Through “studying abroad” Dietrich Bonhoeffer was influenced in his theology and perspective on the integration of aesthetics in the Church. Traveling through Italy and different regions and experiencing the different ways of worship prompted him to think deeper and form a new perspective on Christianity.
Personally, I had already experienced the rush of spinning through a new country “like a cyclone,” as Bonhoeffer did in Rome. The cultural shock usually accompanied in studying abroad did not phase my life as it might have the other students. For me, foreign is normal. After packing up and moving to Spain, Paris seems like less of an awe inspiring experience. It is amazing to be here, but the feeling of being amazed has become like a well-worn sweater. Where it once was astounding, being immersed in another culture is as familiar as walking to class once was. I am living out the revelations that I have already had. Studying in France after Spain has been a chance to consolidate the principals that had formed. The Church here is very similar to the one in Spain. The Roman Catholic church in Europe threatens to suffocate the protestant church in laws. The Catholic church is the foremost religion here, and the tradition is passed down through the generations. I am learning more what truly draws Europeans to a church like MLK. Here love is esteemed, and the Holy Spirit is felt. That draws people to the church here, but not everyone in Europe is able to be exposed by such out-standing instituions.
I may not have come to any stand-still’s, nor any moments of grand revelation as Bonhoeffer had. It may be subtle, tinted with a wisdom that can only come with time, but I am still learning. Bonhoeffer’s ideologies were never perfect, and yet they were constantly evolving. We are all in process, even if the process is gradual.