Is persecution good for
the church?
“The streets of our country are in turmoil. The universities
are
filled with students rebelling and rioting. Communists are seeking to
destroy our country and the republic is in danger, yes danger from
within and without. We need law and order, without law and order, our
nation cannot survive.” 1
Sounds like any present day American politician running for office,
doesn’t it? Those were the words of Adolph Hitler in 1932.
Perhaps, as you read this, your head is shaking and you say to
yourself, “If only the people had known his true intentions.
If
only they could have seen how this man was exploiting problems to
create the cruelest dictatorship in history.”
For years, many of us have been fascinated by Science Fiction stories
about people who travel back through time in an attempt to stop some
major catastrophe. If you were allowed a journey to Pre-Nazi Germany,
what would you say? What would you do? How would you warn an
unsuspecting people of the tyranny that was sneaking up around them,
disguised like a charming pied piper?
Actually, you don’t need a time machine. Present day America
shares many traits with Pre-Nazi Germany.
“Oh come now. We’re a completely different culture
and a
very diverse people.”
We are a different culture in some ways. But there are still many
chilling parallels between what we see in America today and what was
going on in Germany before Hitler took over.
The German people felt isolated from the world and hated by many
countries in the aftermath of World War I. Their economy was
troubled. They were short on patriotism and lacking in unity. Many
factions and political parties were battling for the soul of the
country, including the Communist and Socialist parties. The Weimar
Republic was viewed as a disappointing government, and people were
loosing faith in their leaders. Many conservative Germans were afraid
that a new, liberal menace from within might change the landscape of
the country.
Sexual morality was also at an all time low as highlighted by the
sleazy cabaret shows. The city of Berlin served as a base for
homosexual activism during this time as it had been since the end of
the nineteenth century. Germany’s first gay organization, The
Scientific Humanitarian Committee was established by activist Magnus
Hirschfeld who also created the Institute for Sexual Research that
sought to present homosexual behavior as normal and healthy.2
For the most part, churches were ineffective in turning back the winds
of loose living and few even tried. Filling the void left untouched by
Christianity, was a rising interest in the occult, (witchcraft,
astrology etc.)
Does any of this sound familiar? Now, consider a less
obvious,
but very important analogy: Humiliation over loss of a war. With
Germany, it was World War I. With us, it was Vietnam. No, we were not
conquered or defeated in Vietnam, but we abandoned the mission after
ten years of fighting and thousands of dead American soldiers.
Therefore, Vietnam is viewed as the first war Americans ever lost, and
we still haven’t recovered. Even our recent victory
in Iraq
is plagued with the fear that a protracted stay will create another
Vietnam.
All of this made things ripe for the Nazis. Keep in mind that no one
had ever heard of Nazis before. They came in the name of
nationalism, without horns and without pitchforks. The big
fear
was Communism, a legitimate fear to be sure, and one of the factions
dividing Germany, but their abilities were exaggerated by Hitler and
used as an excuse to come to power.
“OK. There may be some similarities. But America
has a
constitution filled with checks and balances! And this constitution was
put in practice to protect our republic from takeover by dictators like
Hitler.”
Germany also had a constitution under the Weimar Republic, laced with
rights and liberties for its citizens.
Hitler swore an oath to this constitution when he came into power.
“I will employ my struggle for the welfare of the
German
people, protect the constitution and the laws of the German people,
conscientiously discharge the duties imposed on me and conduct my
affairs of office impartially with justice for everyone.” Jan
30,
1933 3
Wow! A man of the people! Almost brings a tear to your eye,
doesn’t it? But even as he spoke, Adolph The Compassionate
had
plans to overthrow the very constitution he was swearing to uphold.
Of course, anybody reading the already published Mien Kemp,
could
have already known just exactly what he planned to do. It has been said
that if you listen to an evil man long enough he will sooner or later
tell you his true intentions.
How was this possible? How could a man speak of
both peace
and tyranny at the same time? Actually, it was quite
easy.
The wicked talk was so vulgar, the ideas so outrageous, that
intelligent people failed to take him seriously. They refused to
believe that the land of Beethoven, Brahms and Luther could ever fall
prey to a war-mongering despot. Hitler’s scapegoating of the
Jews, Communists, and others was viewed as mere fuel for the naive
masses, a minor political ploy, a means to an end. Any freethinking,
civilized person knew that the philosophy of Adolph Hitler would never
reach fruition. Meanwhile, Hitler was good for the economy and
that’s what was most important.
“It’s the
economy, stupid.” Germany saw some of its greatest prosperity
under Hitler and to top it all off, he even made the trains run on time!
If the Germans of that era seemed amazingly naïve,
remember
that many people today, after the fact, still don’t take
Hitler
seriously! The Institute For Historical Review actually teaches that
the Holocaust never really happened, repeating the kind of tripe that
we previously heard only from organizations like the Ku Klux
Klan. But this new revisionism sounds far more fashionable,
speaking in the name of scholarship with university audiences.4
The first step toward the Holocaust repeating itself is to
convince people that it never happened in the first place, that the
whole story was nothing but “Jewish
propaganda.” Of
course, that phrase, “Jewish propaganda” was
instrumental
in bringing about the first Holocaust.
But one doesn’t have to be a bigot to believe such
lies. Most people today have trouble believing in any evil at
all. Twenty-first century humans are under the impression
that
they have been morally evolving since the beginning of history. The
idea of a holocaust in our enlightened, technologically superior time
smacks into the face of our sensibilities as hard as the airplanes of
9-ll. That’s why we’re encouraged to talk
with
terrorists and “find out what they really want.”
After all,
it’s impossible that certain people might intend to kill us
no
matter what we do or say. Who would commit terror just because he
enjoys doing evil?
That’s why a mother who kills her children is
called
insane. Follow the logic. “There could be nothing more
unthinkable than for a mother to kill her own children. No mother would
ever intentionally do that. What? You say this mother did kill her
children? Oh…well then there must have been
extenuating
circumstances. Otherwise this would be an evil too reprehensible to
imagine and of course there’s no such thing as
evil. And
so, she could not possibly have been thinking clearly. Therefore, the
action itself automatically proves her insanity.”
Hitler was also called “insane,” a
“mad
man.” But he wasn’t mad. He was a very capable
adversary
who knew just exactly what he was doing. He accomplished his goals
calmly and shrewdly in a very systematic manner.
It must be pointed out that Hitler came to power legally, one
gradual step at a time. Hitler was elected as President
Hinderberg’s chancellor under Article 48 of the Weimar
Constitution, a section that allowed the presidency the authority to
create a more autocratic type of government to protect the democracy
from revolutions. The article was originally written to
prevent
the Communists from coming into power.
Later, Hitler talked Hindernburg into signing a law
that
would prohibit public meeting and censor publications that threatened
public security. This neutralized the Socialists and Communists.
On Feb 27,1933, the Communists were blamed for burning the
Reichstag building. This allowed Hitler to talk Hindenberg into signing
even newer, bolder measures: “temporary” suspension
of
freedom of speech, press and assembly, topped off by the
government’s right to check an individual’s mail,
telephone, telegrams, etc. House searches were also allowed without a
warrant. During this time, the death penalty replaced life
imprisonment as the new punishment for arson, sabotage or
freedom. And the definition of treason was re-written to mean
“any viewpoint that disagreed with the Nazi Party.”
As
icing on the cake, the Enabling Act granted the government
“emergency legislation for a specific period of
time.” Translation: The government was now allowed
to do
things formally forbidden in the constitution.
Of course, our own, present day fear of terrorism has brought
about the controversial Patriot Act. Many things about the Patriot Act
are understandable and appreciated but the Act also allows government
access to personal records such as E-Mail etc. With all due
respect to the sincerity of our present administration, we may want to
soberly consider how future, less moral leaders might use such
unchecked power. The unchecked power in Germany finally merged the
Presidency and Chancellor ship into one position, held by Hitler, and a
new legal dictatorship was born.
What will happen to the church of America as our landscape
increasingly resembles Nazi Germany? Probably churches will always be
allowed to exist in America, so long as they remain
“tolerant.” Likewise, Hitler was smart
enough at
first to not openly assault Christians. In fact, he promised to leave
churches alone on the single condition that they refrain from political
involvement. There was a taunt to this arrangement that many American
Christians can perhaps relate too. So long as we have our morning
service and special times of worship, so long as nobody interferes with
the Wednesday night potluck or the Monday night Bible study, why be
concerned? Churches tend to separate themselves from society with the
exception of preaching the gospel. But Christ called us to be the salt
of the earth, and if God’s people won’t speak out
against
evil, who will? For all intents and purposes, the church was asleep
during Hitler’s takeover. Of course there were some who did
object to what was going on, but for the most part, churches were too
divided to offer resistance. In fact, Hitler
encouraged a
special “Faith Movement Of German Christians,”
which made
the church at large a united organization that would shadow the Nazi
movement.
Finally, pastors such as Martin Niemuller began to wake up
and a
new church was born in 1934 called the Confessional Church. Mostly
Lutheran and Reformed Christians joined, and for a period of time, many
clergy stood by this new uncompromising body. The
Confessional
Church stood up to the state and revival broke out in the land. As
Bible sales increased, the Nazis became concerned. They imprisoned many
pastors including Niemuller and the famous Dietrich
Bonhoffer.
The arrests were primarily limited to those pastors who openly spoke
out against cruelty to the Jews or euthanasia for handicapped people.
Others spoke out against the eugenic programs where selected unwed
mothers were chosen for special cross breeding to create a super race.
Not only were the outspoken pastors arrested but Church youth groups
were discontinued as well, and many kids were enrolled in the Hitler
Youth instead. In time, 85 percent of pastors in Confessional
Church were taken into the armies. Some, like Bonhoeffer, were executed.
“Even if our government is headed down the road of
church
persecution, it seems that it wouldn’t happen until a long
time
from now.”
It might be a lot sooner than you think. Consider
the
philosophy behind our new and growing Hate Crime legislation.
Hate, is a bad word; and therefore, a convenient word in the hands of
activists with an agenda. Today, many people are calling the Bible a
book of hate speech because of its comments about homosexuality and
because of its “lack of tolerance” toward those who
will
not turn to Jesus. Already, a pastor in Sweden has been arrested and
charged with a hate crime for calling homosexuality a sin from the
pulpit.5 Our closer neighbor Canada, recently passed legislation that
could forbid the public reading of certain
“offensive’
portions of scripture.6 Many in America are voicing the
desire
for similar laws. Make no mistake about it; Christian freedom in the
United States is being suspended by a thin thread.
“Well, even if we do loose our freedom, can anybody
stop
fate? Should we even try? Maybe this will be part
of the
Great Tribulation that ushers in the second coming of Christ.”
Christ will definitely return some day to rule this world and
it
may indeed be soon but we do not know for a fact that He is returning
in our generation.
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in
heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matt 24:36)
I’m always suspicious of somebody claiming to have
more
information than Jesus chose to give.
“Well, maybe we don’t know for sure that
the Great
Tribulation is upon us but wouldn’t any kind of persecution
be
good for the church? Don’t trials purify Christians and bring
them together in greater unity?”
Actually, it is a myth that persecution is always good for
the
church. Certainly, we serve a God who can bring good out of
bad
situations. God does promise to be faithful and give us the power to
take stands in the midst of fiery ordeals, but when trials come about
before new believers can be discipled, before they can be taught to
walk in the Spirit, the results are often disastrous.
Perhaps the most celebrated and glorified time in church
history
(beyond New Testament times) is the second and third centuries, when
many Roman emperors launched attacks against Christianity.
How
often Christians have watched heroic episodes in movies and marveled at
the unity and purity of this early church, “unstained by the
corruption which often comes with freedom and control.”
It may interest you to know that the real Roman
persecutions were a bit more complicated than Hollywood’s
version. For one thing, persecution tended to come and go
like
the ocean tide, frequently changing when a cruel emperor was replaced
with a nicer one and vice-versa. During times of persecution, many
professing Christians compromised their faith and denied
Christ.
True, there were brave people as well, but they were the ones killed
off, leaving the cowards to run the church when the next
Caesar
adopted a more benevolent policy and allowed churches to flourish
again. When repentant people sought re-admission to the church, after
having denied their savior, fellow believers weren’t always
sure
what to do with them. Did their denial mean that they had
lost
their salvation? Or had they never really been saved in the
first
place? Should they be re-admitted into the church? Should
there
be a probation period? It was a confusing mess!
We may indeed face persecution here in America, no matter how
hard we try to avoid it. If so, let us pray to God
for the
strength to endure, but let us not cooperate with the process. Let us
not sit back idly and accept the changing times without a fight.
I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers,
intercession
and thanksgiving be made for everyone- for kings and all
those in
authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness
and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all
men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. 1
Tim
2:1-4
This passage makes two important points:
1) There is nothing wrong with desiring a peaceful life.
Indeed,
God wouldn’t be urging us to pray for peace if peace
wasn’t
His ideal.
2) Peace is evidently conducive to the spreading of the
gospel. Yes, the gospel has also been known to flourish
during
times of persecution, but apparently it spreads even better in a benign
environment. Peace and the gospel go hand-in-hand.
Most Christians had no legal rights in those days.
Very few
were Roman citizens like Paul. They did not live under a democracy as
we do. Prayer was their only opportunity to change the political
landscape. Today, we live in a unique time in history when the
governors and the governed are one and the same. If Paul were alive
today, would he have given us additional instruction along with the
command to pray? Would he also ask us to vote, write our
senators, lobby for causes, etc? Probably.
Summary
It was the purpose of this article to examine the recent history of
Germany, as a lesson, a preview, if you will, of what could happen in
America and to challenge the idea that such persecution might actually
be good for us. Whether or not it is too late to do anything about the
changing climate, only time will tell, but we would be well advised to
try it.
1. As quoted by
Hal Lindsey, “There’s A
New World Coming,” Vision House, Publishers, Santa Anna
California, 1973, pg 189
2. From the online article “Berlin” 2004, glbtq,
inc.
3. As quoted by Lucy S Dawidowicz, “The War against The Jews
1933-1945”, Bantam Books Inc.,1975, pg. 63
4. Shermer, Michael. Open Letter to Holocaust Revisionists. 1995,
(http://www.skeptic.com/shermer-to-revisionists.txt)Tokuno, Hajime.
Holocaust Denial. The Connecticut Skeptic, 1996 The Nizkor Projects
(http://www.nizkor.org/)
5. Robert Knight, “Christians Fear Effects of
Canada’s New
Hate Crimes Law” 4/30/2004,
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/5588/CFI/freedom
6. Robert Knight; “When You Hear the Term ‘Civil
Unions,’ Think of Czechoslovakia” 3-4-2004,
Theodor
Winston
“Would Hate Crimes Laws Make You a Lawbreaker?”
Pike,"www.truthtellers.org", John Leo,
“Stomping on Free Speech", U.S. News and world
Report,
4-19-04
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By Bob Siegel
© 2002 by Bob Siegel
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