A new Dietrich Bonhoeffer movie is playing in theaters. I heard that it was not a true depiction of the humble pastor so I started researching a little. I also wanted to understand from a Christian perspective, the political happenings in Germany during WWII and how the Holocaust (from 1933-1945) had played out. We were fascinated by the heroics of faithful Christians like Bonhoeffer and Cory Ten Boom who sacrificed everything to help their fellow men. So it was natural to assume that the majority of German Christians must have been angry and wanting to fight these atrocities against the inhumane treatment of the marginalized Jewish people.
This excerpt from the Holocaust Encyclopedia website was an eye opener to me. The bold is mine for emphasis:
Most Christian leaders in Germany welcomed the rise of N—-ism in 1933. They did not speak out against hateful speech or violence. After 1933, most did not speak out against legal measures that progressively stripped Jews of their rights. Some church leaders, particularly within the highly nationalistic “German Christian” movement of the main Protestant church, enthusiastically supported the N—- regime.
Only a small minority of religious leaders, ministers, and priests, usually in isolated parishes, spoke out against N—- racism, gave Sunday sermons decrying the persecution of Germany’s Jews, provided aid, or hid Jews. Without the support of their leaders and institutions, voices of dissent had little effect on government policy. Churches across Germany also helped facilitate the implementation of racial laws.
… Clergy and church leaders were also influenced by larger political and social trends in Germany after World War I, including rising nationalism and communist movements. Churches viewed communism as the antithesis of Christianity.…Support for the repression of communism and the need to restore Germany’s economy and status as a world power after World War I usually outweighed church leaders’ distaste for the racial, ethnically based nationalist, and pagan views many of them saw in N—ism.
On November 9–10, 1938, N—i leaders unleashed a series of pogroms against the Jewish population in Germany and recently incorporated territories. No prominent church leaders publicly protested these violent assaults. And in this, they shared the complicity of university, business, and military leaders who were also silent during such events even when many disapproved of them…By the late 1930s, the N—i regime had total control of public discourse and public spaces. The tools of repression were already in place.
Analyzing what we just read, the majority of the German church (professing Christians) chose making Germany great again by restoring its economy and status as a world power over obeying God by standing up against oppression, racism, and nationalism.
History shows that the German church leadership lacked moral courage because of profound Biblical ignorance, unbelief and self-centeredness. Christians not only cooperated with the regime, a large percentage even celebrated it, believing that N—ism was a Christian movement.
Their legitimate reasoning was that Germany was feeling violated by the Treaty of Versailles, which had brought an unhappy end to WWI and served as a stimulus to WWII. H——r regaled them and won them over by bringing them out of the Great Depression with promises of greater economic prosperity. German Christianity was largely compromised by German nationalism. In other words, they bought into his propaganda!
This is scary and should give us reason to pause. Can history repeat itself? Different continent, different century, different players, different scenario….for the Bible says, “there is nothing new under the sun”. So absolutely, “YES”! If we are professing Christians, the capital C church, where are our hearts and actions? How would God judge us? How would history look back on us?
We are told in Scripture, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not become partners with them; “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light” (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.” (Eph 5:6-10)
Do we earnestly seek truth especially in the reflection of God’s love we say we have in how we want marginalized groups to be treated? Remember, over the centuries, Christians believed that Jews were evil people because they had put Jesus to death and so they felt justified in mocking them, mistreating them and even death sentencing them. So too, we could be treating some marginalized groups whom we dislike because “they are horrible sinners” unlike ourselves. Often our snarky comments, sneers, jeers and even hateful rhetoric reveals that our hearts believe that they are inferior, well deserving of our derision and justice. We fail to see them as human beings created in the image of God. So, like the Christians in Germany, we too may get caught up in the rhetoric of the day which might bring great harm and anguish to thousands of faceless people – who are very human and precious to the Lord.
May we humbly and honestly examine our hearts in light of Scripture so that we, the “Church” (professing Christians) are always found on the right side of history – on the side of our Savior, our Good Shepherd, our Almighty God but also on the side of the Fearful Judge. May we live in obedience like only eternity matters with the goal of establishing His kingdom alone.
“And He (Jesus) said…, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”” (Matt 22:37-39)
Applying these truths, to our election cycle that just got done. It was politics as usual. Lies were freely told, morality was shucked, fake news propagated, and God’s name used and misused. There was a lot of harmful rhetoric against minority groups, lots of contempt and ridicule against “evil” thrown around. Many Christians accepted this silently while others joined in adding their own scorn on social media, at Bible studies or while socializing. Very few stood against the tide pointing their fellow Christians back to Jesus. Now it’s done. Irrespective of the outcome, it is not a time to rejoice for the people of God – too much has been compromised and too much is at stake.
The Bible reminds us in Daniel 2:21 that it is God who appoints authority and establishes powers of nations over us – so it’s our responsibility to pray for President Trump and his party irrespective of how we voted or feel about his election. But we also need to be grieving deeply at the spiritual state of our country and the immense harm this election has done to us all – personally and collectively. It has pushed many Christians to sell out Jesus (some while using His name), it has pitted brother against brother and it has heaped hurt and harm on the marginalized. It has brought us face to face with our true treasures – country and economy, safety and peace, reasoning and rights. These have clearly outweighed God and His Truth! (Reread the parallels with the German church as seen in the excerpt above from the Holocaust Encyclopedia).
If as we humbly examine our hearts today, allowing only the Holy Spirit to gently speak God’s Truth to us, we find ourselves on the wrong side of history, then God lovingly calls us to repentance, to turn back to Him, to turn back to Love. His grace is sufficient. We can then, look back in awe at Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Cory Ten Boom’s family and others who shut out their country’s propaganda to become the brave minority who willingly stood up to fight for God’s right instead of their own comfort and follow suit. They laid down their very lives for the marginalized who walked in their midst. They chose to make Jesus great again instead of their country and so can we!
Will we repent and fall on the mercy of God before it’s too late? Will we be a willing Bonhoeffer of our day, even lonely voices speaking up against harmful rhetoric? Will we willingly laying down our desires and comforts like Jesus did for those who are being marginalized or oppressed without judging them? Will we stop blindly following the propagandized “Church”? A hundred years from now, if someone was researching the Christian response to our 2024 elections, will we Christians be found on the right side?
Excellent article,Vanitha. Well researched and well written.
For my part,personally, I never trust a politician who tells me how to pray and I never trust a pastor who tells me how to vote.
I’ve been reflecting the past few days on 2 Timothy 3:1-7 where in the last days people will be lovers of money… and have a form of godliness but deny the power there of. I’ve noted that in the Letters to the Seven churches in Revelation… that in five of them, the church is called upon to REPENT. In fact, some see those seven letters as a picture of the church in seven periods of church history from the church that lost its first love to the one that was lukewarm and Jesus wanted to spew them out of his mouth. If so, we are living in the last of those seven time periods. We need prophets today who will stand and speak out… Like Bonhoffer.
Thank you Vanita, for this thoughtful message. ♥️
May my heart remain humble before our High King of Glory and be about furthering Jesus everlasting Kingdom.
As American’s we vote, but rarely does any politician support what each individual holds dear.
In Jesus name we can love others well wherever God has placed us and pray over our leaders.
It is times like this we need to ask ourselves, if we place our trust man or God the maker of Heaven and Earth?
Thanks a lot Vanita for the great information. We can pray for our leaders to follow God and His plan for our country and the whole world. We can place out trust in God alone to direct our path.