Question, “How Would a Baptist Handle the Holocaust?”
The question is a huge one. I was not there then, and do not specifically know how Baptists in Germany at the time answered it. I imagine that there were several different ideas floating around, just as they do in our day.
The issue is complicated by the fact that their government, and ours, have always been two different styles.
Ours is the only one that is “of the people, by the people.” And I think that’s a problem.
Historically Baptists (More properly, the Anabaptists but I believe a segment of Baptists are derived from them.) were not political. Their focus was to try to live, "a quiet and peaceable life in godliness and honesty.” They just wanted to be left alone to obey the Word of God and tell people what it said. Germany is one of those places where that became a real problem. Martin Luther was aware of the Baptists because they had helped him when the Pope excommunicated him and tried to execute him. Once Luther had authority, he at first tried to let them be. But they kept evangelizing people out of his state authorized church. So, then he told them they were free to leave Germany, but that they could not stay and evangelize in his country. The trouble was, if they left then there would be no one to witness to those the Baptists were convinced were deceived by a false religion. Finally, Luther began a program of persecution of the Baptists.[1]
I believe a Baptist, following the Bible, would not have joined the Nazi’s, nor would he have joined a resistance program. A Baptist in Germany, following the conviction of historic Baptists, would have merely obeyed the Bible, worshiped the Lord, and preached that people need to get saved out. I assume that would have meant not joining the Nazi’s and being persecuted because of it. I also assume that would have meant trying to minister to those who were being persecuted and getting persecuted for that too.
The Baptists in America before the war for independence were opposed to the war. They believed that a government opposed to their doctrines but across the pond (as we say) was better than a government that would inevitably be opposed to their doctrines, but right at their back door.[2] They just wanted to be left alone to live, "a quiet and peaceable life in godliness and honesty.” Once the war became inevitable, Baptist preachers made a concentrated effort to win the ear of those leading in the effort for independence. They succeeded. It has provided us with about 250 years of relative "quiet and peaceable life in godliness and honesty.” I think that day is about over. I also think the way to respond is not to become aggressively political or rebellious but to become more Christian.
· More prayer.
· More searching of and living in obedience to the Bible.
· More caring for the souls of men and trying to see them be saved.
By the way, that is what Jesus did, didn’t He?
· He did not preach against the Romans
· He did not resist the Temple taxes
· He did not lead His disciples to fight
[1] (The Battle for the Church, David HJ Gay)
[2] (Joanne Freeman, Open Yale Course, https://oyc.yale.edu/NODE/141)
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