Seventh-day Adventist Publications and The Nazi Temptation

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16tory itself was being radically reinterpreted,according to Germanic, racial and "volkisch"(ethnic) concepts. 38Otto Brozio stated in the same journal thatthe National Socialist Revolution was thegreatest of all time, because it made the maintenanceof a pure inheritance the basis of itsethnic life. His meaning may be detected from aframed quote by Hitler-on the question ofblood-that appeared on the same page. 39One Adventist wrote that, according to theBible, the domination of the world belongs tothe descendants of J apheth. 40 Another said that"Adventist adjustments, thoughminor, assisted the Nazigovernment's purposes. Theyraise serious questions aboutthe moral strength ofSeventh-day Adventism ina totalitarian environment."these J aphethites had replaced the Semitic peopleas carriers of culture. 41 Then Semites, moreprecisely Jews, would not dominate the world,though they might strive after it. According toanother writer, the Bible clearly "witnessesagainst the 'chosen' people.,,42Since the Bible condemned the Jews, theirfate in Germany was partially justified. Adventistshurried to affirm that such teachings as theSabbath, which seemed Jewish, were, in fact,not Jewish. This effort had already appeared inthe document the church submitted to the NaziMinistry of Interior. Later, H. F. Schubert, presidentof the Central European Division, asked thequestion: "Is the Sabbath of Holy Scripture aChristian or a Jewish holy day?" He answeredambiguously that the Sabbath was not made forthe Jews but for all men. 43Some went still further. A reader of DerAdventbote wrote in a letter to the editor thathe had heard both in his church and during atent meeting that Christ "belonged to no nationand that he was no Jew." The editor respondedthat he was born a Jew, but that Jesus rejectedthe corruption of his own people. He warnedthat too much discussion of this issue could leadSpectrumone to miss Christ's real mission. 44 E. Gugel saidthat Christ was "no Jewish Savior but the Saviorof the world including the German people."45Outspoken racism seldom appeared in Adventistpublications; writers often tried to perform abalancing act. As E. Gugel wrote, the Gospel wasfor all people, yet it was particularly for one'sethnic community. He added that "the Gospelbridged all borders, languages and races, but itdoes not disregard the latter .... Happily, theevangel does not overlook the ethnic character[Volkische Art] and the national significance ofthe ethnic concerns [Volkische Belange]. ,,46But Adventists did frequently print negativecomments about the Jews. A missionary, writingin an official church paper about Palestine, saidthat the Jewish race was sick, for the Jewsexploited one another. 47 Someone else made aslanderous report about the behavior of orthodoxJews in Hungary.48Adventistadjustmentswent still further.They were always minor for sure, but they assistedthe Nazi government's purposes. Insignificantthough these contributions were, theyraise serious questions about the moral strengthof Seventh-day Adventism in a totalitarian environment.German Adventists believed citizenship entailedcertain responsibilities. O. Haase went so faras to tell Adventist youth that they "must underno circumstances forget the clear and justifiableresponsibilities which arose for them from Germanism[Deutschtum]." The responsibilities ofethnic affinity were the more easily fulfilledsince "discipline and harshness [Harte] are valuedagain." Haase explained that this entailed "harshnessagainst oneself, sin and injustice, harshnessagainst all undecided spirits, harshness againstthose who live not in peace with God and theworld ...."49Church leaders often attempted to transmuteNazi concepts through theological reinterpretation.The idea of discipleship [Gefolgschaft] forexample, which was so popular in Germany, hadsupposedly originated among the Germanictribes. Every disciple was required to accept theabsolute will of his leader [Fuhrer]. "What asacrifice, what a subjugation of the member tothe whole!" an Adventist youth leaderexclaimed. The revival of this demand was con-
Volume 8, Number 3sidered "certainly a blessing to our generationand people." It was also a biblical concept,because it received the greatest realization in thediscipleship of Jesus. 50Linguistic collaboration also appeared. AnAdventist teacher advised his students that inGerman classes they must learn to "will and tothink in German, to speak and write in German."51 To will in German was a mystical Naziconcept, for the Party taught that Germans"will" differently than other nationals. Furthermore,to speak and to write in German meantnot only to reject words of foreign origin, but itmeant the use of words containing a Nazi meaning.Adventists used Nazi words such as Fuhrerand Gefolgschaft. Adventists also used thewords Volk and Volksgemeinschaft.The Volk, according to the Nazis, was a peopleof common blood' and soul. When organized, itformed a Volksgemeinschaft, or ethnic community.Adventists should be among the verybest members of such a community, a churchwriter stated. 52 To realize this goal, youngAdventists were encouraged to study history inorder to root themselves deeply in God, Volk,State and the home soil. 53 Then they would beable to serve successfully the family, church,Volk and Fatherland in the spirit "of our oldprinciples ... and in the frame of the nationaleconomy and the national socialist outloOk.,,54Belaboring the point, the Adventist welfareleader, Otto Brozio, stated thattoday not the individual, but the Volk in itstotality is in the center of thought. Everymember of the Volk should feel himself a partof the Volksgemeinschaft. The value or valuelessnessof his actions are to be judged only onthe basis of their usefulness or uselessness tothe whole Volk ....Only the person who operates in the context ofthe Volk community could be considered acomrade of the people [Volksgenosse] ,55 heconcluded.Adventists accepted this Nazi standard. As P.Staubert, an Adventist educat01:, said, "WeChristians welcome happily this attitude towardlife of National Socialism; it contains truth.Every good on earth comes from the idea ofcommunity; everything bad is from the 1.,,56The Volkcommunity Hitler envisioned was aheroic one. Nazis despised weakness and admiredthe strong and the heroic, since heroes were bestfitted for victory in struggle. "The heroic, theunconquerable is today the high goal of mankind,"an Adventist wrote, and all opposition tothis goal is rightly suppressed. Although certainpeople claimed that Christianity produces weaklings,he argued that "Christianity is not forweaklings; it is for men with courage and strengthabove the average.,,57Another writer asserted that "Christians areable through divine grace to lead a heroic life" 58and to perform heroic deeds for Volk andFatherland. 59 The renewal of Germany, whichhad changed so much for the better would continue,another author thought, if a "praying,believing group of youth matures into heroesthrough whom God can work, improve and complete.. .',60Adventistsperformedmany "heroic" deedsfor Volk and Fatherland through their WelfareOrganization. At first operating independently,it soon came under the control of the NationalSocialist Peoples Welfare Department (NSV), theofficial governmental welfare authority. By1938, the government suggested strongly thatwelfare workers join the NSV. Adventist leaderOtto Brozio wrote that this would not onlydemonstrate social concern, but be a "goodwitness to the close relationship with the Volk.It corresponds completely with our biblical positiontoward Volk and State." 61 With mostAdventist welfare workers in the NSV, the independenceof the Adventist organization wassuperfluous and it was coordinated with theNazi department.The NSV was largely concerned with health,welfare, family and propaganda matters. It wasorganized, and here we see again the singularityof the Nazi pursuit, in complete accord with theNational Socialist world view; the NSV considereditself the guardian of the biologicalinheritance and race laws of the state. 62 Thisanalysis of the NSV appeared in a key Adventistjournal. But no one pointed out the incompatibilitybetween the Adventist message and theNazi aim.The Nazi government asked the church tocontinue its health program, the purpose ofwhich was to be not only the preservation of theindividual "temple of God" but, as the NaziHealth leader Dr. L. Conti stated in a speech17
Page 2 and 3: 12pletely explain German Adventism
Page 4 and 5: 14positive Christianity, without ty
Page 8 and 9: 18reprinted in an Adventist health
Page 10 and 11: 20God's choice and through "God's a
Page 12 and 13: 22young life, so that his Yolk migh
Page 14: 24kampf und Okumene, 1933-1939, (Mu

Seventh-day Adventist Publications and The Nazi Temptation

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