Hitler's Cross: How the Cross of Christ was used to promote the Nazi agenda by Erwin W. Lutzer

Author:Erwin W. Lutzer [Lutzer, Erwin W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780802483904
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Published: 2012-06-19T21:00:00+00:00

HITLER CAPTURES A NATION

Hitler began by demanding an inch, then a yard, and finally a whole mile. He transformed society and in so doing he also transformed the church. He could not be at rest until his broken cross replaced the cross of Christ. Hitler’s strategy to seduce the German people consisted of three stages.

THE LIES OF THE STATE

Hitler believed in lies. He said that “the magnitude of a lie always contains a certain factor of credibility since the great masses of people … more easily fall victim to a big lie than to a little one.” He shaped the culture and religion of Germany with lies that were soon reflected in laws.

After he was sworn in as chancellor, he paid tribute to Christianity as “an essential element for safeguarding the soul of the German people” and promised to respect the rights of the churches. He declared his ambition to have “a peaceful accord between Church and state.”10 He also expressed intentions to improve his relationship with Pope Pius XII.

He was willing to give the churches freedom, he said, “as long as they did not do anything subversive to the state.” Of course, behind that promise lay his own definition of what might be subversive. But his guarded promise, as well as a concordat with the Vatican that guaranteed freedom to the Catholic church, was welcomed.

Article 24 of the party platform demanded “liberty for all religious denominations in the State so far as they are not a danger … to the moral feelings of the German race.” Hitler spoke approvingly of his “positive Christianity,” which would contribute to the German struggle. He won some goodwill by appearing to be conciliatory; the churches liked his use of the word “freedom.” Apparently he hoped that the people would feel good about him in the beginning, even if they didn’t feel so good about him later on.

Privately, however, Hitler revealed his true intentions. Herman Rauschning records that shortly after his ascent to power Hitler remarked that there was no future for either Catholic or Protestant denominations. Making peace with the church, he said, “won’t stop me from stamping out Christianity in Germany, root and branch. One is either a Christian or a German. You can’t be both.”11

On March 21, 1933, Hitler arranged an impressive spectacle for the opening of the new session of the Reichstag in the Garrison Church in Potsdam. With pomp and ceremony he sought to assure the nation that he could follow a conservative path and seek harmony with the churches. Two days later, the Reichstag passed the so-called “Enabling Law,” whereby the power of the Reichstag was reduced to a sounding board for the party. The necessary majority to pass the bill was secured by the arrest of some Parliament members and the threatening of others. By July Hitler proclaimed the Nazis as the only party in Germany.

But in those early days, the words “freedom” and “peace” were found in all of his speeches. That gave the masses the

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