietrich Bonhoeffer answers these timeless questions by providing a seminal reading of the dichotomy between "cheap grace" and "costly grace." "Cheap grace," Bonhoeffer wrote, "is the grace we bestow on ourselves...grace without discipleship....Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the girl which must be asked for, the door at which a man must know....It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life."

The Cost of Discipleship is a compelling statement of the demands of sacrifice and ethical consistency from a man whose life and thought were exemplary articulations of a new type of leadership inspired by the Gospel, and imbued with the spirit of Christian humanism and a creative sense of civic duty.

©1999 Dietrich Bonhoeffer (P)2009 christianaudio.com

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Wow! Bonhoeffer presents very practical, insightful and challenging ideas. I have a BA in Theology and am working on two Masters Degrees, and I have not encountered an analysis of church history and Christ's teachings like this before. Get this book; you won't be listening just once!

Timeless

After reading a collection of what are considered to be the top 100 books on Christian theology, this book is not only very thorough, but absolutely the finest written paraphase to Jesus Christ's message to his followers on discipleship.

Excellent Book

If you could sum up The Cost of Discipleship in three words, what would they be?

profound, needed, the truth

What did you like best about this story?

Bonhoeffer reviews how Christianity got to where it was when he lived in the 1930s, and shows how it was reduced to only a creed.

Which scene was your favorite?

This is a doctrinal book.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. It is too weighty.

Any additional comments?

It is just as relevant today as it was in Hitler's Germany. This should be required reading for anyone who professes to be a Christian.

Excellent Content - Not the best format

This is very good, but too deep for the audio format. I felt like I was drinking fine cognac from a fire hose - simply the wrong media for the content.

If you have read the book before, this might be a good way to revisit it. Otherwise I'd suggest buying the book instead. Still, the narration is very good and the content is wonderful, so I gave it a four.

Original, Orthodox, Raw, and Inspiring

If C.S. Lewis is the man who helped me rationalize Christian Theology, Bonhoeffer is the man who helped me realize thay I didn't realize what Christianity actually wanted from me. My question was: "What does Christianity look like in practice?" This book is the answer to that question and many more. I left this book feeling foolish, convicted, enlightened and inspired. Bonhoeffer might take you down a peg, but he will always lift you higher than you were before. If you're willing to pay the cost of discipleship, this book is a gem. The fact that he was killed by Hitler's written order for his stand on these precise issues in Germany, is the final testament and pressing incentive, to listen to this book. Five huge stars! It's on my personal top 10 list.

great look at the beatitudes

really good book.. covers the sermon on the mount in another light.. definitely reccommend for bible study.

enlightening

this is an excellent book, well written, well read. it is worth every second of your time. I thought it was going to be slow paced but in the end... well done

Way easier to listen to then to Read

Any additional comments?

This book is the book that lead me to audible.com The way the author writes was just to advance/ hard or whatever. I had to get in a quite space and with no distraction just to comprehend.
So I searched for a audio book and I found it. Its a lot easier to listen to.

Before You Die Reading List

This should be on everyone's before you die reading list.
Bonhoeffer's writing about discipleship is moving and excellent.
Narrator does an outstanding job of getting Bonhoeffer's material across.

Deep, Detailed and Descriptive.

This is a complex, deep description of a disciple. He uses a multitude of scripture and explanation. Very well done and the reader did an excellent job.

Deeply challenging

Loved it couldn't put it down. This is a must read! it had depth & insight

Very challenging and well thought through

This is a very tough wake up call for Christians and the Church. Please listen!

A Challenging but Necessary Read

I bought this book for two main reasons.
The first was that I have an interest in discipleship and the second was that this book kept getting referenced in sermons and talks, so naturally I wanted to know what the author had to say.

In short this was one of the most challenging books I've read in some time and honestly, it was a good thing.

In my view this book is valuable when read with an open mind and willingness to consider where what is presented lines up with what the Bible actually says.

I found that today we can easily gloss over very important aspects of Christianity and yet with bit of honesty (and some direction from this book) the truth is clearly in view, all that remains is to act upon what we have learned.

In the end I think it's worth a read and so take notes as there is much to ponder on and apply!

A good vacation of this book.

If you have any self discipline this Audiobook is for the good listener.
I like this book very much it's helpful and gave a good understanding of and conception of what discipleship is I loved it.

incredible

if I had two books they would be the Bible and Nachfolge.
Almost essential reading for Christians today.

Must read

I come back to this book when I am feeling a little lost in my Christian walk and need a good kick in the rear and to shape up. I wish I read this book when I was younger and had just committed my life to Christ.

Take up your cross

Not always an easy listen, quite complex Christian doctrine being explained. Listened through twice and got more the 2nd time.

Important topic - hard reading (listening)

A full on and heavy book. Had good points and there is probably a lot more that I could take/learn from it, but I found it a hard read/listen. A very important topic and one which we need to explore further as believers and followers of Christ.

A challenging listen

A challenging listen. The author starts by challenging the idea of cheap grace and then seeks to unpack the many aspects of the Christian life.

One of the classic philosophers

Feels remote from daily life, which Christianity shouldn't. The use of the King James translation of the Bible tries to give authority but it works the opposite way for me, it feels like it's trying to claim it but without merit. Certainly Bonhoeffer knows what the Christian life is for him, and that is useful. But a reader still needs to work out how to follow the path God sets before them, for themselves.