Mennonite Nazis: A Lesson from History
Dean Taylor
Pulling into the local pretzel shop here in Lancaster County, the
scene was pretty predictable. Buggies, horse ties, and old bicycles outside.
Inside the old building, a plainly dressed, Old-Order Mennonite lady took
my pretzel order. I paid and was about to head out to my car with my nice,
warm bag of salted pretzels when I noticed two stacks of papers sitting on
the counter. Looking closer I discovered, to my surprise, that these papers
were actually voter registration forms and a “tract” explaining why voting
for the conservative President was the only “Christian” choice.
Picking up the paper I asked the young lady, “So I didn’t know that
conservative Anabaptists voted. When did this start?”
To this the Mennonite lady responded, “Well, it’s getting so bad that
they are starting to.”
I answered back, “Historically it has never helped the church to get
involved in politics.”
Yes, it’s election time again, and the headlines are full of statistics
and touching stories, all proclaiming their different sides of the political
arguments. Depending on which news source you read, it would be easy to believe
that the other side is Satan himself. Conservative Evangelicals are putting
up quite a stink over this election and unquestioningly preaching the idea
that voting in this election is a moral obligation.
History has proven that for serious Christians with conviction, voting
for the “lesser evil” is a bad idea. Whether we want to admit it or not,
the facts of history cry out that when the church has thrown in their lot
with the different “lesser evils” of their day, it has led to both the church
and the state losing out.
Throughout history when the politicians have vied for the attention
of the church, their issues have appeared so justifiable—so important. The
political activists have made it seem apathetic, un-American, and yes, even
un-Christian not to get involved.
However, when the records of history are reviewed, it is amazing how
the church’s entanglement with these seemingly “good causes” has littered
the trail with casualties, often leading entire communities off course.
A painful example of good intentions turned really bad is the case
of the Mennonite political involvement in Germany during WWII. By
the late 1700s, the Mennonites of northern Germany had enjoyed more connection
with their conservative Protestant and Evangelical neighbors. Economic and societal pressures bit by bit diluted
the German Mennonites—almost completely—into mainline society. By the time
of the Franco-Prussian wars of the 1890s and WWI in the 1920s, many Mennonites
were getting involved with politics, nationalism, and even starting to fight
in wars.
After WWI conditions were tough for all Germans—Mennonites included.
The penalties placed on the German people by America and their allies crippled
the economic stability of Germany. Farmers were hit particularly hard. Many
farmers incurred large debts and were even forced to export their crops to
support the surrounding countries hurt by the war.
The stock market crash of 1929 made a terrible situation even worse.
Not only did it further crush the German economy, it also caused an uneasiness
by revealing an unexpected weakness of western industry and capitalism. The
ripple effect of this crash in the already-struggling post WWI Germany was
devastating. Everyone longed for
a new, bold nationalism that would restore their honor and protect what little
wealth, freedom, and property they had left.
At this point a zealous, strong-handed political conservative by the
name Adolf Hitler came to the scene. Hitler promised a unification of the
German people, protection against the Communists, and a list of new “economic
stimulus packages.” All these ideas promised Christian morality and prosperity
for all good Germans. When
it became election time, it was the “issues” that people voted for … and
Adolf Hitler had the political cure of the day. The conservative Evangelicals, along with the
German Mennonites, gave their vote for the new guy with the little mustache
… complete with their new motto, “Heil
Hitler.”
What was the effect of Nazi nationalism on the Mennonites? Historically,
the Mennonites had a heritage of separation from worldly politics. Could
they get involved in politics and still stand against this new mindset? In
a word—no.
Sadly, the Mennonites of Germany joined in with the jubilant nationalistic
feelings that were spreading. As a matter of record, the German Mennonites
were so happy with their new Führer that they wanted to express their
official gratitude to him. In a telegram written September 10, 1933, the
sentiments of a church council that had just taken place were expressed:
To Chancellor Adolf Hitler, Berlin:
The Conference of East and West Prussian Mennonites, assembled today
in Tiegenhagen, Free State of Danzig, feels deep gratitude for the powerful
revival that God has given our nation through your energy, and promises joyful
cooperation in the upbuilding of our Fatherland through the power of
the Gospel, faithful to the motto of our forefathers: No other foundation
can anyone lay than that which is laid which is Jesus
Christ.”(Emphasis
and italics mine.)
Hitler replied:
For your loyalty and your readiness to cooperate in the upbuilding
of the German nation, expressed in your letter to me, I express my sincere
thanks. —Adolf Hitler
To the defense of these German Mennonites, we have to remember
that the atrocities that Hitler committed were not completely known at this
time. On the other hand, there is a very important lesson to learn from just
that point. When the church gives its support and affirmation to the ways
of this world, when the church condones “lesser evil,” it finds itself praising
an antichrist.
Caught up in the feeling of the day, in 1933 the United (Vereinigung)
Mennonites stopped asking for special treatment as conscientious objectors
from war. In 1934 “nonresistance” was removed from the Mennonite confession
of faith.
In 1939 when the German armies took over Prussia bringing the Mennonites
of Danzig to be united with the rest of Germany, the Mennonites saw it as
an act of God. Emil Händiges, of the United (Vereinigung) Mennonites wrote:
Our German peoples have endured unspeakable difficulties under the
Polish yoke during its twenty year foreign rule. The most difficult at the
end. Then God, the Lord, helped them through the hand of our Führer and freed
them. We thank our Führer for this act of
liberation.
By 1940 the subtle influence of this political leaven had almost completely
taken over the German Mennonites. Issuing a proclamation representing the
political posture of the Mennonite Union during this time, the United Mennonite
church wrote: “The Conference will not do anything that would even have the
faintest appearance of opposing the policies of our leader (Führer).”
Reading this stuff, I had to ask, “Could this still be called Anabaptist?”
I don’t personally think so. But more importantly, can they be called followers
of Jesus? These changes were a pretty far cry from the decree of separation
from the world and shunning of earthly government that was espoused by the
early Anabaptists in the words of the Schleitheim Confession of 1527. It
is obvious that their original convictions had grown stale.
We know how part of the war story ended. Germany lost the war, Hitler
committed suicide, and soon all the atrocities of the Nazi party were being
broadcast to the world. The Mennonites as well as conservative Protestant,
Catholic, and Evangelical groups repented of their support of this antichrist.
Mennonite leaders even repented publically. The German church that emerged out of WWII Germany was anemic. Secularism
has claimed the day, and today radical Christianity is virtually unheard
of there.
When I lived in Germany 20 years ago, I was a new convert to many
of these Anabaptist ideas like nonresistance and separation from worldly
politics. Walking into a Mennonite church there, I noticed on the walls the
war memorials of Mennonites who had fought in the war. My guide was a man
in his seventies who remembered the war period well. I asked him, “How did
this happen? How did the Mennonites get swept up into all of this Nazi nationalism?”
He somberly told me, “It came over us like a revival.”
I now think
that the compromise was more insidious than the Mennonites were aware of.
As the years go by and I watch the way modern conservative Mennonites respond
to politics, I can somewhat understand how this could happen again. Instead of being a sudden change, it rather happened because of
a long time of slow compromise. James Peter Regier says it well in the conclusion
of his excellent essay on this historic time period of Mennonite history:
It seems then, that the biggest flaw of the Mennonites was not any
immediate error. Instead, it was the natural consequence of years of gradual
theological adaptations and compromises to better fit within the German community.
When National Socialism came, the Mennonites no longer had the capacity to
resist.
Have we learned our lesson? Have we learned that trusting in “good”
political strategies is a really bad idea? The Mennonite lady at the pretzel
bakery said that things are getting so bad that Mennonites simply have to
start getting involved in politics.
I disagree.
It is exactly because the world is getting so bad that it is time
to leave the failed solutions of the world and to start showing a model to
the world of what the world would look like if we all would simply follow
the teachings of Jesus.
As we have seen, the issue is a subtle one. On the one hand, it seems
so innocent. We might ask, “So what’s wrong with just telling someone who
our choice would be for President?” That may seem innocent enough, but perhaps
it is just this type of subtlety that warranted Jesus casting this rebuke:
“Beware of the leaven of Herod.” Akin to the insidious pathos of pharisaical
thinking, Jesus warned that the infection of “worldly political thinking”
can grow in us, leading to our eventual spiritual destruction.
Jesus’ use of the metaphor “leaven” in this context is sobering. This
word picture brings to mind the way we use leaven (today called yeast) in
cooking. The small amount of yeast necessary to make a loaf of bread rise
starts out seemingly innocuous and insignificant. However, once added to
the dough, it is not long before that small bit of yeast affects the entire
loaf, often swelling it to two or three times its original size. It happened
to the Mennonites in Germany during WWII, and it can easily happen today
if we look to worldly politics for our answers.
We must learn from history that the world never has, and never will, come
up with a lasting ultimate solution to their problems. Their shortsighted
cures will always lack the clarity to see the root causes of their disease.
As Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God.”
If through this political season you have felt yourself infatuated
with the agenda of worldly solutions, then please accept this lesson from
the Mennonite Nazis.
These are some excerpts from six pages written by Dean Taylor. You can read the entire article here:
http://www.ephrataministries.org/remnant-2012-11-mennonite-nazis.a5w?fbclid=IwAR0IMf0ma8vl1jMcHuN1S78yQp1WLuZ_4AdUiUxpPuFKwt_QliWc1RiQT3M
