Nazi German Church vs the Contemporary American Church-9

Victoria Barnett* writes(pg58), “In the spring of 1934, one of the major questions dividing PEL(Pastor Evangelical League) members and Lutherans was whether the Evangelical Church could include both PEL members and “German Christians.” Could the two extremes theologically co-exist in the same church? The PEL’s position was that they could not: A truly Confessing Church had no place for the “Aryan” ideals of the “German Christians.”
  Most Lutherans rejected this position. If the Kingdom of God was truly open to all, they argued, how could one justify a church that preached selectively and excluded a group because of its politics?”
  The ‘German Christians’ adopted both anti-semitism, and what was known as ‘positive Christianity’, which basically is Christianity without sin. Furthermore, they wanted to remove the Old Testament from the Bible! Simply, 'positive Christians' were Nazis who wanted to remain part of the traditional Lutheran church. Yet, when the PEL tried to separate themselves from such foolish theology, “most Lutherans rejected this…” What is most interesting however, is that their response for objecting actually reveals the spiritual condition of the church in Germany: “If the Kingdom of God was truly open to all, how could one justify a church that preached selectively and excluded a group because of its politics?”
 
  First, the Bible nowhere indicates that the kingdom of God is open to all. On the contrary, the Bible declares God’s kingdom to be exclusive, not inclusive; it is open only to the elect(Matt24:31), i.e. the select who make Jesus Lord of their life! The apostle John writes, “…no man comes to the Father but by me…” (Jn14:6). On the contrary, the question of  the objecting German church sounds eerily similar to contemporary 'Christian liberal'  thinking which declares that the church is to be so tolerant and accepting--which they define as love--that everybody will be saved, regardless of their relationship to Christ, or their lifestyle. This is theologically known as Universalism. In the specific case of the German Christians, they were so 'nationalist' conscious that they would accept anyone or thing who was perceived as patriotic; as someone who was for Germany. This translates into an acceptance of Nazism (Hitler) as part of Christianity because Nazism was perceived as patriotic to Germany, as Christianity was perceived as patriotic to Germany!  Oh My!!
   My second point on the state of the German church originates in their statement "...because of their politics?"  This comment indicates the depth of the rejection of the Bible in German Christianity. Of course, Germany’s rejection of the Bible is first and foremost made obvious by their intent to remove the Old Testament from the Bible! However, second the above quote reveals their unBiblical doctrine of "two spheres," which equates to our contemporary doctrine of the separation of the church and state.
   Originally, the separation of church and state meant that God rules over both areas, BUT..has a purpose for both the state and the church. The key is that the two purposes are different, yet originate in God. However, liberalism/atheism took the Biblical separation of church and state doctrine, and turned it on its head to now mean to separate God from the state!
  The German Christians erroneously believed the Bible was to have no influence over German 'political' thinking. It was this heresy that birthed their rabid anti-semitism! On the contrary, the Bible is the ultimate plumb line of good and evil! There can be no understanding of what constitutes right and wrong without the Bible. The rejection of the Bible as God's word, leads to a rejection of God's law written in nature(Rom1:20), also known in our Declaration of Independence as "the laws of nature and of nature's God". Gary Amos in his wonderful work, Defending the Declaration, wrote regarding this phrase, "It was a legal phrase for God's law revealed through nature and His moral law revealed in the Bible."
  In other words, a person or nation who rejects the Bible, will quickly reject God's laws written in the creation(Rom1:20)--for both the Bible, and the laws of nature, originate in God! This is precisely the reason that Germans, who called themselves 'Christians', of their own volition, elected Adolf Hitler to power in 1933, in spite of his book Mein Kampf, being published in 1925!! The Christians of Germany had a full eight years to determine who this man was! His book trashed the most sacred moral laws of God, along with the laws of nature, and the church ignored it to the destruction of the nation! Psalms 140:11 declares: "Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth..."
   The American church is repeating Germany's sins! Over 70% of Americans declare themselves to be Christians, yet, we elected people to political positions, including our current president, who stand for such obvious evils as abortion, gay marriage, homosexuality, big government, high taxes, promote Islam, reject Israel---to name a few---all of which are unbiblical, AND contrary to God's laws of nature!
   There is even a current Democrat Presidential candidate--Bernie Sanders--who publically, and bodaciously, declares himself a Socialist! In spite of the fact that Socialists are atheists by nature, I have some personal friends, who say they are Christians, yet support him!! There has ‘never’ been a ‘publically’ declared American atheist president; nor socialist president!  Why is this happening now? The American church is repeating the German church's sin!
   The good news is that, "where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." God is not done with America...as evidenced by the many Christians who are standing in the gap for this great nation!! Are you one?
 
*These series of tidbits use “For the Soul of The People” by Victoria Barnett
 
 
Quote Bit
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