Evening star., 1934-01-21
German Drama Shifts to
The Ecclesiastical Stage
BY A. G.. GARDINER.

LONDON, January 20.-Interest in
the great German drama has shifted
to the ecclesiastical stage.
There are two phases Of the struggle
between the church and the state. The
first is illustrated by the further arrests
of Roman Catholic priests who are ac-
cused of breaches of the compact by
which the priesthood are forbidden to
take part in political affairs or to critl-
cize the conduct of the government.
These incidents tend to reopen the
breach between the Vatican and the
Hitler regime. due to the Catholic re-
pudiation of the NaZi doctrine Of a
racially exclusive church. This repudla-
tion has been particularly emphasized
by the Catholic bishops in Austria, who
have not hesitated to condemn the
racialism in Germany.
But much more important is the
open war which is raging in the Evan
gelical Church Of Germany. It is more
important because it is the first open
challenge to the Nazi gospel of the
totalitarian state. 1t is important also
because it reveals a most formidable
body Of opinion which is prepared to
suffer any penalties rather than sub
ject religion to the dictation of the secu-
lar authority.
Hitherto the struggle has been going
on behind the scenes and, owing to the
severe censorship of the press in Ger
many. the general public has been in
complete ignorance of it. But the open
declarations Of protest by more than a
hundred pastors In the churches of
daylight. and even the order of the
Reich bishop. DR.. Mueller, forbidding
mass meetings OF protest In the capital,
failed to stem the revolt
1t is true that the meetings were not
held in the churches. for the churches
were officially closed and guarded by
the police. But the pastors boldly de-
fined their spiritual head and the
crowds, turned away from the closed
churches. assembled elsewhere to listen
to the appeals Of the revolving pastors
to stand firm in the name OF spiritual
freedom.
The conflict is no longer a conflict of
the leaders 1t is a conflict that in
wolves the nation. 1t turns on an issue
that goes to the roots of the Christian
institution. In the attempt to create
a tOtalitarian state in which all differ
ences Of opinion are wiped out, the
Nazis have sought to make the church a
political department of the state. The
aim OF the German Christians was to
exclude from holding church Office any
who were not clear Of non-Aryan blood
Tor two generations back, to found the
church on blood and race" to preach
the gospel only to German beings" to
eliminate the Old Testament and even
to delete from the New Testament pas
sages which they considered did not
conform with the new German concep-
ton of Christianity.
Against this astonishing perversion of
the Christian doctrine, the pastors Of
the Lutheran Evangelical Church have
risen with impressive unanimity. They
banded themselves together into a pro-
test league which has reached a mem
bership OF six thousand, representing
the overwhelming majority Of the
Evangelical ministry. The minority,
which. OF course, is composed of NaZi
extremists. is powerful. not because of
its numbers but because 1t has the sup
port of the government.
The struggle has centered around the
personality of the primate, DR.. Mueller,
who. between the desire not to offend
the Caesar in the background and the
wish to placate the insurgents of the
church, has presented a pitiably futile
figure. Under the compulsion of the
one power he has formulated laws for
the church. and under the compulsion
OF the other he has revoked them. In
some cases he has revoked his revo-
cation.
Finally. the Pastors League demanded
that DR.. Mueller himself should resign
his of1ce-or, as they express 1t, should
60 on an indefinite leave Of absence
Under the plea Of illness, the distressed
primate delayed his assent to this de-
mand. Then more fortified doubtless
by the authority Of the Caesar in the
background, he resumed his militant
attitude by forbidding the mass meet
ings Of protest. only to suffer the
humiliation of seeing his order ignored
and the battle transferred from behind
the scenes to the open forum Of the
public.
The question now is, "what will
Caesar do about it?" Will he punish
the rebellious clergy. or will he take
the witr c~r-~o Of I7ay;ng the church