The Cost of Discipleship

The Cost of Discipleship (German: Nachfolge [ˈnaːxˌfɔlɡə], lit. 'succession' or 'following') is a 1937 book by German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, considered to be a classic of Christian thought. It is centered on an exposition of the Sermon on the Mount, in which Bonhoeffer spells out what he believes it means to follow Christ. The book was first published in 1937, when the rise of the Nazi regime was underway in Germany. It was against this background that Bonhoeffer's theology of costly discipleship developed, which ultimately led to his death.