The German Church’s accommodation of the Nazi regime reveals an appalling failure of basic Christian preaching and teaching. In [Edmund] Schlink’s understanding the failure of the churches was not so much caused by the persecution as revealed by it. “The forces outside the church showed up what was real in the life of these churches, and what was only an empty shell” (p. 100).
By God’s grace an astonishing renewal of the Church occurred as well. “The renewal began when the Church recognized the enemy’s attack as the hand of God ”¦ and when resistance to injustice became at the same time an act of repentance and of submission to the mighty hand of God” (p. 100). As the contrast with anti-Christian propaganda became more intense “the Church’s ears were re-opened to the Word of God. ”¦ But at the same time God’s Word challenged us, questioned the reality of our own religion, and forced us to recognize God simply and solely in His Word….”
Very chilling stuff. It ties in closely with what I read in Eric Metaxas’ biography of Bonhoeffer. If you take Harding’s article and replace each occurrence of “Nazi” with “Obama regime,” a large part of it reads like today’s headlines.
The latest fun news piece are the pending Dept. of Labor regulations restricting the work that parents can have their children do on the family farm; e.g., no working the kids when it’s too hot or too humid, etc.
Wow – just wow. But read the quotes carefully before pointing at the current Democrats or the TEC symptoms (Ragsdale, for example). The problem began in the “nice” culture church after WWII, which was probably orthodox in Creed and liturgy, but preaching and teaching from an increasingly humanistic, personal fulfillment pov.
The lessons to be gathered from the rise of the Nazis in Germany is the banality of it all. We all, Republicans, Democrats, church-goers, and atheists, have in us the bent to become in lesser or greater degrees such as the Nazis. Sinners, all of us, but for the grace of God. May the Holy Spirit guide us away from such temptation.