Jacksonville – A one-person play adapted and performed by Rev. Al Staggs brings the life of one of the great heroes of the twentieth century to the stage.

     Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Protestant pastor and theologian during the days of the Third Reich in Nazi Germany. He is portrayed in “A View From the Underside” which tells the story of his involvement with the Nazi resistance movement which would lead to his execution by hanging on April 9, 1945.

     The show will be presented on Monday, October 24, at 7pm in the Marian Chase Schaeffer Studio Theatre located in the Education Complex. It is free and open to the public and sponsored by the College’s Office of Religious Life. The following night will feature a lecture by MacMurray College President Dr. Lawrence Bryan on the significance of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Dr. Bryan is a Bonhoeffer scholar. His presentation is also free and open to the public and will be held at 7:00 p.m., location to be announced.

     Born February 4, 1906, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Protestant pastor and theologian during the days of the Third Reich in Nazi Germany. One of the first Christians to openly oppose Hitler (as early as 1933), his activities included running an underground seminary for the Confessing Church, assisting Jews escaping from Germany (Operation 7) and involvement in the plots to assassinate Hitler.

     He was arrested by the Gestapo in 1943 and spent two years incarcerated in the prison known as Tegel. Bonhoeffer was executed at Flossenburg Concentration Camp on April 9, 1945, just days before its liberation by allied forces. His writings have been posthumously published over the years since the war and translated into several languages.

     Bonhoeffer’s thought and witness has served as an inspiration for persons such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the South African Anti-Apartheid Movement and Liberation Theologians in Latin America.

     Mr. Staggs holds a B. A. from Hardin-Simmons University, an M.R.E. degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, a Th.M. from Harvard Divinity School and a Doctor of Ministry degree from Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. He was honored as a Charles E. Merrill Fellow at Harvard in the spring of 1983 with major emphasis in Applied Theology under the direction of Harvey Cox.

     He also completed a year internship in Clinical Pastoral Education at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, and served as Baptist minister for twenty-four years prior to becoming a full-time performance artist. Mr. Staggs presently serves as a hospital chaplain at Harris Methodist Hospital (HEB) in Bedford, Texas.

     Inquiries and questions should be directed to Rev. Randy Myers, Chaplain of the College, by calling 217-479-7131 or email to randy.myers@mac.edu.

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     Located in Jacksonville, Ill., MacMurray College is a private, four-year, liberal arts, coeducational college, founded in 1846, and affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Its friendly, informal environment stresses academic excellence, personal attention, career experience, and well-rounded development of each individual.