Christianity and Resistance in the 20Th Century International Studies in Religion and Society
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Christianity and Resistance in the 20th Century International Studies in Religion and Society Editors Lori G. Beaman and Peter Beyer, University of Ottawa VOLUME 8 Christianity and Resistance in the 20th Century From Kaj Munk and Dietrich Bonhoeffer to Desmond Tutu Edited by Søren Dosenrode LEIDEN • BOSTON 2009 Cover design: Celine Ostendorf This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Christianity and resistance in the 20th century : from Kaj Munk and Dietrich Bonhoeffer to Desmond Tutu / edited by Søren Dosenrode. p. cm. — (International studies in religion and society, ISSN 1573-4293 ; v. v 8) Includes index. ISBN 978-90-04-17126-8 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Government, Resistance to—Religious aspects—Christianity. 2. Nonviolence— Religious aspects—Christianity. 3. Revolutions—Religious aspects—Christianity. 4. Church history—20th century. 5. Christianity and politics—History—20th century. 6. Church and social problems. I. Dosenrode-Lynge, Sören Zibrandt von. BR115.P7C381625 2008 241’.621—dc22 2008035398 ISSN 1573-4293 ISBN 978 90 04 17126 8 Copyright 2009 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Koninklijke Brill NV provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA. Fees are subject to change. printed in the netherlands CONTENTS List of Contributors .................................................................... vii Introduction The Frame of the Book or: Mr Munk and Mr Petersen ............................................................................. 1 Søren Dosenrode Chapter One Always Turning the Other Cheek? An Introduction to the Question of ‘Christianity and Resistance’ ............................................................................... 7 Søren Dosenrode Chapter Two Between Conformity and Nonconformity: The Issue of Non-violent Resistance in Early Christianity and Its Relevance Today ........................................................ 29 Johannes Nissen Chapter Three Franz Jägerstätter: Better the Hands in Chains, than the Will ............................................................. 55 Erna Putz Chapter Four Kaj Munk and Resistance ................................ 81 Arne Munk Chapter Five Henning von Tresckow: A Christian Motive for Killing Hitler? ................................................................... 119 Annette Mertens Chapter Six Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Journey from Pacifi sm to Resistance ............................................................. 147 Ulrik B. Nissen Chapter Seven Paul Gerhard Braune: The Legacy of His Resistance to Euthanasia ........................................................ 175 Ole J. Hartling vi contents Chapter Eight Lajos Ordass: A Christian and a Consistent Adversary of the Totalitarian Systems ................................... 203 Enikò Böröcz Chapter Nine Oscar Arnulfo Romero: The Defender of the Poor ................................................................................... 233 Paul Gerhard Schoenborn Chapter Ten Desmond Tutu: Church Resistance to Apartheid and Injustice in Africa .......................................... 261 Peter Lodberg Chapter Eleven Instead of a Conclusion ................................ 277 Søren Dosenrode Index ........................................................................................... 283 LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS Böröscz, Enikö, Dr., Central Archives of the Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Hungary, Budapest, Hungary Dosenrode, Søren, Dr. phil., Jean Monnet Professor, Director of research at the Kaj Munk Research Centre, Aalborg University, Denmark Hartling, Ole J., M.D., physician in chief, D.M. Sc., former chairman of the Danish Council of Ethics, Vejle Hospital, Denmark Lodberg, Peter, Dr., Associate Professor, Faculty of Theology, Depart- ment of Systematic Theology, University of Aarhus, Denmark Mertens, Annette, Dr. phil., research associate, Kommission für Zeitge- schichte (Commission for Contemporary History), Bonn, Germany Munk, Arne, Associate Professor BD and MA, Faculty of Theology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark Nissen, Johannes, Associate Professor, Faculty of Theology, Department of Biblical Studies, University of Aarhus, Denmark Nissen, Ulrik Becker, PhD, Associate Professor, Faculty of Theology, Department of Systematic Theology, University of Aarhus, Denmark Putz, Erna, Mag. theol., Dr. phil., rer. pol., Ohlsdorf, Austria Schoenborn, Paul Gerhard, reverend and adult educationalist, Wup- pertal, Germany INTRODUCTION THE FRAME OF THE BOOK OR: MR MUNK AND MR PETERSEN Søren Dosenrode How is the Christian supposed to act when his or her government mis- behaves? Is he or she expected to suffer or to resist? This fundamental question has been acute for many Christians throughout the ages and also for an ordinary Danish civil servant, Mr Paul Petersen, who wrote to the well known Rev. Kaj Munk (1898–1944)1 in July 1943, during Den- mark’s occupation. Specifi cally, this short correspondence addresses the question of whether or not Christians should resist the German occupation of Denmark, thus illustrating the topic of this book. Mr Paul Petersen wrote [shortened by SD]: København V., July 10, 1943 Dannevirkegade 27 Rev. Kaj Munk Vedersø I have seen several of your plays; I have read much of what you have written, including your memoirs [. .] and have been glad for most of it, although I am—perhaps because of a lack of understanding—not equally fond of everything you are writing. Yes, I have admired you as a writer and portrayer; but unfortunately, I have also read your New 1 It is hard to come to grips with Danish and Scandinavian inter bellum (cultural) history without including Kaj Munk in the analysis. Kaj Munk was a celebrated dramatist, a priest, a political journalist and a fi erce opponent of the German occupa- tion of Denmark. When Benito Mussolini and later Adolf Hitler seized power, they fascinated him immensely, and the ‘strong men’ were a theme of several of his plays, but when especially Hitler’s prosecution of the Jews became more and more obvious, his enthusiasm faded. When Denmark was occupied by German forces in 1940, he took up a position against Germany. During the years of occupation, he vehemently opposed the Danish policy of cooperation with the occupational forces, and he was killed by members of the German SS in January 1944. Chapter 4 in this book is dedicated to Kaj Munk. 2 søren dosenrode Year-sermon in ‘Nyt fra “Dansk Samling”’,2 which has caused an urge within me to write some lines to you, even though I do not expect an exchange of letters, as I certainly lack the ability to refute your possible answer or defence. It has disappointed me so inexpressibly. For your information, I am a completely ordinary man, who privately struggles with the problems of life and secretly thinks deeply about what I hear and see. The Lord’s prayer ends: “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.” The bible says: “Humility precedes honour.” You preach from the pulpit to the congregation about “For the sake of honour, honour, honour—i.e. the honour of this country, and therefore the honour of the Danes.” You criticise the fact that we haven’t used weapons—how can a priest urge others to use deadly weapons against one’s fellow man? How can priests bless weapons at all? Surely, God does let the disciples talk about “fi ghting” but in my eyes, this can only mean to fi ght with “the spiritual sword.” [. .] For me, one of the greatest tasks a priest has to undertake, is that he has to talk about and urge love, love and again love—and not murder! My beloved, late mother’s motto was: “Better to suffer wrongs than to do wrong.” We Danes have suffered wrongs and suffer wrongs—but I think it is objectionable if a priest urges to oppose this with armed force. When I was 21 years old, I decided that I would not fi re a shot, if I should become part of a war while having my mind intact. My motivation was that on the last day, I wanted to be able to say with my head held high that I obeyed the commandment: “You shall not kill.” We do not agree about this point, although I would have expected so, given that you are one of God’s chosen men. Nevertheless, thank you for all the good that you, as a poet, have given me and my fellow men. We have appreciated it. I will, of course, let you alone 2 ‘News from “Danish Unity”’ (Dansk Samling). Dansk Samling was a centre-right party, founded in 1936 and represented in parliament between 1943–47. From 1943, it was a part of the Danish resistance movement and represented in the Danish under- ground ‘Council for Freedom’ (Frihedsrådet). the frame of the book 3 bear the responsibility which you have taken upon yourself—presumably in the belief that your point of view is correct. Paul Petersen The Rev. Kaj Munk answered Mr. Petersen immediately: Vedersø, 13/7–43 Dear Writer Why do I answer your letter? Indeed it seems pointless. However, I do not believe that you hold your dead mother in reverence. You desecrate