These are some examples. Bonhoeffer was a public theologian, affirming that theology and the Bible were as pertinent to the public life of institutions and nations as to the personal life of individual believers. His Ethics explored the relevance of Christian faith for work, for government, and for education, and also for the public responsibility of the church. Under National Socialism, Bonhoeffer saw that a church co-opted by ideology and nationalism was no help to a society. Bonhoeffer had a rich social philosophy, and understood that neither individualism nor collectivism were adequate to human experience.
People always live in ethical relationships with each other, and as members of communities.
Good communities are comprised of responsible, ethical people, and strong individuals are nurtured by good communities. In particular, he held that people are responsible not only for themselves as individuals, but also for the communities to which they belong. Bonhoeffer was a leader in the ecumenical movement which worked for greater unity among Christian churches, and challenged them to deeper commitments to peace and social justice. He believed that differences between Lutherans and Reformed, and also between Protestants and Catholics, mostly belonged to the past. This has proved prophetic, as greater understanding and closer bonds between these churches have developed in recent years.