Search Episodes (Parallel Universes Part I)

Green Lantern - Behind-the-Scenes with Ryan Reynolds (German S...

Added 07/18/11
6 Views

Final Fantasy Vii Review (Part 6)

Added 07/15/11
5 Views

Hitler Glenn Beck And The Church Part 4 Hitler's Church

Added 09/10/10
2 Views

Hitler Glenn Beck And The Church Part 4 Hitler's Church

[LESS INFO] 2 VIEWS | ADDED 21:07:06 09/10/10
For more go to : http://roarnomore.blogspot.com/2010/09/church-hitler-and-glenn-beck.html To order "Hitler's Cross" go to: http://www.amazon.com/Hitlers-Cross-Revealing-Christ-ebook/dp/B00394UCMK?ie=UTF8%tag=thesde0a-20%link_code=bil%camp=213689%creative=392969 The Church of Hitler To understand the core of my concern with Glenn Beck, American Exceptionalism, and the Restoring Honor Rally, you must understand the most important institution of society, the church, and its history under Nazism. Be prepared for some shocking moments as we examine the church under Hitler, and the current church under Obama. To comprehend the implications of what happened to the church under Hitler, we must first gain an understanding of the context in which the church was surviving. As Erwin W. Lutzer writes in Hitler's Cross, If the First Reich prepared the way for Hitler by unifying church and state, the Second Reich contributed to the paralysis of the church by teaching that there must be a split between private and public morality. . . . The state, it was argued, would not be judged according to conventional law because its responsibilities went beyond ordinary human values. For a long time the church in Germany had been very nationalistic. "During the Prussian dominance the king was the head of the church. The clergy were servile to the political head of state." However, this nationalistic church was prohibited from judging the state. The American societal structure featured a church that was answerable to God and a state that was likewise answerable. Each however possessed separate realms of responsibility before Him. This was not so in Germany. Fredrick the Great boasted that "salvation is God's affair, everything else belongs to me!" Georg Hegel, the chair of philosophy at Berlin University in the early 19th century taught that war "was the great purifier that was necessary for the ethical health of the people. As for private moral virtues such as humility and patience, these must never stand in the way of the state's agenda' indeed the state must crush such 'innocent flowers.'" The German church, even before Hitler, was in the dangerous position of being answerable to the state and possessing the pietistic notion that its only job was to cultivate "personal relationships" which had no bearing on culture. Sound familiar to anyone? "With a thicket of swastika flags surrounding the alter of the Magdeburg Cathedral, the dean, Dr. Martin, declared in 1933, 'Whoever reviles this symbol of ours is reviling our Germany . . . the swastika flags around the alter radiate hope' hope that the day is at last about to dawn.'" Now think about the American flags we so often see in conservative churches. As you can probably imagine, it wouldn't be a stretch to hear a pastor speaking in America about its flag the same way in which Dr. Martin spoke about Germany's symbol. Aside from being nationalistic and culturally prideful, the German churches were also liberal in the theological sense. The historic faith had primarily been abandoned in favor of higher criticism. Those who attended the churches didn't necessary believe God's word was inspired and infallible. They were simply good Christians because they had been baptized as a child and after all, in order to be a good German you should be a good Christian. This was the reason that Hitler, although he despised the church, made it a point to come off as a religious person to the masses. The churches that were conservative abandoned the intellectual debates surrounding Biblical authority and instead focused on the Gospel and the Gospel alone having little effect on the world around them. In addition, the German culture itself was saturated with occultism. So then, what were the effects of this pietism? Lutzer outlines a number of changes to the education system which should cause us to shudder as we notice the parallels that exist between "them and us." - In 1935 prayers ceases to be obligatory in schools - Christmas was turned into a totally pagan festival. . . Carols and Nativity plays were banned from the schools. . . Christmas was changed to "Yuletide." - Crucifixes were eliminated from classrooms - Easter was turned into a holiday that heralded the arrival of spring Regarding these changes Hitler stated, "Your child belongs to us already. . . what are you? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing else but this new community." In another speech he reinforced, "This new Reich will give its youth to no one, but will itself take youth and give to youth its own education and its own upbringing." Private schools were abolished, textbooks were rewritten, and those who didn't fall in line were reprimanded. Regarding law Goring put it best, "The law and the will of the Fuhrer are one." It wasn't long until the National Reich Church was formed to consolidate the church into further obedience to the government. A thirty point program outlined the chilling impositions. Complete control was given to Hitler, the Bible was forbidden from being published and disseminated, the church was required to declare Mein Kampf as the greatest of all documents (over the Bible), crucifixes, symbols of saints, Bibles, and the cross were required to be removed and in their place Mein Kampf, the swastika, and a sword were to be placed. From 1934 on, a battle enraged between the "Confessing Church" lead by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Niemoller, and the "German Christians" who were headed up by different Nazi officials. The Barmen Confession, adopted by the Confessing Church rejected the doctrine of the "two spheres" (Christian pietism) by stating, "We reject the false doctrine that there are realms of our life in which we belong not to Jesus Christ, but to other masters, realms where we do not need to be justified and sanctified by Him." Unfortunately, because of political pressure and the lust for peace, the confessing church all but disbanded with Hitler arresting those who refused to join the "German Christians." Niemoller was arrested in 1937, though he lived through the war. Bonhoeffer was hung by the Nazis a couple weeks before it ended. He had been in the process of formulating a plan for the assassination of Hitler. Their story, and the story of the other confessing Christians should be read. This is why I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Hitler's Cross. Simply click the preceding link and order it off of Amazon. Their stories will provide inspiration for how to stand firm amidst the America of tomorrow.