Christ of the Third Reich
As Hitler came into office
a National Bishop, Mueller, was appointed over a Protestant Church federation.
The Protestants at the time included mainline protestants, true to doctrine
and church attendance but not wavering greatly from centuries old doctrine since Luther,many 'liberal' believers, including theologians, pastors and laity who had declared Bultmann's theological approach of dismissing in the word what did not assault human reason (Higher Criticism); Social Gospel advocates, a trend which had caught on in America and in which many had been trained in US schools such as Union Theological, and a few ardent believers whom could be described as fundamental evangelicals. A large group, though was a group which in historical perspective was very troubling: The Deutsche Christen, or German Christian Church which integrated and redefined traditional Christianity to include and align with the Third Reich. The doctrines of the Deutsche Christen were meant to replace centuries old doctrine. Many of the beliefs were anti-Semitic and defined as heresy. Christ was re-interpreted as the Nietzchean 'superman', an Aryan of the highest order and not a Jew, and Paul was dismissed as irrevelant, . |  |
| Hitler was infallible: Revealed God's Will for Germany |
| Christ is Seen as a German Messiah leading back into the Volk |
| Germans are born to Struggle; the battles, earthly and divine are reinterpreted in terms of kulturkampf. |
| Concepts of the Cross and Sacrifice are mixed with the concept of Struggle1 |
| False, weak freedom is seen as the antithesis of Struggle: tolerance is a degenerate concept1 |
| A doctrinal separation between Scriptures the DC saw applied to the later ethereal 'Kingdom' of Heaven' and those applied to this world. For example, the Sermon on the Mount was not deemed applicable to this world, hence one could ignore its pacifist leanings, and selflessness. This concept finds a home even today in the US in even Bible Believing Churches, but is not in line with Christ's own command to 'keep his commandments' if one loves him. |
| That which is weak is inferior and not allowed: this is in contrast to Scriptural teachings which demand child-like-ness, and surrender to obey God and walk in the Holy Spirit. Because Paul teaches so greatly in the Epistles the putting away of 'self', Paul was seen as having an inferiority complex and being too Jewish and not good for the German people. |
| The DC was pro-Euthanasia for what did not benefit the whole of society. |
| Exclusion: in addition to the weak, non-Aryans were excluded from worship, religious practice and even the Kingdom of God. Inferior people, were not seen as having the same value or quality or even life-essence as those of the DC. |
| War and the aim towards War was seen as a high value because in the eyes of the DC it would lead to Aryan rule and the establishment of the DC over church matters. While Hitler and Goebbels intended clearly to first placate the church for cooperation, they also intended shortly after the war to do away with traditional Christianity and the Church. The DC, not a true Christianity, but a deeply distorted one, could very possibly have prevailed even then. |
| The DC opposed: Blacks, Jews, Pacifism, Marxism and Socialism |
| The Church Confessions (standard, confessed creed and doctrine) were considered "outdated".1 |
1Peet, Garnet, "The Protestant Churches in Nazi Germany"; Spindleworks.com