- German:
- Bekennende Kirche
- Date:
- c. 1934 - 1948
- Areas Of Involvement:
- Christianity
- Protestantism
- Related People:
- Martin Niemöller
Confessing Church
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What was the Confessing Church in Germany?
The Confessing Church was a German Protestant movement that emerged in the 1930s in response to Adolf Hitler's attempt to manipulate churches for Nazi propaganda. It began with the Young Reforming Movement and the Pastorsâ Emergency League, spearheaded by Martin Niemöller.
The Synod of Barmen in 1934, led by Karl Barth, produced the Barmen Declaration, which rejected Nazi interpretations of Christianity and affirmed traditional Christian teachings. The Confessing Church declared itself the true church in Germany, separate from the state-controlled church, but faced internal divisions and increasing Nazi pressure, leading to the arrest of leaders like Niemöller. Despite challenges, it persisted through World War II and dissolved in 1948 when territorial churches reorganized.
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Why was the Confessing Church formed?
The Confessing Church emerged in 1930s Germany from resistance to Adolf Hitler's attempt to use churches for Nazi propaganda. Some churches initially favored Hitler, but his "German Christians" party gained control of the German Evangelical Church and threatened traditional scripture by tolerating Nazi racial doctrines.
In response, the Young Reforming Movement and the Pastorsâ Emergency League formed. The Synod of Barmen in 1934, with its Barmen Declaration, transformed resistance into an organized revival. By the end of 1934, the Confessing Church declared itself the true church, separate from the state-controlled one, but internal divisions later weakened its unity. Despite facing Nazi pressure and arrests, the Confessing Church continued to operate, although seriously impaired, until 1948.
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How did the Confessing Church differ from the official Protestant church under the Nazis?
The Confessing Church emerged in the 1930s among German Protestants resisting Adolf Hitler's attempt to use the churches for Nazi propaganda. Some churches initially favored Hitler, but his church party, the "German Christians," gained control of the German Evangelical Church and promoted Nazi ideology, including the racial superiority of Aryans.
The Confessing Church, led by figures like Martin Niemöller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, opposed the German Christians, upholding the Bible's authority against Nazi doctrine. The Barmen Declaration in 1934 formalized this resistance, leading to two Protestant churches: one state-controlled and the Confessing Church, which the state didn't recognize. The Confessing Church protested the persecution of Jews, faced increasing Nazi pressure, and was forced underground.
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Who were some important leaders of the Confessing Church?
The Confessing Church emerged in the 1930s in Germany to resist Adolf Hitler's attempt to use the churches for Nazi propaganda. Key leaders include:
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Martin Niemöller: A founder of the Pastorsâ Emergency League and a leading member of the Confessing Church, Niemöller openly opposed Nazi control over German churches. He was arrested in 1937 for his preaching and sent to concentration camps.
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Dietrich Bonhoeffer: As a leading spokesman for the Confessing Church, Bonhoeffer protested Nazi policies and defended a nonracial definition of Jews. He organized a seminary for the Confessing Church and was involved in plans to overthrow Hitler. Bonhoeffer was executed in 1945 for his role in the conspiracy against Hitler.
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Karl Barth: Barth's theological influence was critical to the Synod of Barmen, where he helped draft the Barmen Declaration. This declaration defined Christian opposition to racial interpretations of Christianity and became a central tenet of the Confessing Church.
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Hanns Lilje: Lilje was among the leaders of the Young Reforming Movement within the German Protestant churches.
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What were the main beliefs and goals of the Confessing Church?
The Confessing Church was a German Protestant movement that emerged in the 1930s to resist Adolf Hitler's attempt to use churches for Nazi propaganda and politics. It began with the Young Reforming Movement and the Pastorsâ Emergency League, which opposed the pro-Nazi "German Christians" within the German Evangelical Church.
The Confessing Church's key beliefs and goals centered on resisting Nazi influence and upholding traditional Protestant theology. The Barmen Declaration, a foundational document, affirmed major biblical teachings and condemned attempts to align Christianity with National Socialism. The church sought to remain independent of state control, proclaiming that the true church adhered to the Barmen Declaration. They protested the persecution of Jews and the practice of euthanasia.
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How did the Confessing Church resist Nazi policies and what happened to its members?
The Confessing Church opposed the Nazi agenda to control German Protestant churches and promote Nazi ideology. This resistance emerged from the Young Reforming Movement and the Pastorsâ Emergency League, led by figures like Martin Niemöller.
The Synod of Barmen in 1934 declared that the true church adhered to Christian doctrine against Nazi interpretations. The Confessing Church faced increasing Nazi pressure, leading to its activities being forced underground. Niemöller and other clergy were arrested, and many members faced conscription after the start of World War II. Despite the challenges, the Confessing Church continued to operate.
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Confessing Church, movement for revival within the German Protestant churches that developed during the 1930s from their resistance to Adolf Hitlerâs attempt to make the churches an instrument of National Socialist (Nazi) propaganda and politics. The German Protestant tradition of close cooperation between church and state, as well as dislike for the Weimar Republic that governed Germany after World War I, at first caused some churches to take a favourable attitude toward Hitler. But Hitlerâs church party, the âGerman Christians,â gained control of the German Evangelical Church, a federation formed in 1933 of Lutheran, Reformed, and United territorial churches. Ludwig MĂŒller, supported by the Nazis, was elected Reichsbischof (âimperial bishopâ) and threatened the authoritative position of the Scriptures and the confessional writings of the Reformation by tolerating the Nazi doctrine of the racial superiority of so-called Aryans.
In opposition to the âGerman Christians,â the Young Reforming Movement was formed within the churches under the leadership of Hanns Lilje, Martin Niemöller, and others. In November 1933 Niemöller founded the Pastorsâ Emergency League, which resisted the programs of the âGerman Christians.â The Synod of Barmen was held in May 1934, and its theological declaration, spearheaded by Karl Barth, transformed the defensive movement against Nazi control of the churches into an organized revival, especially where German territorial churches were subject to Nazi administration. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who would ultimately be executed for his involvement in a plot to overthrow Hitler, became one of the leading spokesmen for the Confessing Church.
At the end of 1934, at the second synod of the Confessing Church at Dahlem, the church proclaimed its emergency law: the true church in Germany was that which accepted the Barmen Declaration, and, where church leadership was no longer faithful to the true confession, ministers and parishes were to follow the orders of the Confessing Church. Thus, in practice, two Protestant churches developed in Germany: the one under state control and the Confessing Church, which the state did not recognize. The Confessing Church, together with the churches of Bavaria, WĂŒrttemberg, and Hanover (which had remained independent of Nazi rule), formed the provisional government of the German Evangelical Church.
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In 1936 internal confessional and political differences led the Lutheran territorial churches to form the Council of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Germany, thus eroding the unity of the Confessing Church. The Reformed and United sections of the Confessing Church remained particularly active in protesting against euthanasia and the persecution of the Jews. Nazi pressure was gradually intensified, and increasingly the Confessing Church was forced underground. In 1937 Niemöller and other clergy were arrested. After the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the Confessing Church continued, although it was seriously handicapped by the conscription of clergy and laity. In 1948 it ceased to exist when the territorial churches formed the reorganized Evangelical Church in Germany.