Musical Notes and Thoughts

Why did prominent German theologians such as Paul Althaus and Gerhard Kittel follow Hitler and the Nazis?

The answer: they backed Hitler due to the corruption they saw in the Weimar Republic. During the 1920s, Berlin was arguably the center of the world in terms of corruption, particularly personal moral corruption. Whatever a person might want, they could find it in Berlin (the 1972 film “Cabaret” hints at that corruption). The government was not stable, and the German hyper-inflation ruined the nation’s economy, especially for the lower and middle classes. The German Mark became so worthless that one farmer was able to pay off his entire mortgage with three eggs. Ink became so expensive that eventually money was printed only on one side.

Hitler promised to stand against that moral corruption, and to fix the economy. He did both, and so spectacularly that he was Time Magazine’s “Man of the Year” in 1938. For all those reasons, German theologians backed him, as did much of the church.

There are sobering lessons for us. First, we see much of the church along with many church institutions and seminaries caving to DEI and the woke agenda. The seminary I attended was one of them; they went woke about ten years after I graduated, and then went broke about a decade after that. Many others have ceased to exist as well. If one takes Scripture at face value, DEI and the woke agenda does not line up with what Scripture teaches. While the cry of “justice” seems to line up with Scripture, the way “justice” is now defined most definitely does not. Just as happened in Germany in the 1930s, much of our culture is going along with a corrupting agenda, only this time one from the Left.

Second, as Christians, we need to be wary of “political saviors.” I am only too aware that at least a few Christians seem to worship Trump (most do not). The last election, from a purely biblical perspective did not offer ideal choices. One party has become, from a biblical perspective, heavily anti-Christian and almost totally corrupt. But the other side is not strictly biblical either. They too, though arguably to a lesser extent, accept what the Bible calls sin. That is not to say that God cannot work through politicians. God has always worked through flawed human beings (see Peter, David, Moses, even the Persian king, Cyrus). And, we are commanded by God to pray for our leaders, regardless of their political party. But we must not look first to a politician to save our country. Our country can only be saved by widespread repentance and a return to God through faith in Jesus Christ. Humbling ourselves before Him and confessing our sins and need of Him is a great place to start.

It is worth noting that in terms of biblical eschatology, some views regard the secular state as the ultimate Antichrist (the politician in charge is the one who ultimately prohibits buying and selling). One ends up worshiping the state in place of the true God; that "state” and that sort of worship can come from either the political right or the political left.

Third, and closely related to number two, we need to be aware that we can easily be fooled. The Germans theologians and much of the German church were badly mistaken; arguably the theologians and church leadership should have known better. But they, like us now, were caught up in their times, their immediate situation. It is tough to take a long-term view as Barth and Bonhoeffer did.

How will we respond, as our nation, not unlike Germany in the 1920s, becomes increasingly corrupt, increasingly anti-Christian? As the radical Left seeks our destruction, will we turn first and foremost to Christ or to a “political savior”? Will we repent, or will we continue to look for answers from sources other than God?