"Calling Christians at Camp" Part 2

From the article "Calling Christians at Camp" in the Lutheran Forum by Chandler R. Carriker

Looking back into the Lutheran tradition, we can learn much from Dietrich Bonhoeffer about importance of intentional Christian community, of which outdoor ministry is one instance. The communal learning at Finkenwalde, and the resulting book Life Together, are the usual touchstones for Bonhoeffer fans when it comes to intentional Christian community. But Bonhoeffer was already experimenting with Christian community long before the illegal seminaries came about. Early in his teaching career, Bonhoeffer was given the reins of a group of fifty confirmands in the town of Wedding. Eberhard, Bethge, Bonhoeffer’s biographer, describes the group as “out of control,” to such an extent that the elderly minister who preceded Bonhoeffer died a few weeks after retiring. The group “quite literally harassed [the elderly pastor] to death,” said Bonhoeffer. But his own method for passing on the faith to these wild young disciples reflects many scenes found in camping ministry. Instead of shouting down the group while they exclaimed, “Bon! Bon! Bon!” at him, he began to speak quietly so that only the boys closest to him could hear what he was saying. Gradually the group quieted down, unsure of what to make of this young new instructor. As soon as he had their attention, he began to share stories of his visit to Harlem. The boys quickly realized he was different from their other teachers. Bonhoeffer held their attention “simply [telling] them stories from the Bible with great  emphasis, particularly the eschatological passages.” The communal aspect of this catechetical experience was stunningly different from typical Protestant education at the time. Bonhoeffer lived in the same community as many of his students and made himself accessible outside of the classroom. He was deliberately a daily presence in the life of his students. The youth could visit Bonhoeffer at home in the evening to play chess or learn English. He took the class on weekend trips to youth hostels so they could experience the Christian community formed by the Holy Spirit, a theme which became prominent in his early writings. For all the popular talk of the church as a community, in the German Lutheran church at the time the truly intentional community remained an abstraction. It was the athletic or Nazi youth clubs that provided tangible examples of community to young people. Through his pastoral work with youth, Bonhoeffer came to recognize this lack in the church and consequently the dangers that loomed in the shadow of a growing

Third Reich. As a theological and practical treatise on Christian community, Life

Together reflects the experiences of Bonhoeffer at his exiled seminary in Finkenwalde. Central to Bonhoeffer’s argument is that a Christian community which attributes its composition and creation to anything other than Christ alone is a false community. “Christianity,” Bonhoeffer simply says, “means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. No Christian community is more or less than this.” Communities that constitute themselves on anything beyond Christ, Bonhoeffer writes, are based on a “wish dream.” Such a wish dream could be grounded in anything from idealistic visions of the harmony of humanity to the desire for right and proper sacramental practice. No matter what the cause, if a community holds anything save the grace of Christ Jesus as its foundation, it will find itself shipwrecked upon the shores of human sin and brokenness. “He who loves his dream of a community more than the Christian community itself,” writes Bonhoeffer, “becomes a destroyer of the latter, even though his personal intentions may be ever so honest and earnest and sacrificial.” Bonhoeffer’s idea of a “wish dream” should resonate loudly with many who have worked in camping ministry or youth ministry in general. The natural passions and idealism of young people, which are a  strength and gift for the church, can often lead to high hopes for the communities in which they find acceptance and purpose— only to have their hopes come crashing down around them the moment a friend or leader in the community disappoints them. Young disciples come with strong hypocrisy radars, a curse that sets the bar too high for any community grounded in illegitimate criteria or wish dreams. This is a common phenomenon in most camping ministries, not so much among the campers as the counselors, often college students. Communities are built up over the summer among staff members. The young adults feel free to drop the facades that college life requires of them. But, inevitably, through the brokenness of human relationships this perceived freedom is violated and such openness is proven to be tenuous. “This place isn’t the

Christian community that I thought it was” is a common refrain in the mouths of college-aged disciples. For those who work with the young faithful in such settings, Bonhoeffer’s analysis of the wish dream suggests a response to such disillusionment, directing it towards the foot of the cross rather than—as happens far too often—out the church doors. Alongside Bonhoeffer’s communal and pedagogical insights for camping ministry, Luther’s treatment of God revealed in nature can guide the faithful pursuit of outdoor ministry.