Nazi German Church vs the Contemporary American Church-4

   Victoria Barnett* writes, “…during the 1920’s…the birth of extreme “folk religions,” which mixed selected scriptural passages with reflections on nature, the Fatherland, and the German Volk, appealed to Germans who were reaching back to old cultural traditions as a bulwark against the uncertainty of the Weimar years. Nazi rhetoric used this theme” (pg26).
    Adolf Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ was published in 1925, which advocated the extermination of the Jews, and murder and enslavement for the Slav people. In 1930, Barnett cites Alfred Rosenberg’s, The Myth of the Twentieth Century, a book which used “a bizarre blend of selected New Testament verses and citations from Hitler’s Mein Kampf.” It was, “aggressively anti-Semitic, anti-papal (it was censored by the Vatican), and, in its essence, anti-Christian” (pg26).
  Despite Germany being an overwhelmingly Christian nation, the attacks Rosenberg made in his book against the church were offset by Nazi propaganda which declared he referred only to “negative” Christianity, which the Nazis argued, “threatened to devour German moral principles.” Of course, the Nazi alternative was to recommend its obvious opposite-- “positive” Christianity, “which would defend the supremacy of the German people.”
   Here is the key, Barnett writes: “Most Christians ignored the basic paganism of Nazism and focused, instead upon the “positive” Christianity that the party promised” (pg26).

The 1920’s German ‘church’ culture which joined the Bible with folk religions allowed the amalgamation of nationalism with Christianity. In other words, to be a proud German, was to be a proud Christian, which allowed for Christianity to be German. This became the foundation for what later became the “German Christians” of the 1930’s. This teaches that the marriage of the Word of God and human pride produces twins: the rejection of sin, and self-justification!
  A necessary question arises at this point: How could Mein Kampf advocate the extermination of a people group; the murder and enslavement of another entire group, in a nation that declared Christianity? Because pride self-justifies! Hitler was German; Hitler was a proud patriot; therefore, Hitler was a Christian, therefore, Hitler must be good! But what about his murder? Doesn’t the Bible say no murder? German self-justification responded in two ways:
a.“he doesn’t really mean it”
b.They simply ignored the T-Rex in the living room! When the horrors began, Germans refused to look.

The German ‘Christian’ culture was allowed to stew in the spirit of ‘German Christianity’ for five years when Rosenberg came along with his bold, rash attacks on Christianity. At first, “German Christians” were perplexed at the contradiction of being so patriotic, yet now condemned. However, the deception of  ‘self-justification’ kicked-in and the “German Christians” breathed a sigh of relief with a smile, as the Nazis resolved the issue through the creation of ‘positive’ and ‘negative’ Christianity. “Aw, yes!” the ‘German Christians’ cried, “Our minds are free—we are proud German Christians again!”

   Now, we transition to America. We have learned that the deception of the rejection of the Word of God, i.e. which is human pride, leads to the rejection of sin and self-justification.  Presently, in America, there are people who would be highly offended if they were categorized as anything other than Christians: they are called liberal Christians. They attend church, some of them even attend regularly. Yet, these ‘American Christians’ imbibed the liberal interpretation of the separation of church and state, not only allowing them to intellectually reject the Word of God in application to their ‘public’ understanding, but not to even consider it! Of course, the twins of the rejection of sin and self-justification were born.
   Though the ‘German Christians’ were initially condemned, American liberal Christians have had a much easier time with their atheist, gay, evolutionist and Muslim…attackers! Simply, their rejection of the Bible, along with America’s Christian history, coupled with the obvious consequences, like the acceptance and promotion of abortion, homosexuality, gay marriage, and anti-Americanism…have turned their attackers into friends!!
  The question is, as a judgment of God, will a leader arise in America, like the one who arose in Germany? To be honest, even though the similarities of the two nations and time periods are  obvious; and even though God must judge sin-- I really don’t know!
   On the contrary, in spite of the obvious American liberal church apostasy, there exists a couple of real differences between the church of Nazi Germany and the contemporary American church. First, there yet remains a large remnant of ‘authentic’ believers in contemporary America—who really love God, and are committed to see His Word and will done in this nation.  Second, unlike pre-Nazi Germany, that remnant is also very pro-Israel, and loves the Jew.
  Pray with me, that though judgment fall on America, that He would have mercy on His own who have not forsaken Him:
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come
nigh thee  -Ps91:7






Quotebit
'The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.'                     -William James