Monday, June 4, 2018

Presbyterians, Prophetic Tradition, Slavery ... and Nazi Germany

As difficult as it is, the history of Nazi Germany reminds us of how easily German Christians were suborned by Hitler, either to openly support him, or retreat into pious quietism. Many a German Christian believed that Hitler was god-sent to cleanse the nation of immoral and unclean elements, and that the church might once again regain a status of influence and glory lost after the defeat of WW1.

Within my own Presbyterian History, these elements are present - as we have seen in the South, when slavers made sure that the "spirituality of the church" kept pulpits silent on the evils of slavery, and rather spent their time lamenting booze, card playing, theater attendance and cussing.

Thankfully, as with Barth and Bonhoeffer in Germany, the tradition of prophetic critique and protest also exists. They clearly saw the difference between loyalty to Christ and an idolatrous nationalism of Germany First.

While much of the Southern Church remained quiet in the antebellum period, and after the war, with the emergence of Jim Crow, Northern pulpits attacked the evils of slavery, and many a Christian leader decried the evils of voter suppression and school segregation.

During the Civil Rights era, when some preachers in the South touched the topic of segregation, they immediately lost their pulpits. While others were encouraged to "bide their time, give it more study and prayer."

So, what shall we choose?

Support for the powers-that-be, to "make American great again"?

Quiet piety?

An ill-begotten patience?

Or clear-headed critique of the rising tide of evil besieging our land? 

While many a German leader saw Hitler as a clear and present threat, others believed that the rising economy, the laws against Jews, and dreams of lebensraum, were all for the best.






2 comments:

bob-dahl.com said...

Hiding behind "all for the best" over and over and over
until the best, indeed, is over. Nice piece.

zeke said...

As a young man, I was stationed in the segregated South. I attended church off base occasionally, but was more than willing to ask questions of my hosts when I was invited for a home-cooked Sunday dinner. As a Yankee, I did not understand segregation,so asked my hosts about it. I was always given Biblical reasons for it.That seemed to justify it (segregation) to them. They would not condemn it, but they were quick to denounce MLK whom they viewed as a trouble maker. How many American Xtians who praise DT today, will claim that they were "Always" opposed to him when the DT era is over?