The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1934. GERMAN CHURCHES' REVOLT.

Evening Star, Issue 21811, 29 August 1934, Page 6

The Evening Star WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 1934. GERMAN CHURCHES' REVOLT.

A surprising statement in Herr Hitler’s speech to the Saarlanders was that in which he made reference to the religious troubles in Germany. “We have made a clear cut between politics and religion,” he is reported as saying, “ which the State will protect, if it is not exploited politically.” That was a bold way in which to refer to the efforts to bring the evangelical churches of Germany under the direct control if not of the State of the Nazi Party, which occupies about the same position towards the Government as does the Communist Party in Russia, and is certainly a political organisation. Against that effort at domination several thousand German ministers at no small peril to themselves are in sharp revolt, though their protests are not likely to have been allowed to be made known to more than a proportion of Germans. When the Baptist World Conference, meeting recently in Berlin, passed a resolution deploring the long record of ill-usage of the Jews publication in the newspapers was prohibited, and that practice has been applied to every local event and expression of opinion uupleasing to the Nazi Government. If a clear cut had been made between politics and religion there would have been no occasion for a new Nazified church government to pass laws ordering pastors to swear allegiance to, Herr Hitler, or for 7,000 of their number to repudiate the ner religious regime. That was done by them less than a fortnight ago after many members of the Pastors’ Emergency League had been arrested for pronouncing their opinions. It is clear that the only people in Germany who have sought to exploit religion politically have been Herr Hitler’s followers.

If Herr Hitler had known anything of history he would have refrained from that coercion. Already, according to Dr Adolf Keller, it is having the effect that should have been expected of it. There is no man, it has been said, more familiar with the work of the churches in Europe than Dr Keller, whoso work at Geneva for many years has been to interpret the aims of the European Christian churches and to voice their aspirations with regard to the work of the League of Nations. The religious oppression in Russia, he states, has deepened the spiritual life not only among the evangelicals, but also in the Orthodox Church. Thousands of priests in that country have been sent to prisons or concentration camps, but thousands of laymen of all professions, business men, professors, engineers, farmers, have received secret ordination in order to fill the gap and bo ready for the service of the church. A like stimulus to real religion is beginning in Germany. There “ the revolution is not only threatening the liberty of the church, but is tempting the people to blend national and religious ideals and to imitate the State in the church. At the same time, however. the situation is leading to a reconsideration of the true task ol the church, to a return to the sources

of evangelical life, and to an enthusiasm for religious liberty, a willingness to suffer for Christ’s sake.” Dr Keller has reason to point out how it is the church in Germany that leads in the struggle for liberty. Labour and sports organisations and the youth movements have been fully assimilated; universities and academic societies have kept silent; Governments of the former provincial States have been “ tuned in ” without resistance. “ The church was on the point of suffering the same fate when, from tho rock of the evangelical conscience, sprang forth the spiritual life which cannot be assimilated to the life of this world.” Dr Keller regards this fight which the German pastors are making as one of the most hopeful signs in the spiritual life of European Protestantism. Its quickening influence may be felt yet throughout Christendom.