Dr. Javier Garcia, died on June 19th, 2021, in a surfing accident on the Oregon coast at the age of 34. Javier served on the IBS-ELS board since 2017. He wrote Recovering the Ecumenical Bonhoeffer: Thinking after the Tradition (Lexington Books, 2019) and was working on his second Bonhoeffer book.

Dr. Garcia served on the faculty at George Fox University. The Cincinnati native joined the GFU faculty in 2016 after earning his doctorate in theology from the University of Cambridge in England. At George Fox he was named director of the school’s honor program and became an associate professor of religious studies earlier in 2021.

Follow this link for a reflection on his life by friend and colleague, Brian Doak, as well as a video address given by Javier during the pandemic in which he draws on Bonhoeffer.

Editorial Reviews of Garcia’s Recovering the Ecumenical Bonhoeffer

This book can be of significant help for pastors, theologians, and lay people who are interested in fundamental, historical, theological examples of greater openness and encounter. Highly recommend.― Lutheran Quarterly

Bonhoeffer’s commitment to the ecumenical church, both in his life and thinking, is now drawing renewed interest from theologians around the world. Here is much-needed and impressive scholarship, a major resource for that interest and for all who long for the one Christ to take visible shape in his community. — Keith W. Clements, World Council of Churches

This is a timely and important contribution to our understanding of Bonhoeffer’s commitment and challenge to the ecumenical movement in its formative years. By focusing on the way in which Bonhoeffer as a Lutheran positively engaged the Reformed tradition, it provides an ecumenical case study that is both original and persuasive. I highly comment it both for its substance and its style. — John W. de Gruchy, Stellenbosch University

In recent years, the International Bonhoeffer Society – English Language Section has encouraged scholars to continue to examine the historical context and textual interpretations of Bonhoeffer’s work and to engage in constructive readings of his work to address contemporary concerns. This book, rigorously and insightfully, accomplishes both tasks. — Lori Brandt Hale, Augsburg University and Vice President, International Bonhoeffer Society – English Language Section

There are worse summaries of the task of ecumenism than ‘roots down, walls down’. In Javier Garcia’s much-needed book, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s theology for a Church deeply rooted in one ecclesial tradition, but hospitably open to others, is explored with acute analysis and sound judgment. It is a book that deserves to be read not only by those interested in Bonhoeffer but by any theologian keen to think clearly about how to overcome disunity between Christians. — Stephen J. Plant, University of Cambridge