The November release of a major motion picture on the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer has reignited a long-simmering battle between those who seek to learn from Bonhoeffer's life and those who seek to use it for their own purposes.

Members of the Bonhoeffer family have issued a statement expressing concern about the misappropriation of Bonhoeffer's legacy to support Christian nationalism over the past 14 years. In addition to their concerns about the historical drama film "Bonhoeffer: Pastor. Spy. Assassin.," they criticized conservative radio host and Bonhoeffer biographer Eric Metaxas, saying, "Never would [Bonhoeffer] have seen himself associated with far-right, violent movements such as Christian Nationalists and others who are trying to appropriate him today. On the contrary, he would have strongly and loudly condemned these attitudes. ... Bonhoeffer fought narrow-mindedness, oppression, and exclusion throughout his life."

Lead actors in "Bonhoeffer" wrote to express their concern about "the misuse of our film and the legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer by Christian Nationalists."

The presidents of the International Bonhoeffer Society have also objected to Metaxas' misuse of Bonhoeffer's legacy, saying that Metaxas "has manipulated the Bonhoeffer story to support Christian Nationalism" with a portrayal that "glorifies violence and draws inappropriate analogies between our political system and that of Nazi Germany."

So who was Bonhoeffer, and why do the people most dedicated to his legacy object so strongly to these attempts to reinterpret his story?