Article: When Faith Gets Used: The Church, the State, and the Devil’s Bargain

I was re-reading a biography on Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the events leading up to World War II.

Here is what I found most interesting.

In the early 1930’s Germany was struggling. Their economy was bad. People were struggling. They thought their government had let them down. Their future appeared bleak.

It was in this moment that a leader gained popularity. He wasn’t like all the other politicians who had let the people down. He promised to make Germany great again. And the people believed him.

If anyone could fix what was wrong, this guy could do it. He knew what was wrong, he knew who was to blame and only he had the ability to fix it.

His populist message resonated even among Christians.

This leader knew that to be successful, he needed to blur the lines between church and state. He was really good at winning Christians over by talking about God.

It worked. He became Chancellor of Germany.

Shortly after taking office, he quickly took to the airwaves and blamed Germany’s predicament on atheists, liberals and “leftist elements”. These groups (among others) were causing Germany to go downhill. The chancellor also had a solution: these groups would be replaced by those who were deemed real Christians.

A promise of power for the patriotic Christian, except there was no intention of sharing anything. It was an empty promise.

Scripture gives us a name for this kind of offer.

“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”” — Matthew 4:8-9

The devil’s intentions were clear. Move people away from relying on God and put trust in power.

There was never any intention to share power with the Church in Germany. This was about winning them over and then subverting the church for his own purposes.

The government quickly moved to control all churches and institutions, they muzzled the clergy from speaking out, and they promoted their ultimate aim, to de-Christianize German culture itself. Win the church people over and then subvert their beliefs, slowly and quietly.

The people were misled and fooled. German Christians falsely believed the government had their best interests in mind and wanted to share power. German Christians falsely believed they had a leader who wanted to work with them and that the leader of Germany held the same beliefs. German Christians believed that there was nothing wrong with mixing one’s faith in Christ with their politics and nationalism.

Ultimately, this was a deal with the devil who deceived them.

A handful of German clergy including Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer saw where the church was heading and drafted a document called the “Barmen Declaration.” (Barmen was the town it was written.)

Here is the core of this document:

“Jesus Christ, as he is attested for us in Holy Scripture, is the one Word of God which we have to hear and which we have to trust and obey in life and in death.”

This is as true today as it was then. This statement is true in every age for the Christian.

Whenever we try to add anything to our faith outside of Christ, it is doomed to fail.

The Barmen signers were drawing on what Luther had already learned the hard way during the Protestant Reformation.

In other words, in all things it is always “Christ alone” (Solus Christus) according to Martin Luther. During the Reformation, Luther and Melanchthon faced the same issue.  Back then, it wasn’t the government but the church itself. The institution was different; the issue was the same.

Christ is the sole mediator between God and humanity — no supplementary mediators, no partial atonements by human means and anything that competes for Christ’s throne and authority, whether it be the church or the state, there is error.

This uncontroversial statement (above) caused those who signed it to be persecuted and killed.

Guard your heart against anything or anyone who competes for your allegiance beyond Christ. He is our last and only King. Nothing and no one else is as good and merciful as Christ the King.

Jesus can never be the window dressing for someone else’s agenda. It doesn’t work and it is sinful. Jesus doesn’t validate human behavior; he calls us away from it.

Do not let the things of this world compete with Jesus or His message. Whether that comes from the government or the church, it is not of God nor from God.

God bless,
Pr. Ben