Title and author: Hitler’s Christianity by James P. Holding Print Length: 153 pages Publisher: Tekton (September 1, 2013 AD) ASIN: B00EXPBEVW
Within the realm of Christian versus Atheist polemics everyone wants to claim Einstein and deny Hitler, they want Einstein within their camp (at least in the generic theist camp) and want to push Hitler into the other camp.
Well, matters are not that simple and it speaks volumes of Adolf Hitler and his Nazism that such discussions go well beyond general history or specific military history and into the realm of theology.
J. P. Holding heads Tekton – Education and Apologetics Ministries and produces research pertaining to apologetics, polemics and much else. He has produced a volume which, succinctly, touches upon history, theology, polemics and much else.
The basic layout of the book shows that it has much to offer and contribute to the discussion.
Chapter 1 Positive Christianity: Doctrines and Background considers 3 deviations of “Positive Christianity” from traditional, Biblical Christianity: 1: A Bowdlerized Bible, 2: A Dejudaized Jesus and 3: Indifference to Doctrine.
Chapter 2 The Overstated Occult Connection is important as the Hitler debates revolve not only around Christianity and Atheism but occultism as well.
Chapter 3 Leader Profiles is fascinating as we learn about Adolf Hitler, Josef Goebbels, Herman Goering, Heinrich Himmler, Adolf Eichmann, Reinhard Heydrich, Josef Mengele, Alfred Rosenberg and Albert Speer.
Chapter 4 Theological Aberrations cover those who are known as Hitler’s theologians; Albert Schweitzer, David Strauss, William Wrede, Freidrich Schleirmacher, Ludwig Feuerbach, Rudolf Bultmann and even covers the issue of Nazism as a “Replacement Religion”.
Chapter 5 Political and Social Factors is utterly relevant as some people, apparently, consider Hitler to be such an upright and honest fellow that, by golly, if he said it, it must be true. They seem to forget that he was a politician who said that which was convenient at any given time.
Chapter 6 Movement Profiles considers The German Christians, Positive Christianity, German Christian Practices, Left at the Altar, Recognized as Heresy, The German Catholic Church and The Confessing Church.
Chapter 7 Individual Profiles considers Walter Grundmann, Gerhard Kittel, Hans and Sophie Scholl, Helmuth James von Moltke, Father Alfred Delp and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
Chapter 8 The Fate of the Church makes one wonder what it means when a “church” replaces the Bible with Mein Kampf.
Chapter 9 Questionable Sources is interesting in that it considers texts such as Table Talk about which Holding deals with issues such as the following:
The English translation of Table Talk is corrupt. When we look back at the German version, a lot of the anti-Christian material isn’t there.
Table Talk was edited by Martin Bormann, who was very anti-Christian. He could have falsely attributed his own thoughts to Hitler.
Even if Table Talk is genuine, this doesn’t prove Hitler wasn’t a Christian, because he never denounces Jesus. In fact, he says nice things about Jesus!
Also considered are the books Hitler Speaks (Hermann Rauschning), End of the Hitler Myth (Joseph Greiner), I Knew Hitler (Kurt Ludecke), Inside the Third Reich (Albert Speer) and The Young Hitler I Knew (Augustin Kubizek).
Chapter 10 Miscellaneous Objections considers issue such as:
The German military wore belt buckles that read “Gott Mins Us” (God with us) and also used Christian symbols like the cross.
Hitler was baptized as a child and sang in the church choir.
Hitler attended church and celebrated holidays like Christmas. He also alluded to the Bible and to Providence in his speeches and writings.
In 1923, one of Hitler’s associates said Hitler was “still today a convinced Catholic.” And Hitler said to one of his generals in 1941, “I am now as before a Catholic and will always remain so”.
Hitler was never excommunicated from the Catholic Church.
Hitler shook hands with the Pope (or some other Catholic official), so he must have been a Christian.
The churches never accused Hitler of apostasy.
If Hitler had really wished to eliminate Christianity, why did he try to unite the Protestant and Catholic Churches in Germany?
Cardinal Faulhaber of Munich visited Hitler at his mountain retreat in Obersalzburg and confessed, “Without a doubt the chancellor lives in faith in God. He recognizes Christianity as the foundation of Western culture…”
Well, if Faulhaber was deceived, maybe you are too, and Hitler was a real Christian!
The issue of whether Hitler was “a real Christian” is discussed in detail within the book and touches upon that which is known as the No True Scotsman Fallacy (even though the book does not employ this term) which, of course, is itself a fallacy as it is true that no true vegan eats meat.
Chapter 11 Is the New Testament Anti-Semitic? was of specific interest to me because I am a Jew and because I, too, have written on this specific issue.
Chapter 12 Is Hitler Still a Christian? does not refer to the afterlife but his standing within the Catholic church.
Here, in part, is how J.P. Holding breaks the book down as per sections:
Section 1 begins with a description of the Positive Christian cult, and individual profiles of Nazi leaders explaining their religious allegiances…some background on the Positive Christian cult, and explains how it emerged as a deviation from German Catholicism…and explain the theological identifiers that made it a pseudo-Christian cult…will divert into the popular misconception that Hitler was neither a Christian nor an atheist, but a practitioner of the occult. We will also expose the error of certain popular sources upon which this misconception is based….
Section 2 expands our focus, and addresses the corollary charge that Hitler’s activities were enabled by Germany as a “Christian nation”…will provide profiles of key ideological movements in Nazi Germany, particularly the so-called “German Christians”……will outline the intended fate of the Christian church under the Nazi regime…the fact that the German military sported belt buckles with the motto, “God With Us,” and symbols that featured the Christian cross?…
The book does not merely represent J.P. Holding’s assertions but is peppered with quotations and citations. There is much food for thought therein for all sides of the issue.
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See our previous reviews of J.P. Holding’s books:
Book review: “Hitler’s Christianity” by James P. Holding
Book review: “Easter Is Evil and Other Fables” by JP Holding
Book review: “Christmas is Pagan and Other Myths” by J. P. Holding
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Here is a list of J.P. Holding’s books:
Easter Is Evil and Other Fables
Christmas is Pagan and Other Myths
Direct Application New Testament
Christian Answers to This Generation’s Questions
Know Your Enemy
A response to the Mark Fairley’s “Know Your Enemy” e-book and video series.
Intellitracts
An intelligent alternative to those “other” cartoon tracts.
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