After a lifetime of “conversation” with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John de Gruchy describes how and why he began his engagement with Bonhoeffer during the church struggle against apartheid. He brings the conversation to a conclusion by examining the significance of Bonhoeffer’s prison reflections on aesthetic existence in the life of the church today, and the importance of Bonhoeffer’s thoughts on Christian humanism and on science and technology for helping the church respond to the challenge of artificial intelligence.“Out of his long conversation with the work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, John de Gruchy illuminates the meaning and vocation of the church as a non-conforming community of freedom. In the face of South Africa’s apartheid or the seduction of artificial intelligence, he celebrates every person as an embodied soul living into the mystery of God’s love. This is an invitation to a life of beauty and joy in the transformation of our lives.” -WILLIAM JOHNSON EVERETT, Professor of Christian Social Ethics, Emeritus, Andover Newton Seminary, Yale Divinity School“Theology meets biography: One of the leading global public theologians of our time, a South African Christian humanist, in dialogue with Dietrich Bonhoeffer on who Christ is for us today—what a precious book of living history!” -HEINRICH BEDFORD-STROHM, Moderator, World Council of Churches“South African theologian John de Gruchy is known for his activism in the fight against apartheid and his theological scholarship, particularly on Dietrich Bonhoeffer. This moving memoir chronicles a lifetime of activism, scholarship, and personal joys and tragedies, concluding with his vision for the future of the global Christian church: a community of people through-out the world that will continue to embody and defend the integrity of humanity.” -VICTORIA J. BARNETT, General Editor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, English Edition“In this culminating ‘last conversation’ with Bonhoeffer, John de Gruchy’s Going Against the Stream distills a lifetime of scholarship, struggle, and hope. Drawing on decades of his own prophetic witness—from resisting apartheid to engaging our turbulent age of AI—he invites readers to embrace Bonhoeffer’s hopeful realism and work for a better earthly future. With much gratitude for de Gruchy’s enduring voice and faithful witness, I commend this moving book.” -LORI BRANDT HALE, Director, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Augsburg University, Minneapolis
