Bonhoeffer: interfaith theologian and practical mystic

The article draws on key theological tenets of Bonhoeffer in making the case that he is rightly regarded as one of the architects of modern interfaith theology and also as a practical mystic. His prison theology will be argued to offer the grounding for the former claim and a wider Abrahamic tradition of practical mysticism will be used to analyse the validity of the latter claim. Furthermore, it will be argued that the ideas of Bonhoeffer as interfaith theologian and practical mystic are related and helpful in understanding the uniqueness of his contribution.