Title: Houses on the sand? : pacifist denominations in Nazi Germany /
Authors: Lichti, James Irvin, 1953-
Publisher: Peter Lang,
Year: 2008
Subjects: Peace Religious aspects Christianity; Christian sects Germany History; Germany Church history; Germany History
Abstract: "Under Hitler, Germany's state-linked provincial churches functioned as seedbeds of nationalism. A smaller and independent church form - the 'free church' or denomination - offered greater promise of nonconformity. Linked by pacifist traditions, German Mennonites, Seventh-day Adventists, and Quakers promoted a range of liberal principles: empowerment of the individual conscience, respect for confessional diversity, and separation of church and state. Nonetheless, two of these denominations used these same principles to defend and even embrace the Nazi regime. This book examines what makes Christian communities - when meeting the harsh challenges of modernity - viable entities of faith or hollow forms."--Publisher's description.
Contents: Built on rock or sand? Charismatic authority in church, sect, and denomination -- Serving two masters: the Nazi-denominational convergence on church-state relations -- One in faith but not in flesh: sanctifying racial hygiene -- "For we know only in part": the Nazi-denominational convergence on confessional pluralism -- "Your father the devil": the Christian biblicist discourse on Jews -- "God chose what is foolish": the weak points of liberal denominationalism.