Spying in God's House: The Nazi Secret Police and Sermons of Opposition
This article examines the reports of the Gestapo and SD regarding pastors' criticisms of the Nazi state and its ideology from the authority of the pulpit. My research reveals a degree of public opposition to the regime within the walls of the German churches, especially in terms of Nazi racial...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
[2018]
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| In: |
Church history and religious culture
Year: 2018, Volume: 98, Issue: 3/4, Pages: 425-447 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Germany
/ Pastor
/ Sermon
/ Deutsches Reich, Geheime Staatspolizei
/ Deutsches Reich, Sicherheitsdienst
/ Surveillance (motif)
/ History 1933-1945
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| IxTheo Classification: | CG Christianity and Politics KAJ Church history 1914-; recent history KBB German language area RB Church office; congregation RE Homiletics SA Church law; state-church law |
| Further subjects: | B
Confessing Church
B history of preaching B Nazi Germany B history of Christianity B German churches B Gestapo |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | This article examines the reports of the Gestapo and SD regarding pastors' criticisms of the Nazi state and its ideology from the authority of the pulpit. My research reveals a degree of public opposition to the regime within the walls of the German churches, especially in terms of Nazi racial ideology and the persecution of Jews. While pastors did not incite resistance to the Nazi regime or conspire to overthrow its leadership, they at times sought to undermine the legitimacy of Nazi claims to truth. The sermons reveal concern among pastors that National Socialism and Christianity are at odds, or even mutually exclusive believe systems. Furthermore, the evidence indicates that pastors were often drawn into the cross-hairs of the Nazi secret police by asserting that Christianity must be the standard and measure of Nazi racial truth claims. |
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| ISSN: | 1871-2428 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Church history and religious culture
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/18712428-09803003 |