The International Bonhoeffer Society Kongress Eins
With the travel woes I missed the opening evening of the Kongress. This is what was most frustrating about the delay, although there were only two things I missed-the Kongress opening and the evening social. Besides free Swiss wine that I missed out on it was also the chance to meet the other attendees. Without the opening social occasion the first morning of such a conference can feel like the first day of school: where do I sit? Who do I talk to? Will I get my locker open? And the first day of school is what I felt like waking up in a small bed tucked into the corner of a small basement room of big Swiss house on the corner of a street in the second largest city of Switzerland.
I wasn’t sure of the exact location of the Kongress in relation to my accomodations so I set off early. My memory served me correctly and after a 10-minute walk I found 21 Missionstrasse right where it has been for over 100 years. From there I picked up my materials and sat down for the morning devotional.
The mornings feature two separate sessions with a coffee break between. These sections feature the six main presenters. The lead off was a young Bonhoeffer scholar from the U.S who has been breaking new ground in the Bonhoefferian world. I was looking forward to his paper as it argued for the deep routes of Bonhoeffer in Luther. While this argument may seem self-evident at first blush most American Scholarship has focused other influences. I have always been drawn to Bonhoeffer because of the resonance within his writings to Luther. This American fellow, Micheal DeJonge, did not disappoint in his presentation of the Est as principle to Bonhoeffer’s Christology. But I will save more of that discussion for later.
DeJonge was followed by a distinguished Englishman by the name Rowan Williams who, among other things, was formerly the Arch Bishop of Canturbury. That would be the big dude in the Church of England (Anglican/Episcopal), preaching and such at Wenstminster Abbey.
I took a picture because he looks like someone you would imagine to have been the head of the Church of England. And he sounded like it too. In the late morning after a late night his voice with his deep English accent was like a lullaby. His presentation was also interesting but my notes are not nearly as complete as from the earlier session.
Lunch followed in the courtyard of the old mission seminary-turned conference center where we were located. After the day-old taco wrap from Oslo that I had for breakfast the taste of chicken stuffed with pressed meat was appreciated.
The afternoons consisted of three shorter sessions with a slate of 15 to 18 presenters from which to choose. In there was also a coffee break. I made my choices and enjoyed them. The day was heating up though and the small classrooms of the sessions didn’t help. I was still dressed in the long pants and light flannel shirt that I traveled in the day before. The closer we got to supper the more self-conscious I became. And when we finally broke for the evening meal I found a breezy table in the shade with DeJonge, a presenter from earlier in the day and proper southern lady from Georgia. Not the most international table but the conversation was interesting and there was that breeze.
After the meal I took a walk over to the Rhine to get a bit of the lay of the city and to get some blood moving.
I was surprised at the speed of the current, apparently the water is very high right now.
After a return to my basement apartment I took a Zolpidem and fell fast asleep.
Apocalypse Then 