Declarations of Christianity in Nazi Germany
Click the Poster to View Full Screen, Right click to save image
Esther Gonzales
College:
The College of Health Professions and Human Services
Major:
Holocaust and Genocide Studies
Faculty Research Advisor(s):
Adara Goldberg
Abstract:
In the aftermath of World War I, the German Evangelical Church stood as the largest Protestant church in Germany. The consistent rise of Nazism, antisemitism and Adolf Hitler coming to power forced members within the church to declare where their allegiances lie. Through obstacles such as social unrest, strikes, mass unemployment and economic depression, Protestant pastors feared the growing Communist movement would pose a threat to their authority. As Hitler sought to take control of the church to create a national Reich church, many Protestants decided to stand against Hitler and his new form of Aryan Christianity. The division within the church led to two formations, the Reich Church and the Confessing Church. On one hand, the German Christians followed Hitler and his Nazi ideology, and on the other, Confessing Christians declared their beliefs and faith is founded solely on the Word of God.
• How did the Confessing Christians resist Nazi ideology?
• What were the fundamental differences between the Confessing Church and the Reich Church?
• What were the statements of faith that each church presented to their members?