How is God revealed through the life of a human community? Dietrich Bonhoeffer's theological ethics begins from the claim to `Christ existing as community', one of several variations on G.W.F. Hegel's philosophy of religion. David Robinson argues that Bonhoeffer's eclectic use of Hegel's thought, from the socialising notion of `objective Geist' to a trenchant depiction of the `cleaving' mind, should not be obscured by his polemic against Idealism. He also offers close readings of Hegel's texts in order to appraise Bonhoeffer's criticism, particularly the charge of a `docetic' distinction between idea and appearance in Christology. Meanwhile, historical context is provided for Hegel's `deconfessionalisation' of the church vis-a-vis the state and Bonhoeffer's recovery of the ecclesio-political mark of suffering as non-recognition. The author provides a vital enquiry into the social compositions of faith and reason.