The History of the Church and Antisemitism

A History of Support, Complicity and Resistance

(Part 2 of 2)

My greatest fear is that we will fail to learn from history—specifically, the role the Christian Church has played in fostering antisemitism, up to and including the Holocaust. When religious movements or the church adopt or incorporate antisemitic thinking, disaster isn’t far behind. History judges institutions not only by their professed values but by their actions in times of moral crisis. The rise of Nazi Germany was one such defining moment, exposing deep moral failures within Christian institutions. By the time Hitler came to power, Christian antisemitism was deeply ingrained in German society—shaped by centuries of religious doctrine that had vilified Jews as Christ-killers, outsiders, and enemies of God. This history made it easier for Nazis to present their antisemitic policies as a continuation of historical Christian attitudes rather than a radical departure from them.

As Nazi ideology took hold, the Christian Church in Germany faced a choice: Would it stand against evil, or would it align itself with those in power? Tragically, most churches chose silence, complicity, or active collaboration with the Nazi regime. Some, like the “German Christians” movement, fully embraced Hitler as a God-ordained leader, stripping Christianity of its Jewish roots and reinforcing Nazi racial policies. Others, particularly the Vatican and Protestant churches, remained passive or neutral, unwilling to risk confrontation with the state.

However, not all Christians conformed. A small but courageous minority resisted Hitler’s policies, risking imprisonment, exile, or execution in their efforts to oppose Nazi rule and protect Jewish lives. Figures like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Martin Niemöller, and Maximilian Kolbe stood as rare but powerful examples of moral conviction in a time of widespread failure.

This article examines the Church’s response to the Holocaust, exploring the various roles Christian institutions played—whether as enablers, silent bystanders, or active resisters. By understanding this history, we are forced to confront an urgent question: How will the Church respond to injustice today? Will it repeat the sins of the past, or will it stand as a force for justice? When the church is judged, will the church be found on the right side of history?

By the time Adolf Hitler rose to power, Christian antisemitism was deeply embedded in German society. The church had spent centuries portraying Jews as enemies of God, making it easier for Nazis to present their policies as a continuation of historical Christian attitudes rather than a radical departure.

The Church’s Response to Hitler

• While many Christian churches and leaders either supported or remained silent on Nazi policies, a minority within both Catholic and Protestant communities actively resisted.
• Resistance took many forms:
  • Spiritual opposition (preaching against Nazi ideology)
  • Political defiance (supporting underground movements, sheltering Jews)
  • Direct action (participating in anti-Nazi conspiracies)

While Pope Pius XII and the Vatican remained largely silent, individual Catholic leaders like Bishop von Galen and Maximilian Kolbe actively resisted, demonstrating that Catholic responses to Nazi persecution were not monolithic.

The Protestant Church and the Nazi Party had a complex relationship, but the majority of German Protestants either supported or remained passive toward Hitler’s rule. The “German Christians” movement (Deutsche Christen) fully embraced Nazi ideology, advocating for a “Nazified” Christianity that removed Jewish influences from the faith. This meant:

• Rejecting the Old Testament as “too Jewish”
• Depicting Jesus as an Aryan rather than a Jewish man
• Aligning Christianity with Nazi nationalism

The Nazis attempted to consolidate power over Protestant churches by creating the Reich Church (Reichskirche), a state-controlled Protestant church that aligned Christianity with Nazi ideology. Under this system, Christianity became a tool of the state, reinforcing nationalism and antisemitism.

Not all Protestants conformed. Some resisted, most notably the Confessing Church (Bekennende Kirche), which opposed the Reich Church. They issued Issued the Barmen Declaration (1934), rejecting Nazi interference in church doctrine. One of the most courageous figures in this movement was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor and theologian who actively resisted Nazi policies. Bonhoeffer worked with the resistance, even participating in a plot to assassinate Hitler. He was arrested in 1943 and executed in 1945.

The Catholic Church also had a mixed response to Nazi persecution. Pope Pius XII and the Vatican largely remained silent on the Holocaust, fearing backlash from the German government. While some Catholic institutions secretly helped Jews escape, the church as an institution failed to take a strong moral stance. Some Catholic leaders, such as Cardinal Clemens August Graf von Galen, spoke out against Nazi policies—particularly the euthanasia program—but most remained silent on Jewish persecution.

Christian Resistance

The Biblical Justification for Resisting the Nazis

While some saw a Biblical justification for supporting the Nazis, other Christians understood the Bible differently.  While some Christians used Scripture to justify obedience to Hitler, Christian resisters interpreted the Bible as a call to fight injustice, protect the oppressed, and obey God rather than men.

1. The Sanctity of Human Life and the Imago Dei (Image of God)

• Genesis 1:27 – “So God created mankind in His own image.”
• Exodus 20:13 – “You shall not murder.”

Example:

• Bishop Clemens August Graf von Galen preached against the Nazi euthanasia program (Aktion T4), leading to public opposition.

1. Love for One’s Neighbor and the Duty to Protect the Oppressed

• Mark 12:31 – “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
• Proverbs 31:8-9 – “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.”

Example:

• Corrie ten Boom and her family hid Jews in their home, believing that God called them to protect the innocent.

1. Obedience to God Over Government

• Acts 5:29 – “We must obey God rather than human beings.”
• Daniel 3:16-18 – “We will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.”

Example:

• Dietrich Bonhoeffer participated in the plot to assassinate Hitler, believing that stopping Hitler was a moral necessity.

1. The Call to Resist Evil and Injustice

• Ephesians 5:11 – “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.”
• Isaiah 1:17 – “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.”

Example:

• The Confessing Church, led by Martin Niemöller, actively opposed Nazi control over the German church.

Protestant Resisters

The Confessing Church (Bekennende Kirche)

The Confessing Church was a Protestant movement that opposed Nazi control over Christianity. It rejected the “German Christians” Movement (Deutsche Christen), which sought to align Christianity with Nazi ideology by removing Jewish influences from the faith.

• Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) – A Lutheran pastor and founder of the Confessing Church, Niemöller initially supported Hitler but later became a vocal critic. He was arrested in 1937 and spent seven years in concentration camps. He is best known for his postwar quote:

“First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Communist…”

• Karl Barth (1886–1968) – A Swiss theologian and co-author of the Barmen Declaration (1934), which rejected Nazi influence over the church. He refused to swear allegiance to Hitler and was forced into exile in Switzerland.
• Helmut Gollwitzer (1908–1993) – A Confessing Church theologian who openly preached against the Nazis and was eventually arrested and imprisoned.
• The Ten Boom Family – The Ten Boom family were Dutch Christians who actively resisted the Nazis during World War II by hiding Jews in their home, providing them with forged documents, and helping them escape. Their actions were rooted in their deep Christian faith, which emphasized the sanctity of all human life and the call to protect the vulnerable. Their faith compelled them to act despite the life-threatening risks.

• The White Rose Movement – Christian Student Resistance

  • Sophie Scholl, Hans Scholl, Christoph Probst (1942-1943)
  • A group of Lutheran university students in Munich who distributed anti-Nazi leaflets.
  • Arrested and executed by guillotine in 1943.

Catholic Resisters 

• The Vatican, under Pope Pius XII, maintained an official stance of neutrality, fearing retaliation. While the Vatican and many Catholic leaders remained silent, some Catholic clergy and laypeople actively resisted the Nazis.
• Maximilian Kolbe (1894–1941) –  Martyr of Auschwitz. A Polish Franciscan friar who sheltered thousands of Jewish refugees in his monastery in Poland. Arrested by the Nazis, he was sent to Auschwitz, where he volunteered to take the place of a condemned prisoner and was executed.
• Father Bernhard Lichtenberg  (1875–1943) – Martyr for Jews. A German Catholic priest who prayed publicly for Jews and spoke against Nazi policies from his Berlin pulpit. He was arrested and died on his way to Dachau concentration camp
• Bishop Clemens August Graf von Galen (1878–1946) –  The “Lion of Münster.” A German Catholic bishop who Publicly denounced the Nazi euthanasia program (Aktion T4), which killed disabled individuals. His sermons inspired widespread resistance and forced the Nazis to temporarily halt the euthanasia program.
• Hugh O’Flaherty (1898–1963) – He was nicknamed “The “Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican.” An Irish Catholic priest in the Vatican who personally saved over 6,500 people from Nazi persecution. He helped thousands of Jews and Allied soldiers escape Nazi-occupied Rome through a secret underground network.

Christian Humanitarians and Resistance Worker. 

• A Protestant village in France where Catholic and Protestant clergy worked together. During World War II, the French Protestant village of Le Chambon-sur-Lignon became a beacon of resistance and compassion, saving thousands of Jewish lives. Under the leadership of Pastor André Trocmé and his wife Magda Trocmé, the village—along with neighboring communities—provided refuge to over 3,000 Jews, particularly children, fleeing Nazi persecution.

• Irena Sendler (1910–2008) – A Polish Catholic social worker who smuggled 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto, providing them with new identities and placing them with Christian families. She was arrested and tortured by the Gestapo but never revealed the names of those she saved.
• Wilhelm Canaris (1887–1945) – Admiral of the German Abwehr (military intelligence) and a secret Nazi resister. He helped smuggle Jews out of Germany and was involved in the 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler. He was executed in Flossenbürg concentration camp.
• Sophie Scholl (1921–1943) and the White Rose Movement – A devout Christian student activist, Sophie Scholl, along with her brother Hans Scholl, founded the White Rose, a nonviolent resistance group that distributed leaflets condemning the Nazis. They were arrested, convicted of treason, and executed by guillotine.
• Johannes Klepper (1903–1942) – A German Lutheran theologian, Klepper and his Jewish wife Gertrud resisted Nazi policies by refusing to renounce their faith and marriage. Facing deportation, they committed suicide together rather than be separated.

Part IV: The Legacy of Christian Antisemitism and Modern Parallels

One of the most dangerous aspects of religious antisemitism is its ability to endure and adapt across different contexts. Even when state-sponsored Christian antisemitism declined, its themes persisted in new forms.

For example, Soviet antisemitism was explicitly anti-Christian, yet it borrowed themes from Christian history. Soviet propaganda revived Jewish conspiracy theories, portraying Jews as enemies of the state—a theme previously used by Christian rulers.

Today, White Nationalism, Christian Nationalism, and Christian Zionism carry forward elements of this legacy. As I walked through a Holocaust exhibit, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between pre-Holocaust Germany and America today:

• The fusion of religious identity with nationalism
• The demonization of certain groups as “threats” to the nation
• The willingness of religious institutions to sacrifice morality for political power

In Hitler’s Germany, the majority of Protestant churches embraced “Christian nationalism”, using faith to justify racial superiority and authoritarianism.

In modern America, over 80% of white evangelical Christians supported President Donald Trump, vision of Christianity, a vision many see as dangerously nationalistic. Many see President Trump as a divinely appointed leader. When the power of the church, in this case white Evangelicalism and the state are combined, historically, it makes for a dangerous blend of nationalism. Christian nationalism has been used to justify:

• Suppressing LGBTQ+ rights
• Demonizing immigrants
• Merging religious identity with far-right politics

Both Hitler’s Germany and modern Christian nationalism weaponized faith to consolidate power, exclude others, and undermine democracy. The past warns us that when religious institutions abandon their moral integrity for political gain, oppression follows.

The church has a responsibility to confront its history. Antisemitism within Christianity has caused immeasurable harm, and we must ensure that it is neither ignored nor repeated.

History shows us how dangerous the fusion of nationalism and religion can be. As Christians, we must ask ourselves:

Are we standing against oppression, or are we complicit in it?

The answer will shape the future—not just of the church, but of society itself.