Christian Churches: the “Master Race” and “American Exceptionalism”

February 22, 2016
Christian Churches: the “Master Race” and “American Exceptionalism”

by Rev. William Alberts

The phrase “Good Germans” is a derogatory reference to citizens of Nazi Germany, almost all of whom were Christians — some 20 million Roman Catholics and 40 million Protestants. The silence of most Christian leaders allowed Hitler, with his Aryan, “Master Race” ideology, to turn six million Jews — and Gypsies, homosexuals, black persons, Communists, political dissidents, and even disabled German citizens — into The Other and persecute, deport and murder them. Americans especially take pride in not being “Good Germans.” Here everyone is seen as having freedom of speech and belief, “the inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” with America’s president even called “the leader of the free world.” Thus, “the land of the free” is believed to be the very opposite of an evil incarnate Hitler and obedient German citizens—a continuing comparison that accentuates America’s goodness. Such national pride serves to divert attention from the accommodation of many American Christian Churches to our own bipartisan government’s murderous imperialistic foreign and domestic policies. In reality, Christians in Germany’s “Master Race” and Christians in the present age of “American exceptionalism” have much in common. The authoritarianism that led to the Holocaust in Germany is on the rise in America, with the acquiescence — and blessing — of many Christian churches. The “Good Germans” provide a much needed mirror for Christians here, many of whom are becoming “Good Americans,” rather than fulfilling their prophetic/empathetic role, which is “to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6: 8)

Adolf Hitler rose to power during a time of economic hardship and fear in Germany. The great depression, beginning in 1929, was felt even more in Germany with its defeat in World War I. The resulting Treaty of Versailles forced Germany to accept blame for the war, pay costly war reparations to the victors, give back territory it had conquered, and reduce the size of its military.

A compelling speaker and convincingly strong leader, Adolf Hitler promised to restore Germany’s former greatness as an economic and military power. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum portrays him this way:

Hitler was a powerful and spellbinding speaker who attracted a wide following of Germans desperate for change. He promised the disenchanted a better life and a new and glorious Germany. The Nazis appealed especially to the unemployed, young people. and members of the lower middle class. (“Hitler Comes to Power, www.ushmm.org; see also “The Nazi Regime,” http://www.projectaladin.org)