Months before the start of World War II Hitler an offensive attempt to end the Bekennende Kirche. Through Reichkircheministerium (Ministry of Culture) prohibits the Protestant Churches of Germany all fellowship with evangelical churches abroad (they had a decisive participation in protests against the abuses of Hitler and support for radical Bekennende). But besides declaring the National natural continuity of the Reformation, following the criteria of national exclusiveness, racial prejudice and strong anti-Semitism. This was the doctrine of the Deutscher Christen and total subversion of Christianity.
The Bekennende rejects Kirche this pose. Occur immediately
repressive measures such as closure of the workshops where were the pastors of the Confessing Church, including the famous Finkenwalde (pictured) who led Dietrich Bonhoeffer) and monitoring and pressure pastors Gestapo regime opponents, sending some of them to concentration camps.
Paradoxically, this led the moderate wing of the Bekennende reconsider its position and began to join the radical wing in opposition to Hitler's totalitarianism. Shortly after the shepherds Wurm and Meiser withdraw their signatures from the statement that distanced themselves from the radicals. In 1940 Wurm
protest on behalf of all Bekennende Kirche, against killing by the regime of the mentally ill and deportations of Jews, especially those who converted to Protestantism and showing that the government's decision was not religious, which was already ignominious, but racial insanely.
also begin to intensify contacts with the Kreisau Circle, which brings together conservative resistance characters, who opposed Hitler and planned to remove it physically.
In June 1941, generated a decree reserved by Martin Bormann and says that for the first time in German history the Fuehrer consciously and completely has the leadership of the people into their own hands.
opinion that the Nazi Party, its components and attached units, the Fuehrer has created for itself, and therefore to the leadership of the German Reich, an instrument that makes it independent of Churches.
That all influences that may reduce or damage the leadership of the people exercised by the Fuehrer with the help of the NSDAP should be eliminated and increasingly has been to separate the people from the churches and their representatives, the pastors.
And finally, the state should eliminate the possibility of the church to influence the German people.
this time and some people going beyond the limitations of the institution of Bekennende and limited actions, decide to take personal ways of Resistance and opposition to Hitler, including the already mentioned Dietrich Bonhoeffer) who was imprisoned and later executed in Flossenburg concentration camp, but there were others like Gertrud Elisabeth Schmitz or Staewen, the Church of Berlin Dahlem, also take action and decide to take measures to help the persecuted, obtaining for them identity papers, food for the escapees of the deportations and refuge for Jews. Gertrud be so arrested by the Gestapo but would survive the war. Similarly
Pastor Paul Schneider Hochelheim through his ministry and his sermons did not stop Bury the barbarism of Nazism represented in those days, urging the Church to be faithful to Christ and not hypocritical and fearful. Would be arrested by the Gestapo and sent to Buchenwald where he died. Pastor Karl
Stellbrink of Lubeck, who would be martyred by the Nazis in Hamburg in 1943 for his activities in opposition to Nazism, is another of those who did not spare his life in order to be faithful Christians in the darkest times in history Germany.
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