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Charles Maynard
Research Professor Emeritus
University of Washington
Public Documents
1
Church and Theology in Germany During the Time of National Socialism, 1933-1945
Charles Maynard
January 29, 2024
This paper examines how the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches and their theologians responded to the specter of national socialism. The Roman Catholic church was silent regarding the Jewish genocide, while the German Christian church sought to remove all vestiges of Judaism. The Confessing church struggled against its Protestant counterpart, but failed to address the genocide. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of a few who resisted the regime, recognized the error of the dichotomy between faith and political life. It was this grievous error made by good churches and good people that contributed to the development of the evil regime that continues to haunt the church.