The Confessing Church's Response to the Holocaust from a Theological Christian-Ethical Perspective

Abstract

When is a Christian justified in assertive resistance against injustices by the state? The events of the Holocaust have been investigated for many years. German Protestants were divided over the initial response to the National Socialist Party or the Nazis led by Adolf Hitler. Ultimately the Confessing Church became the main conduit of resistance for the Protestants in Germany. The Confessing Church was led by key Protestant leaders at the time such as Martin Niemöller, Karl Barth, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The response of the Confessing Church has been scrutinized regarding a Theological Christian-Ethical perspective. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote Ethics as his view of how the church and government should relate to the scriptures. This is an examination of a Christian ethical response to the injustices of the Third Reich.