Dietrich Bonhoeffer

The Nazi Cancer.^{^[1]} On January 30, 1933, Adolf Hitler became the German Chancellor. Eighteen months later, through lies, intimidation, skillful maneuvering, and broken promises, he had made himself absolute dictator. In Hitler’s Germany, tyranny reigned, freedoms vanished, corruption flourished, and racism became government policy. But the military grew strong, the economy revived, unemployment declined, and health and living standards improved. In addition, Hitler ignored the Treaty of Versailles, which pleased almost all Germans. Most of them, including Christians, approved of Hitler enthusiastically. And those who voiced dissent usually wound up in a concentration camp, or dead.

Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer openly opposed the Nazis’ racist agenda—one of the few Germans who did so. He was also a pacifist in a country rushing headlong toward war. So in June 1939, with war on the horizon, Dietrich’s friends arranged for him to escape to the United States, where they knew he would be safe—if only he would stay there. He didn’t. . . .

Christ’s Faithful Servants is available on Amazon.com.

[1]. Appendix 2, Hitler’s Rise and Fall, provides a more detailed discussion of the rise of Hitler and the Nazis in Germany.