Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor, theologian and dissident, was known for his staunch resistance to the Nazi dictatorship and Adolf Hitler's genocidal persecution of the Jews during WWII. Born into a prominent family of eight in what is now Poland, he had a twin sister named Sabine. His father was a distinguished psychiatrist, known for his criticism of Sigmund Freud, and his mother was a teacher. Dietrich exhibited early academic promise and demonstrated a deep interest in theology, which would develop into religious career beginning at the young age of 14, despite family objections. He went on to attend the University of Berlin and complete his Doctor of Theology degree from Humboldt University of Berlin, graduating summa cum laude While initially a German nationalist, Bonhoeffer later became a pacifist after viewing the movie "All Quiet of the Western Front", showing the horrors of WWI. Upon his return to Germany, he became a lecturer at the University of Berlin, where he evolved from an "intellectual" interest in Christianity to putting his faith into action. This resulted in his resistance to the Nazification of Germany resulting him being denounced as a "enemy of the state" and revoking of his right to teach. He then would take his church in Germany "underground". On 5 April 1943 Bonhoeffer was arrested. After two years in prison, he was sentenced to death. The following day, he was stripped naked of his clothing and led into the execution yard where he was hanged with five others. A witness noted: "In the almost fifty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God." Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a witness to the evils of Nazi Germany, for which he interrupted his life to act. He is quoted as saying: "Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."..."We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God." Apparently, Dietrich Bonhoeffer was listening.