Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, and the Third Reich, 1933-1939

Abstract

There have been many who have claimed that the paganism of the Third Reich was the final blow at the ineffeotive Protestant Church in Germany, but such a view is narrow and negleots one very important aspect of the problem -- tradition. Protestantism, like Catholicism, has been so long embedded in the very essence of German life that it could not just suddenly disappear as a factor in the life of that country. Through their unexpected exhibition of strength during the Nazi crisis, German Protestantism and Catholicism both acquired renewed moral oapital which greatly increased their prestige in the eyes of the German populace as well as in those of the other nations of the world. The Roman Church left the conflict, ruffled, but with renewed strength; but then again, the Catholic organization in Germany had been strong before the Nazi ascendancy and one would have expected a show of strength on their part. The world was not disappointed; as is usually the case, eternal Rome outlasted the temporary thorns which from time to time in history have pierced her side. The really amazing phenomenon was the courageous showing given by German Protestantism, a grouping of divided denominations from which no one expected any opposition of consequence. This, then, is perhaps the most remarkable and significant result of the entire struggle -- a new foundation of unity was discovered by the Protestant church in Germany, a new cIoseness to the people. [From Epilogue]