WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2026  

Letters from Prison—St. Paul, Bonhoeffer, and King

FACILITATED BY DEAN STEVE THOMASON

St. Paul wrote at least four of his New Testament letters while in prison. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a prolific writer in the concentration camps of WWII, and Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is considered by many to make the compelling case for civil rights. Something about the crucible of confinement prompts prophetic figures to write more prolifically. There are themes that run through all three writers’ reflections, and they offer theological riches worth mining in our own time, in a world beset by chaos and suffering. Dean Thomason will guide an exploration of the points of convergence. No preparation is needed to participate fully, but if you want to read some samples in advance, read Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (esp ch. 2-4), any of Bonhoeffer’s writings compiled posthumously by his friend Eberhard Bethge, excerpted here, and/or King’s Letter.

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