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Hitler's Cross: The Revealing Story of How the Cross of Christ was Used as a symbol of the Nazi Agenda
Six million Jews...dead. The monstrosity of Adolph Hitler's 'Third Reich' remains a stunning chapter in the pages of history. Although the power by which he hypnotized an entire nation is legendary, one question in particular begs an answer: Where was the church of Christ? Seduced by the Satanic majesty of The Fuhrer, church leaders throughout Germany allowed the Swastika a prominent place alongside the Christian cross in their sanctuaries. Nationalistic pride replaced the call of God to purity, and with few exceptions, the German church looked away while Adolph Hitler implemented his 'Final Solution' to his Jewish problem. How did this happen? In Hitler's Cross , Erwin W. Lutzer examines the lessons that may be learned from studying the deception of the church: the dangers of confusing "e;church and state,"e; how the church lost its focus, the role of God in human tragedy, the parameters of Satan's freedom, the truth behind Hitler's hatred of the Jews, the faithfulness of God to His people who suffer for Him, the comparisons between Hitler's rise and the coming reign of the Antichrist, and America's hidden cross-her dangerous trends. Hitler's Cross is the story of a nation whose church forgot its primary call and discovered its failure too late.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1995
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February 5, 2016
Poor scholarship!!
I thought this would be a careful analysis of history, giving insight into Nazi ideology and the impact of this ideology on the Church in Germany. Instead the book is all over the place. It seeks to criticise US social policy and the separation of church and state but at the same time it warns against a marriage of church and state using German history to show how this led to the third reich.
What truly disturbs me in this book is the anti-gay rhetoric and the way it twists Hitler's attitude to homosexuality. I have had enough of American Evangelicals and their anti-gay rhetoric and they way they have poisoned communities in Africa and here is another American Evangelical trying to use Hitler and the atrocities of the holocaust to strengthen his own anti-gay rhetoric.
What rubbish!!!
And to think Ravi Zacharias wrote the foreword for this! Did he even bother to read the book he was endorsing? Meh!
If I really want to learn about Hitler and the Church there are better books that I can read. Disappointing!
Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
I thought this would be a careful analysis of history, giving insight into Nazi ideology and the impact of this ideology on the Church in Germany. Instead the book is all over the place. It seeks to criticise US social policy and the separation of church and state but at the same time it warns against a marriage of church and state using German history to show how this led to the third reich.
What truly disturbs me in this book is the anti-gay rhetoric and the way it twists Hitler's attitude to homosexuality. I have had enough of American Evangelicals and their anti-gay rhetoric and they way they have poisoned communities in Africa and here is another American Evangelical trying to use Hitler and the atrocities of the holocaust to strengthen his own anti-gay rhetoric.
What rubbish!!!
And to think Ravi Zacharias wrote the foreword for this! Did he even bother to read the book he was endorsing? Meh!
If I really want to learn about Hitler and the Church there are better books that I can read. Disappointing!
Copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review.
December 7, 2016
Thorough, honest and sobering look back at Germany and the church leading up to Hitler. Good starting point for serious study on the subject. Great quotes, good inquiry and honest conclusions--- mainly, though there were many heroes, many in the church sinned in either supporting Hitler or not defending the Jews ( Jesus brethren after the flesh ) . This book will not remain far out of reach on my bookshelf. The message here is clear - the Church is called to love the Jews.
March 12, 2013
After reading this a third time, the message is come across more powerful.
Erwin Lutzer, though not a historian, does a superb job explain history. The book is full of thought provoking (and scary), material as he compares Germany's slow fall to America's current decline. He also compares the fall of the German church to our church today.
The chilling factor remains: America is currently ripe for the taking. All it needs another "Adolph Hitler" though we probably will know him by; "Antichrist". The question is, will we be like the rest of the world, or take a stand like Dietrich Bonhoeffer?
Erwin Lutzer, though not a historian, does a superb job explain history. The book is full of thought provoking (and scary), material as he compares Germany's slow fall to America's current decline. He also compares the fall of the German church to our church today.
The chilling factor remains: America is currently ripe for the taking. All it needs another "Adolph Hitler" though we probably will know him by; "Antichrist". The question is, will we be like the rest of the world, or take a stand like Dietrich Bonhoeffer?
November 14, 2023
Phew, I am glad that's over.
The first half of this book is terrible. I mean well and truly awful. I contemplated adding this book to my did not finish shelf every time I picked it up.
The writing is horrendous, it is frenetic, polemical, juvenile and just comes off as unhinged. Thoughts are started, but never finished. Outrageous claims are asserted and then never backed up, as though the assertion itself is sufficient evidence in and of itself. It's not well researched, there are quotes every four pages or so that have no citation, so I haven't the faintest idea where they came from or any way of verifying if they were actually said or not. Stylistic choices are not consistent, sometimes italics is used as a way of adding emphasis, sometimes as a way of saying an aside directly to the audience. The tone is narcissistic, arrogant, and elitist. I had a very hard time believing that this book was written by the same person as Doctrines that Divide. That book was carefully researched, annotated, and explicated. He read books that he didn't agree with, books that espoused different positions, and showed where they interlapped and where they conflicted.
In this it's like he went out and found the most unhinged conspiratorial source that he could find and quoted from it almost exclusively. It very well may be that Hitler was an occultist, but that's not the reason that he did all of the things that he did. We don't need the justification that Hitler was possessed by a demon in order to be appalled at what he did, in fact, I think that has the opposite effect of lessening the horror by saying a demon made him do it. No. Hitler was a human, just like us, and he didn't need any outside influence to do evil, it was already in him, he joyfully let it have full sway. He wasn't deceived. He wasn't controlled. He gloried in destruction and power and sucked up the worship of the German people because it fulfilled his own arrogance, greed, and malice, not because a demon made him do it.
Every time I saw 'studies have shown' without any studies mentioned or 'from my study' without any sources mentioned, I cringed. Just say it's your opinion, don't try and make it sound authoritative by adding a nimbus of objectivity. Stand on your own two feet and say 'I think' instead of trying to pass it off on nebulous 'studies'. It's such an intellectual cop out.
I think there were three different times where he was like 'now we will talk about the most famosest of martyrs of the era' 'next we will introduce the martyr who stood against this regime'. He's talking about Bonhoeffer, we all know he's talking about Bonhoeffer. He's been talking about Bonhoeffer all throughout the book, we don't need an introduction to Bonhoeffer, you already gave us one, you've literally been talking about him for the past three chapters. But he kept reintroducing him like we were blank slates, innocent little lambs who had never even heard the name before. It was so poorly constructed!!
I cannot tell you how many times I rolled my eyes while reading this book. There may have been times where I started yelling at the air as well. I just, again, can't believe the difference in style. I loved Doctrines that Divide, but this? This was a waste of my time.
Then, I got to the second half, and it was much better. Lutzer is a person with a bullhorn directed at the church, and he does a good job with that. He clearly saw the problems that were coming down the pike, I mean, this book was written in 1995 and yet listen to this quote and tell me it doesn't perfectly embody the cultural climate of the 2020s: "America is an angry nation-angry because of the emotional distress caused by the breakup of the home; angry because of crime; angry because of vanishing economic prospects; angry because of perceived betrayal by politicians; angry also because each side in the culture war sees the other as the enemy of all that America should stand for."
No one can fault his observations, he is spot on. He's even correct in his prescriptions. "The church is a community that is in need of continual reform, always examining itself as to whether it is being true to Christ's mandate." That's true. That is what the church should be doing, but one problem that he didn't foresee is that the church today is doing a lot of self-examination using alternate gospels rather than using the Bible as its standard. That is the thing that the American church can learn from the failures of the German church, let us not confuse the political with the spiritual. The gospel alone is our aim, the gospel alone is our judge and our guide. We cannot add to it, we cannot subtract from it, we must instead live it. When we examine ourselves, we must measure ourselves against its mandates, and find ourselves ever falling short. This is a foundational doctrine that we do not hear enough: Salvation is complete upon point of accepting Christ, but sanctification is an ongoing process that will not finish until we are remade. I believe that this is both an individual process and a corporate process. The believer is being sanctified, but so is the church.
The first half of this book is terrible. I mean well and truly awful. I contemplated adding this book to my did not finish shelf every time I picked it up.
The writing is horrendous, it is frenetic, polemical, juvenile and just comes off as unhinged. Thoughts are started, but never finished. Outrageous claims are asserted and then never backed up, as though the assertion itself is sufficient evidence in and of itself. It's not well researched, there are quotes every four pages or so that have no citation, so I haven't the faintest idea where they came from or any way of verifying if they were actually said or not. Stylistic choices are not consistent, sometimes italics is used as a way of adding emphasis, sometimes as a way of saying an aside directly to the audience. The tone is narcissistic, arrogant, and elitist. I had a very hard time believing that this book was written by the same person as Doctrines that Divide. That book was carefully researched, annotated, and explicated. He read books that he didn't agree with, books that espoused different positions, and showed where they interlapped and where they conflicted.
In this it's like he went out and found the most unhinged conspiratorial source that he could find and quoted from it almost exclusively. It very well may be that Hitler was an occultist, but that's not the reason that he did all of the things that he did. We don't need the justification that Hitler was possessed by a demon in order to be appalled at what he did, in fact, I think that has the opposite effect of lessening the horror by saying a demon made him do it. No. Hitler was a human, just like us, and he didn't need any outside influence to do evil, it was already in him, he joyfully let it have full sway. He wasn't deceived. He wasn't controlled. He gloried in destruction and power and sucked up the worship of the German people because it fulfilled his own arrogance, greed, and malice, not because a demon made him do it.
Every time I saw 'studies have shown' without any studies mentioned or 'from my study' without any sources mentioned, I cringed. Just say it's your opinion, don't try and make it sound authoritative by adding a nimbus of objectivity. Stand on your own two feet and say 'I think' instead of trying to pass it off on nebulous 'studies'. It's such an intellectual cop out.
I think there were three different times where he was like 'now we will talk about the most famosest of martyrs of the era' 'next we will introduce the martyr who stood against this regime'. He's talking about Bonhoeffer, we all know he's talking about Bonhoeffer. He's been talking about Bonhoeffer all throughout the book, we don't need an introduction to Bonhoeffer, you already gave us one, you've literally been talking about him for the past three chapters. But he kept reintroducing him like we were blank slates, innocent little lambs who had never even heard the name before. It was so poorly constructed!!
I cannot tell you how many times I rolled my eyes while reading this book. There may have been times where I started yelling at the air as well. I just, again, can't believe the difference in style. I loved Doctrines that Divide, but this? This was a waste of my time.
Then, I got to the second half, and it was much better. Lutzer is a person with a bullhorn directed at the church, and he does a good job with that. He clearly saw the problems that were coming down the pike, I mean, this book was written in 1995 and yet listen to this quote and tell me it doesn't perfectly embody the cultural climate of the 2020s: "America is an angry nation-angry because of the emotional distress caused by the breakup of the home; angry because of crime; angry because of vanishing economic prospects; angry because of perceived betrayal by politicians; angry also because each side in the culture war sees the other as the enemy of all that America should stand for."
No one can fault his observations, he is spot on. He's even correct in his prescriptions. "The church is a community that is in need of continual reform, always examining itself as to whether it is being true to Christ's mandate." That's true. That is what the church should be doing, but one problem that he didn't foresee is that the church today is doing a lot of self-examination using alternate gospels rather than using the Bible as its standard. That is the thing that the American church can learn from the failures of the German church, let us not confuse the political with the spiritual. The gospel alone is our aim, the gospel alone is our judge and our guide. We cannot add to it, we cannot subtract from it, we must instead live it. When we examine ourselves, we must measure ourselves against its mandates, and find ourselves ever falling short. This is a foundational doctrine that we do not hear enough: Salvation is complete upon point of accepting Christ, but sanctification is an ongoing process that will not finish until we are remade. I believe that this is both an individual process and a corporate process. The believer is being sanctified, but so is the church.
September 24, 2016
Like Ravi Zacharias's books, this took me a little while to read. While it's not a super long book, there is so much packed into the pages that it takes me quite a bit longer to read and understand it all.
One of the things I love about Pastor Lutzer's preaching and his writing is that he does not shy away from the truth. He doesn't mince words or try to make something easier to read, he says it how it is. It was fascinating and horrifying to see yet another side of Hitler and his Third Reich, yet the stories included of those who stood up against the Nazi regemine, as few as they may have been, was inspiring.
The chapters on suffering for Christ were convicting. In this day and age no one likes to talk about that. Yet, as Christians, we are called to "take up our cross and follow Him." The cross is suffering! It's enduring shame for His name. And if we back down, we are not worthy of the name of Christ.
The last chapter, "America's Hidden Cross", was a sobering warning. This book was published in 1995, but it hits on so many things that are going on in our world today. I thank the Lord that He gave Pastor Lutzer insight to writing this book and the warning it contains. If we become content to simply live our lives and not preach the gospel and be willing to suffer for it, the freedoms we have will be taken away till we have nothing left. The cross of Christ is the only thing that can lead to salvation; to revival. And it is worth suffering for!
One of my favorite quotes was; "Remember, God isn't interested in saving America. He's interested in saving Americans."
One of the things I love about Pastor Lutzer's preaching and his writing is that he does not shy away from the truth. He doesn't mince words or try to make something easier to read, he says it how it is. It was fascinating and horrifying to see yet another side of Hitler and his Third Reich, yet the stories included of those who stood up against the Nazi regemine, as few as they may have been, was inspiring.
The chapters on suffering for Christ were convicting. In this day and age no one likes to talk about that. Yet, as Christians, we are called to "take up our cross and follow Him." The cross is suffering! It's enduring shame for His name. And if we back down, we are not worthy of the name of Christ.
The last chapter, "America's Hidden Cross", was a sobering warning. This book was published in 1995, but it hits on so many things that are going on in our world today. I thank the Lord that He gave Pastor Lutzer insight to writing this book and the warning it contains. If we become content to simply live our lives and not preach the gospel and be willing to suffer for it, the freedoms we have will be taken away till we have nothing left. The cross of Christ is the only thing that can lead to salvation; to revival. And it is worth suffering for!
One of my favorite quotes was; "Remember, God isn't interested in saving America. He's interested in saving Americans."
October 20, 2015
Закінчила читати цю книгу, маю над чим подумати і в чому засумніватися.
Автор вміло провів паралелі між нацистською Німеччиною 20 сторіччя та деякими демократичними державами, які сьогодні теж в своїй політиці мають "Арійські параграфи", "Остаточне єврейське рішення", тощо, проте вони завуальовані під різні соціальні та політичні вимоги. Крім того, автор мав на меті виявити, що відбувається, коли люди цінують шматок хліба і стабільність більше за свободу слова, думки і світогляду. Люцер теж яскраво висвітлив, що трапляється з суспільством в цілому, коли Церква мовчить і не захищає народ від тирана.
Особливо зачепила думка про те, що християни завинили перед переслідуваними євреями своїм мовчанням. Вони не стали на захист знедолених, коли то було їм так необхідно. І це може бути серйозною причиною небежання євреїв прислухатися до християнства сьогодні.
Книга містить багато стверджень про причетність Гітлера до оккультизму, і, можливо, на заваді став мій скептицизм, а, можливо, здоровий глузд, проте мені не вистачило наведених аргументів на захист цього твердженння.
Автор вміло провів паралелі між нацистською Німеччиною 20 сторіччя та деякими демократичними державами, які сьогодні теж в своїй політиці мають "Арійські параграфи", "Остаточне єврейське рішення", тощо, проте вони завуальовані під різні соціальні та політичні вимоги. Крім того, автор мав на меті виявити, що відбувається, коли люди цінують шматок хліба і стабільність більше за свободу слова, думки і світогляду. Люцер теж яскраво висвітлив, що трапляється з суспільством в цілому, коли Церква мовчить і не захищає народ від тирана.
Особливо зачепила думка про те, що християни завинили перед переслідуваними євреями своїм мовчанням. Вони не стали на захист знедолених, коли то було їм так необхідно. І це може бути серйозною причиною небежання євреїв прислухатися до християнства сьогодні.
Книга містить багато стверджень про причетність Гітлера до оккультизму, і, можливо, на заваді став мій скептицизм, а, можливо, здоровий глузд, проте мені не вистачило наведених аргументів на захист цього твердженння.
March 25, 2013
There is some good content in here, and the story of the church in Nazi Germany is an interesting one. All the good content is more than buried by 3 problems:
1. Almost the entire book consists of assertions which are either unsourced or highly questionably sourced, including (e.g.) uncritical restatements of myths about occultism and Hitler that have been decades disproven.
2. The author makes repeated clumsy attempts to link Nazism with virtually every worldview other than evangelical Christianity (e.g., implying that Hindus are Nazis).
3. The author makes repeated attempts to link Nazi Germany to present day America (as of 1995), many of which are downright offensive.
1. Almost the entire book consists of assertions which are either unsourced or highly questionably sourced, including (e.g.) uncritical restatements of myths about occultism and Hitler that have been decades disproven.
2. The author makes repeated clumsy attempts to link Nazism with virtually every worldview other than evangelical Christianity (e.g., implying that Hindus are Nazis).
3. The author makes repeated attempts to link Nazi Germany to present day America (as of 1995), many of which are downright offensive.
February 6, 2017
I liked the initial history lesson. It was good for a few chapters and then the author's brain flies off to lala land. How marvelously retarded and how utterly disrespectful. The people who lived and died under Nazi oppression deserve to have their stories told in a factual light, not through some supernatural rationalization. It's incomprehensible to me how anyone could agree that those who survived were the chosen "wheat," while those who died were merely "chaff." To think that this rubbish got republished in 2012. Unbelievable.
May 19, 2018
Previously published on Purely by Faith Reviews.
Recommended Age: 16+ (maybe 15), for interest as well as some facts that are highly disturbing.
I was really excited to discover this book. I’ve been extremely interest in WWII and wanted to learn more about the history. When I opened and started reading it, I realized how in-depth and well-written it was. There was a lot of information that took a while for me to sift through, and there were many paragraphs that surprised me. I didn’t know how evil Hitler was (like I did, but apparently didn’t since I didn’t realize he had many personal hobbies that were very gross and sinful).
It touched on Hitler and other men that he was fond of, deciding God was dead and all of that stuff. Pastor Lutzer’s writing is amazing! He does not shy away from the truth nor does he sugarcoat anything, keeping everything true to it’s core. Honestly, the book got so chilling for me (mainly because I just couldn’t understand why those historical figures could believe those awful things) that I wasn’t able to finish it. I think this is an important book for everyone to read, especially if you are interested in WWII like I am, but you’d have to prepare yourself for how tough of an impact this book will have on you. I wouldn’t have any younger children read this because of how descriptive it is as well as topics it touches on (such as Hitler being fond of porn), which is why I recommend 16 or older (maybe 15). I’d like to go back and attempt to finish this once I’m ready to do so since it’s very important to our understanding of history that everyone should know.
Content Warnings: Touches on topics that may be uncomfortable for people, such as Hitler’s love of porn, that God is dead, historical figures believing themselves to be gods, etc.
I received this book from Moody Publishers Newsroom in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to give a positive one. This review was written in my own words and opinions.
Recommended Age: 16+ (maybe 15), for interest as well as some facts that are highly disturbing.
I was really excited to discover this book. I’ve been extremely interest in WWII and wanted to learn more about the history. When I opened and started reading it, I realized how in-depth and well-written it was. There was a lot of information that took a while for me to sift through, and there were many paragraphs that surprised me. I didn’t know how evil Hitler was (like I did, but apparently didn’t since I didn’t realize he had many personal hobbies that were very gross and sinful).
It touched on Hitler and other men that he was fond of, deciding God was dead and all of that stuff. Pastor Lutzer’s writing is amazing! He does not shy away from the truth nor does he sugarcoat anything, keeping everything true to it’s core. Honestly, the book got so chilling for me (mainly because I just couldn’t understand why those historical figures could believe those awful things) that I wasn’t able to finish it. I think this is an important book for everyone to read, especially if you are interested in WWII like I am, but you’d have to prepare yourself for how tough of an impact this book will have on you. I wouldn’t have any younger children read this because of how descriptive it is as well as topics it touches on (such as Hitler being fond of porn), which is why I recommend 16 or older (maybe 15). I’d like to go back and attempt to finish this once I’m ready to do so since it’s very important to our understanding of history that everyone should know.
Content Warnings: Touches on topics that may be uncomfortable for people, such as Hitler’s love of porn, that God is dead, historical figures believing themselves to be gods, etc.
I received this book from Moody Publishers Newsroom in exchange for an honest review. I was not obligated to give a positive one. This review was written in my own words and opinions.
March 24, 2024
Lutzer writes a condensed, yet well-researched, history of the Nazi Party during WWII from a Christian perspective. He dives into the occult worshipping of prominent Nazis, including the origins of the party, its slogans, and rituals. Portions of the text also look at spiritual warfare and as expected, compare Hitler to the Antichrist who is to come. The text looks at what happens when the Church compromises, doesn’t speak out, and tries to serve the government (or culture) and Jesus. It is a good encouragement to examine one's own faith, as the ways in which the German Church was duped into supporting Hitler is ultimately a consequence of their lukewarm, or non-existent, faith.
While I enjoyed the text in its entirety, and would recommend it to anyone interested or anyone with little knowledge about Nazi ideology, I did feel this book lost focus. The ending chapters become more biographies of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Niemöller than truly focusing on the misuse of the Cross. The ending chapter or so reads as a primer for When a Nation Forgets God: 7 Lessons We Must Learn from Nazi Germany, as Lutzer delves into the state of Christianity in America at the time of publication (of which his observations are only amplified today).
Also as an aside, I did find the comparisons between the German Church deciding to essentially abandon the cross in favor of worshipping the swastika at the same church in which Martin Luther nailed his Theses to the door to be rather ironic, given that there's zero mention of Luther's own Antisemitism and how this inspired Nazi beliefs.
Format: Physical Book, Owned
Rating: 3.5 stars
Book 53 of 2024
While I enjoyed the text in its entirety, and would recommend it to anyone interested or anyone with little knowledge about Nazi ideology, I did feel this book lost focus. The ending chapters become more biographies of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Niemöller than truly focusing on the misuse of the Cross. The ending chapter or so reads as a primer for When a Nation Forgets God: 7 Lessons We Must Learn from Nazi Germany, as Lutzer delves into the state of Christianity in America at the time of publication (of which his observations are only amplified today).
Also as an aside, I did find the comparisons between the German Church deciding to essentially abandon the cross in favor of worshipping the swastika at the same church in which Martin Luther nailed his Theses to the door to be rather ironic, given that there's zero mention of Luther's own Antisemitism and how this inspired Nazi beliefs.
Format: Physical Book, Owned
Rating: 3.5 stars
Book 53 of 2024
June 11, 2017
Hitler’s Cross is fascinating, enlightening, and downright terrifying. It is a book that I was meant to read. Erwin W. Lutzer covers an extremely dark subject matter in a clear, concise, and compassionate manner. I believe that the state of humanity is such that burying or hiding from our history is dangerous. Instead, truthful evaluation and personal introspection are imperative in order to avoid repetition of humankind’s greatest atrocities. We must not forget the atrocities committed nor can we forget the unfortunate fear, lack of faith, and lack of response that was exhibited by the Christian church during WWII. Hitler’s Cross is an excellent resource for the church to use in understanding this period in our history.
As a follower of Christ, it is so challenging to wrap my mind around the level of deception and depravity that we can be brought down to. But as I have grown in my faith I have gained a clearer picture of the Christian church as a whole. We are solely dependent on God’s grace, mercy, and personal sacrifice to save us from falling into the pit. It is far too easy for us to remove our eyes from Christ and submit ourselves to the will of the world. It is possible that we would respond to a similar situation in much the same manner today… I sure pray not. I specifically pray that I will always have my focus upon Christ so that I do not fall into the same trap, which when I am honest with myself would be far too easy to do.
This biblical study of one of the church and humanities greatest failings is truly valuable. We are a depraved people. As I read I realized that the degradation of human life and it’s intrinsic value induced by Hitler and those that inspired him is something altogether deeper and darker than I could have ever imagined. There is value in the backstory which Hitler’s Cross provides. Lutzer provides background information on Hitler’s insidious rise to power which I found extremely helpful towards gaining an understanding of the Christian lack of response.
Hitler’s atrocities are just one chapter in a very sad story that has been written over and over again since Satan first deceived Adam and Eve. Fortunately, Lutzer doesn’t leave us flailing in the dark subject matter… this portion of our history is dark indeed but God provides us with one bright shining light of forgiveness and redemption in His Son Jesus Christ. His conquering light comes shining forth in spite of Hitler’s attempts to annihilate it through his regime of hate and pride.
In addition, amidst all of the important historical information, Lutzer provides one of the best responses to atheism that I have seen. He writes:
"We have met those who tell us that no God could see the atrocities of this world (eg. the Holocaust) and not intervene. We must be sensitive to such a reaction as it is difficult to understand how a good God could permit (and hence ordain) such evil. But atheism is very unsatisfying; it affirms not only that we have horrific injustice in the world, but also that justice will never triumph.
I have a Jewish friend who does not believe in a personal God precisely because of the Holocaust. But he seemed perturbed when I reminded him one day that according to his view, Hitler and his henchmen would never be judged for what they did. In an atheistic world not only is this world unjust, but there can be no justice. Atheism teaches that our cry for justice will never be satisfied.”
If you wonder
-how Hitler gained such prominence with such radical ideas
-why the Christian church didn't object before it was too late
-why the Christian church was silent overall
-what hidden "crosses" exist in modern America
read Hitler's Cross!
As a reviewer for MP Newsroom, I received a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. My thanks to the author and publisher.
For all of my reviews visit blessed and bewildered
As a follower of Christ, it is so challenging to wrap my mind around the level of deception and depravity that we can be brought down to. But as I have grown in my faith I have gained a clearer picture of the Christian church as a whole. We are solely dependent on God’s grace, mercy, and personal sacrifice to save us from falling into the pit. It is far too easy for us to remove our eyes from Christ and submit ourselves to the will of the world. It is possible that we would respond to a similar situation in much the same manner today… I sure pray not. I specifically pray that I will always have my focus upon Christ so that I do not fall into the same trap, which when I am honest with myself would be far too easy to do.
This biblical study of one of the church and humanities greatest failings is truly valuable. We are a depraved people. As I read I realized that the degradation of human life and it’s intrinsic value induced by Hitler and those that inspired him is something altogether deeper and darker than I could have ever imagined. There is value in the backstory which Hitler’s Cross provides. Lutzer provides background information on Hitler’s insidious rise to power which I found extremely helpful towards gaining an understanding of the Christian lack of response.
Hitler’s atrocities are just one chapter in a very sad story that has been written over and over again since Satan first deceived Adam and Eve. Fortunately, Lutzer doesn’t leave us flailing in the dark subject matter… this portion of our history is dark indeed but God provides us with one bright shining light of forgiveness and redemption in His Son Jesus Christ. His conquering light comes shining forth in spite of Hitler’s attempts to annihilate it through his regime of hate and pride.
In addition, amidst all of the important historical information, Lutzer provides one of the best responses to atheism that I have seen. He writes:
"We have met those who tell us that no God could see the atrocities of this world (eg. the Holocaust) and not intervene. We must be sensitive to such a reaction as it is difficult to understand how a good God could permit (and hence ordain) such evil. But atheism is very unsatisfying; it affirms not only that we have horrific injustice in the world, but also that justice will never triumph.
I have a Jewish friend who does not believe in a personal God precisely because of the Holocaust. But he seemed perturbed when I reminded him one day that according to his view, Hitler and his henchmen would never be judged for what they did. In an atheistic world not only is this world unjust, but there can be no justice. Atheism teaches that our cry for justice will never be satisfied.”
If you wonder
-how Hitler gained such prominence with such radical ideas
-why the Christian church didn't object before it was too late
-why the Christian church was silent overall
-what hidden "crosses" exist in modern America
read Hitler's Cross!
As a reviewer for MP Newsroom, I received a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. My thanks to the author and publisher.
For all of my reviews visit blessed and bewildered
October 14, 2017
While this book certainly had some strong points and was an interesting topic, it was full of theological errors and poor writing.
The Positives
This book certainly had some strong points. The information about Hitler’s corrupt spiritual practices was disturbing and interesting. There were some strong sections related to responding to God and recognizing Christ in others. Lutzer included some inspiring stories about Christians who lived courageously during the Holocaust. I also admitted the humility and just criticism of where Christians failed to live as Christians during this politically tumultuous time. My favorite line in the whole book was “We don’t need to live through a holocaust to be heroic. We need to be all that God wants us to be every single day.”
The Negatives
However, these positives were limited and overshadowed by the flaws in this book. The problems of this book include missed opportunities, one-off comments that are harmful, and bad theology. All of these were tied together with a bad writing style ranging from boring to borderline ranting (think stereotypical drunk uncle).
Some minor problems were Lutzer not completing his thoughts (at one point he only listed three points when he promised five) and having quote boxes show up several pages prior to the quote appearing in the text. A missed opportunity was expanding on Christian heroism at the time; it is very disappointing he failed to describe Saint Maximilian Kolbe’s story. I appreciate that he attempted to link it to modern times, but it felt like some points were wedged in there or just missed the mark.
Normally, I would look past single lines or short passages that are bad, but there were two instances where the content in some was so terrible, I felt it needed to be addressed. At one point, he implies suicide is courageous. The other was dismissing the suffering of homosexuals oppressed by the Nazi regime. You can acknowledge that the anti-Semitism had a wider impact without totally disregarding the mistreatment of others.
As in Christ among other gods, there were a number of theological issues. He made it seem like God caused the suffering. Though he later clarified it slightly by explaining that God allows suffering, it was not a complete correction. His ideas about salvation are also concerning. His comments about rapture and the end times could be overlooked, but his comments on Hitler’s eternal fate are inexcusable. While it is certainly possible that Hitler is in Hell, only God judges that. To say that Hitler made an “irreversible vow” to Satan and is facing eternal torment ignores the potential for repentance and God’s incomprehensible mercy.
Catholic Perspective
As a Catholic reading a Protestant book, I was aware that there probably wouldn’t be much about the Catholic Church. However, Lutzer went between completely ignoring the Catholic Church’s role and presently thinly veiled attacks on strawmen representations of Catholicism. Accordingly, I am skeptical of any claims he makes about the Catholic Church. What is disappointing is he repeatedly talks about the church (which I assume he is talking about Christianity), but fails to include or intentionally isolates out Catholicism.
This is a much more minor point, but I cringed when I read “Divisions within the church are, of course, necessary and sanctioned by Scripture.” I did get a laugh when he was describing the two Protestant factions arguing which of them could trace their history back to the Reformation.
Final Thoughts
This is the first book I have reviewed that I cannot recommend. Though there were some good portions, this book is not engaging and is full of problematic contents.
Note: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The Positives
This book certainly had some strong points. The information about Hitler’s corrupt spiritual practices was disturbing and interesting. There were some strong sections related to responding to God and recognizing Christ in others. Lutzer included some inspiring stories about Christians who lived courageously during the Holocaust. I also admitted the humility and just criticism of where Christians failed to live as Christians during this politically tumultuous time. My favorite line in the whole book was “We don’t need to live through a holocaust to be heroic. We need to be all that God wants us to be every single day.”
The Negatives
However, these positives were limited and overshadowed by the flaws in this book. The problems of this book include missed opportunities, one-off comments that are harmful, and bad theology. All of these were tied together with a bad writing style ranging from boring to borderline ranting (think stereotypical drunk uncle).
Some minor problems were Lutzer not completing his thoughts (at one point he only listed three points when he promised five) and having quote boxes show up several pages prior to the quote appearing in the text. A missed opportunity was expanding on Christian heroism at the time; it is very disappointing he failed to describe Saint Maximilian Kolbe’s story. I appreciate that he attempted to link it to modern times, but it felt like some points were wedged in there or just missed the mark.
Normally, I would look past single lines or short passages that are bad, but there were two instances where the content in some was so terrible, I felt it needed to be addressed. At one point, he implies suicide is courageous. The other was dismissing the suffering of homosexuals oppressed by the Nazi regime. You can acknowledge that the anti-Semitism had a wider impact without totally disregarding the mistreatment of others.
As in Christ among other gods, there were a number of theological issues. He made it seem like God caused the suffering. Though he later clarified it slightly by explaining that God allows suffering, it was not a complete correction. His ideas about salvation are also concerning. His comments about rapture and the end times could be overlooked, but his comments on Hitler’s eternal fate are inexcusable. While it is certainly possible that Hitler is in Hell, only God judges that. To say that Hitler made an “irreversible vow” to Satan and is facing eternal torment ignores the potential for repentance and God’s incomprehensible mercy.
Catholic Perspective
As a Catholic reading a Protestant book, I was aware that there probably wouldn’t be much about the Catholic Church. However, Lutzer went between completely ignoring the Catholic Church’s role and presently thinly veiled attacks on strawmen representations of Catholicism. Accordingly, I am skeptical of any claims he makes about the Catholic Church. What is disappointing is he repeatedly talks about the church (which I assume he is talking about Christianity), but fails to include or intentionally isolates out Catholicism.
This is a much more minor point, but I cringed when I read “Divisions within the church are, of course, necessary and sanctioned by Scripture.” I did get a laugh when he was describing the two Protestant factions arguing which of them could trace their history back to the Reformation.
Final Thoughts
This is the first book I have reviewed that I cannot recommend. Though there were some good portions, this book is not engaging and is full of problematic contents.
Note: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
November 7, 2015
The new edition of this book is being released at the right time. While I am not prepared to assert that America is turning into Nazi Germany, it would be hard not to see parallels in the way that some branches of Christianity are succumbing to the will of the state despite their knowledge of Scripture.
This book and others like it are important because we must realize that historically the role of the church has been to be the conscience of the government and the society that they exist within, and never a body that gives passive acceptance to everything that the world offers. This book may reach too far in some of its assertions about America being like Nazi Germany, but it is still worth the read. Would your church be prepared to stand against horrific sin? Where are they standing now? Read this and be challenged.
This book and others like it are important because we must realize that historically the role of the church has been to be the conscience of the government and the society that they exist within, and never a body that gives passive acceptance to everything that the world offers. This book may reach too far in some of its assertions about America being like Nazi Germany, but it is still worth the read. Would your church be prepared to stand against horrific sin? Where are they standing now? Read this and be challenged.
November 17, 2016
Erwin W. Lutzer traces the path of how the church in Germany forgot or put aside its mission and was largely silent about Nazi excesses and Hitler's ultimate take over of both church and state. He profiles Hitler's rise to power along with Hitler's involvement in the occult, as well as the German nation's willingness to accept Hitler as their leader because of German nationalism.
The parallels to what is currently happening in the United States are astoundingly similar, and the evangelical church in America is acting eerily similar to how the church in Germany acted between 1933 and 1945. Mr. Lutzer does address this, but I wish he had gone further in addressing intolerance and hate that often seems to emanate from within today's church and not just from without. As a follower of Christ, I find this more disturbing than non-believer's efforts to make the church less relevant today.
The parallels to what is currently happening in the United States are astoundingly similar, and the evangelical church in America is acting eerily similar to how the church in Germany acted between 1933 and 1945. Mr. Lutzer does address this, but I wish he had gone further in addressing intolerance and hate that often seems to emanate from within today's church and not just from without. As a follower of Christ, I find this more disturbing than non-believer's efforts to make the church less relevant today.
August 9, 2016
This is about 60% history and 38% theology (and 2% pictures). It was hard to put down. I think Erwin Lutzer does a pretty good job interpreting the past for us. It is not a mud-slinging contest aimed at the German church, but it is unflinching in its critique where it should be. Though this was written in the 90s, it's hard not to see the church in America as facing similar decisions with regard to its political leadership. Lutzer would say (I think rightly) that the church needs to be disentangled politically or its primary message becomes garbled. I have thought this for a long time, but Lutzer makes his case compelling.
June 1, 2011
Lutzer made some excellent points about how Hitler inverted what belief was and how he was able to acquire the allegiance of church people in general and even the "confessing" church. Lutzer fails to make the connection to America and how nest the religious community in this country is with the political order. Secondly, Lutzer fails to see the real hook in the religious communities' allegiance what that these religious people saw themselves first as Germans rather than just believers who happened to live in Germany. This is the detail few understand is the problem in America as well.
February 8, 2017
This is required reading in my Son's AP European History class, so I decided to read it. It is a good warning against allowing the Church to get co-opted by political ideas. It documents how much of the German Church stood by and ignored the Holocaust, in describing how one Congregation would sing louder as the train taking Jews to the death camps rolled by..sad! However it also documents many Hero's courageous men like Dietrich Bonhoeffer who stood against the tide. It is an excellent read and I am proud of my son's school for requiring him to read it.
October 17, 2014
This books is more of a 2.5 more than a 3 star book.
I would have liked this better if the author had stuck to the primary subject at hand. He often drifted to other parallels, which though were interesting, was not what I wanted to read at the present. I picked up this book because I wanted to read about Hitler and the church in Germany, not about Biblical prophecy, the decline of America, etc...
I would have liked this better if the author had stuck to the primary subject at hand. He often drifted to other parallels, which though were interesting, was not what I wanted to read at the present. I picked up this book because I wanted to read about Hitler and the church in Germany, not about Biblical prophecy, the decline of America, etc...
July 25, 2014
I read this book in its first edition. Fantastic book. The similarities to today will shock you. I see it's out in a new edition. I think everyone should read it. If you have a high schooler, have him or her read it as a good background for civics and history. Even if the schools are watering down and revising history, you can and must give your kids the truth. "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana
March 23, 2007
I've always had a strange fascination with the Third Reich. During my senior year of high school, I wrote my IB history thesis on the effects of Nazi propaganda on the masses in Germany during WWII. This is one of the books that I read for my research. It provides not only a broad overview of the Nazi reign, but paints a brilliant picture of the dogmatic figure who was Adolf Hitler.
November 10, 2014
Very interesting book about how Hitler gained control over Germany using psychological and religious manipulation. Enjoyed the book a lot, however, I am giving it 4 stars because I was annoyed by the lack of proper comma usage. It made the book hard to read/comprehend at times but that's just me. Still a good and fascinating read.
June 26, 2013
Amazing historical information. Heartfelt reflection on the church, state, and the cross. Intriguing correlations between Germany then and America today.
November 23, 2017
"The lampstead in the German church was, for the most part, wrested from its setting when the Cross before which all men should bow was exchanged for the cross which proud men marched". Hitler saw himself as the new messiah and would not have any gods worshiped before him and his cross, the swastika.
This book demands to be read slowly and with great thought and reflection.
This book demands to be read slowly and with great thought and reflection.
March 28, 2016
This book is all I expected it to be, and more. A weighty work by Erwin Lutzer, it brings to light the evil belief system which drove Hitler as well as some of his predecessors and followers in their walk of sin. Although I knew the basics for Hitler's hatred of the Jews and Christians, and had studied his life somewhat about ten years ago, I had much more to learn. How he was rooted in occultism, loved Hinduism, believed in the caste system, set himself up as the fulfillment of Christ, (disgusting!) and led the majority of the German nation into sin.
Reading this book is hard because of the blasphemous beliefs and words presented by Adolf Hitler and his followers. I'm not saying that I didn't previously know that Hitler was that dangerous...I just didn't fathom the depths from which the monstrosities he endorsed and carried out. It's easy to believe, if you don't read further into Hitler's belief system, that he was ''just'' an extremely power-hungry man, as many kings of the past have been, with a hatred of Jews...and Christians...and righteousness. But to realize that the murder of millions was just a portion of what he would have loved to have carried out...
And to think that, without Christ we all are just as evil! Our ''little'' sins are just as condemning. It's eye-opening to ponder this thought. It would have been good if the author had dwelt on self-examination in this important book. Yet I understand that he had too much as it was to write in this good-sized paperback.
One thing he does tackle:An aspect which I did not expect in this book was the likening of pre-Hitler Germany to...America. Of course I have heard some about this similarity, but it just hovered at the back of my mind after the initial surprise.
This book is an eye-opener and leaves no room for doubting. As the author explains at a point in the book...
''We can't help but wonder whether the church was warning people about this satanic occultism that swept Germany. The lie that Christianity can be combined with the esoteric mysticism of other religions is easily believed by those who are ignorant of the biblical warnings about such compromise. The apparent silence of the church about such rebellion is a warning to us who live in an age when these same ideas flourish in our country, albeit in a different form.''
The author explains that Germany as a whole, depressed by the outcome of World War 1 and it's the destruction left in its wake was especially open to 'false prophets' such as Hitler. They were steeped in occultism. And we end up with such quotes as these...
Aug. 30 1933: Pastor Julius Leutherser stated 'Christ has come through Hitler...we have only one task, be German, not Christian.''
Thankfully, the author does also have a couple chapters on the faithful men of God in Germany at this time; namely Bonhoeffer, of course.
The author quotes from Hitler's statements....''Christianity, by honoring mercy and forgiveness, has weakened the German nation''. In contrast, Hitler's religion would be a ''joyous message that liberated men from the things that burdened their life. We should no longer have any fear of death or a bad conscience.''
''What Christ began'', he said, ''I will complete.'' In a speech...he parodied the Lord's prayer, promising that under him a new kingdom would come on earth....
In Nuremberg, a giant photo of Hitler was captioned with the words ''In the beginning was the Word.''
So blasphemous.
We need to examine our own hearts...
''Those of us who live in America think that suffering for Christ is somehow fundamentally inadmissible; it is un-American and contradicts the notion that ''I should do what is best for me''
I repeat, this is a thought-provoking book packed with hard truths. It is so easy to ignore the facts of the past, to assume that a war such as world war 2 will never again happen. But author Erwin Lutzer explains the importance of studying the problems and sins of the past so that we may avoid them in the future.
I received this book free from Moody Publishers as part of their Moody Publishers Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
Reading this book is hard because of the blasphemous beliefs and words presented by Adolf Hitler and his followers. I'm not saying that I didn't previously know that Hitler was that dangerous...I just didn't fathom the depths from which the monstrosities he endorsed and carried out. It's easy to believe, if you don't read further into Hitler's belief system, that he was ''just'' an extremely power-hungry man, as many kings of the past have been, with a hatred of Jews...and Christians...and righteousness. But to realize that the murder of millions was just a portion of what he would have loved to have carried out...
And to think that, without Christ we all are just as evil! Our ''little'' sins are just as condemning. It's eye-opening to ponder this thought. It would have been good if the author had dwelt on self-examination in this important book. Yet I understand that he had too much as it was to write in this good-sized paperback.
One thing he does tackle:An aspect which I did not expect in this book was the likening of pre-Hitler Germany to...America. Of course I have heard some about this similarity, but it just hovered at the back of my mind after the initial surprise.
This book is an eye-opener and leaves no room for doubting. As the author explains at a point in the book...
''We can't help but wonder whether the church was warning people about this satanic occultism that swept Germany. The lie that Christianity can be combined with the esoteric mysticism of other religions is easily believed by those who are ignorant of the biblical warnings about such compromise. The apparent silence of the church about such rebellion is a warning to us who live in an age when these same ideas flourish in our country, albeit in a different form.''
The author explains that Germany as a whole, depressed by the outcome of World War 1 and it's the destruction left in its wake was especially open to 'false prophets' such as Hitler. They were steeped in occultism. And we end up with such quotes as these...
Aug. 30 1933: Pastor Julius Leutherser stated 'Christ has come through Hitler...we have only one task, be German, not Christian.''
Thankfully, the author does also have a couple chapters on the faithful men of God in Germany at this time; namely Bonhoeffer, of course.
The author quotes from Hitler's statements....''Christianity, by honoring mercy and forgiveness, has weakened the German nation''. In contrast, Hitler's religion would be a ''joyous message that liberated men from the things that burdened their life. We should no longer have any fear of death or a bad conscience.''
''What Christ began'', he said, ''I will complete.'' In a speech...he parodied the Lord's prayer, promising that under him a new kingdom would come on earth....
In Nuremberg, a giant photo of Hitler was captioned with the words ''In the beginning was the Word.''
So blasphemous.
We need to examine our own hearts...
''Those of us who live in America think that suffering for Christ is somehow fundamentally inadmissible; it is un-American and contradicts the notion that ''I should do what is best for me''
I repeat, this is a thought-provoking book packed with hard truths. It is so easy to ignore the facts of the past, to assume that a war such as world war 2 will never again happen. But author Erwin Lutzer explains the importance of studying the problems and sins of the past so that we may avoid them in the future.
I received this book free from Moody Publishers as part of their Moody Publishers Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255
July 12, 2020
This was a great read. It was readable, informative, theologically sound and challenging. There were highlights on almost every page. With the book being 25 years old it was interesting to see many of Lutzer’s predictions for America come true since the Book’s publishing. Many of the comparisons between present day America and Germany just prior to the rise of Hitler are scary.
October 17, 2017
““History has to repeat itself,” said Woody Allen, “because nobody was listening the first time around.””
Adolf Hitler, the Third Reich, the SS, and all the things that Nazism did during the years of World War II will never cease to be a treasure trove of interesting information and horrifying details. The actions, behaviours, and thoughts of those leading the Nazi party were truly destructive on a massive scale. There is no way to capture how devastating their work was and still is.
But it wasn’t only the millions of Jews, homosexuals, gypsies, and people of African descent that suffered; the Christian Church did as well, though not in the same way. This is what Erwin W. Lutzer wants to help us understand with his book, Hitler’s Cross: How the Cross Was Used to Promote the Nazi Agenda.
While the idea Christianity and Nazism having anything in common may seem a bizarre topic for a book, it is astonishing the relationship that was present. And it is this kind of relationship that Lutzer quickly points out is being mirrored in modern America today.
Lutzer begins looking into the strange connections of Nazism and the Church well before the Second World War started. Going back into Germany’s pre-history, the Reichs before Hitler’s Third, Lutzer unveils and unravels the pieces that let the Nazi Party into leadership. And why the Church caved. Why the Church largely abandoned the Bible, and replaced it with Mein Kampf. Why the Church took down the symbol of the Cross and put the image of Adolf Hitler instead. It may sound bizarre, but is nothing short of historical fact.
It isn’t just the historical facts that Lutzer is interested in though. While they are important and need to be shared, Lutzer has a pastoral heart and sees that the mistakes of the past are about to be repeated in the present.
The Church was silent in the face of evil in the 1930’s and 40’s. It is being silent now. The Church was pressured by the governing body to conform to their image. This is also happening in modern America. The Church was divided over their beliefs and allegiances until they were nothing but scattered sheep. This lack of unity is very prevalent now.
Erwin W. Lutzer aims to tell the story of Nazi Germany as a conflict between two saviours and two crosses, Hitler and the swastika, and Jesus and the Cross. The well researched and described events of Hitler’s Cross will shake your soul, stir up your own convictions and drive you to see that you have only one Savior and one cross in your life.
“When the Cross is wrapped in the flag of a political party, it is always distorted and diminished.”
Watching dominoes fall one into the other is a magical, memorizing thing. One domino effects the other, effect the others, until everything has fallen down. Germany, a once great nation, did not suddenly fall apart when Adolf Hitler was voted into power. There were many more dominoes that fell that effected the cultural, economic, and even spiritual landscape to make Hitler’s meteoric rise successful. This is something that Lutzer unveils well.
Going as far back as the First Reich, from 800-1806, the ground was being prepared for Hitler to push the Church into a corner, and replace the Savior and Cross with another. The Church came under government rule, and the two scratched each other’s back. The problem comes when the ruling power wanted the church to only scratch it’s back.
Lutzer goes on to show how a failed economy, the philosophy being taught in university, like that of Georg Hegel and Friedrich Nietzsche, all contributed to what happened in the 1930’s and 40’s. Even though these men, both died well before Hitler was around, and the problems had origins in time gone by, they all contributed to the domino effect that gave rise to Nazism.
What makes this so interesting is that Lutzer includes what was happening spiritually in Germany at the time. History books will always share what happened in the past, but rarely do they touch on how the emotional, psychological, and spiritual conditions contributed to what went on. This is eye opening for those that do not know.
His method of sharing largely unknown history with people may seem strange, but there is a wisdom to what Lutzer is doing. By making this book a historic sermon, looking at history and then applying the lesson or mistakes to today, the problems that the church of Germany faced are quickly seen as the problems of the church in whatever country you hail from. Bending to the power of the government, being silent when you aught to be loud are not just things the church in Germany needed to learn, they are lessons for today. Only a pastor could bring those things to light and urge us to apply them so well and effortlessly.
While Lutzer does many things right as a historian, revealing details and sharing information in way that is both informative and entertaining, what may drive readers away is his preaching. This is not strictly a history book, but a comparative look at what happened in Nazi Germany and modern America, circa 1995. The horrible and deplorable things that happened in the 1930’s and 40’s, Lutzer argues, are happening again in the country the fought so hard against Nazism. He wants to open up the eyes of those that will see that Christianity in America is in jeopardy of being sniffed out as it was in Germany under the rule of Adolf Hitler.
No one can blame Lutzer having an opinion on the urgent affairs of the world, but to blanket them in terms like “demonic” and “satanic”; no reader will walk away from Hitler’s Cross and not know exactly what Lutzer believes.
And that is not only about topics like homosexuality or abortion, but even end times theology and the theology of others, like Dietrich Bonhoeffer. With statements about how “we” as 21st century Christians may wish that Bonhoeffer and his friend, Karl Barth would have been more forthright in affirming the reliability of Scripture or standing against “liberalism”, Lutzer is chasing a quick, but clear judgment that such Christian heroes should have done a better job in the midst of evil (229).
For those followers of Christ that hold a different belief about the Antichrist, Lutzer’s regular assertion that America is primed and ready for his arrival will be put off from time to time. Anyone that has read 1 John 2:18 may argue that an Antichrist lived during WWII, and there may be a place for another to arise in America now. However you read such passages, Lutzer hold fast to the notion that what Hitler and the Nazi party did was but a foreshadowing of what is to come to those that deny Christ and the work of His Cross. Let us pray that such work can be undone by the power of His Spirit.
To conclude Lutzer’s historical sermon, he appeals for readers to fight for Christianity in America. As though Christianity was to be snuffed out and the entire faith collapse. While it is right that one should stand up for their right to faith and not see it unduly persecuted by the governing bodies, it seems that Lutzer has forgotten much of Church history.
It was in persecution that Christianity spread from Jerusalem. It was in persecution that the world say an unshakable faith in a crucified and risen Savior. It was in persecution that the Body of Christ grew day after day, according to the book of Acts. Should America undergo such persecution, it may see the seeds blossom into great faith and many converts. Fighting against persecution will not save the American church. Only Jesus can save the Church, if it is worth saving.
“The church was not an ideal society that was never in need of reform; rather, as a community capable of being untrue to the gospel. The church always has to return to Christ as the center.”
Hitler’s Cross is a unique book, mixing a look at history and a sermon. It isn’t enough to see what happened to the Church in Germany; we must see if history is repeating itself now. While this book will frustrate the historian, it will be a welcome look at the past to the preacher and laymen, even if your theology doesn’t match that of the author.
I would give Erwin W. Lutzer and Hitler’s Cross a 4 out of 5-star rating.
Adolf Hitler, the Third Reich, the SS, and all the things that Nazism did during the years of World War II will never cease to be a treasure trove of interesting information and horrifying details. The actions, behaviours, and thoughts of those leading the Nazi party were truly destructive on a massive scale. There is no way to capture how devastating their work was and still is.
But it wasn’t only the millions of Jews, homosexuals, gypsies, and people of African descent that suffered; the Christian Church did as well, though not in the same way. This is what Erwin W. Lutzer wants to help us understand with his book, Hitler’s Cross: How the Cross Was Used to Promote the Nazi Agenda.
While the idea Christianity and Nazism having anything in common may seem a bizarre topic for a book, it is astonishing the relationship that was present. And it is this kind of relationship that Lutzer quickly points out is being mirrored in modern America today.
Lutzer begins looking into the strange connections of Nazism and the Church well before the Second World War started. Going back into Germany’s pre-history, the Reichs before Hitler’s Third, Lutzer unveils and unravels the pieces that let the Nazi Party into leadership. And why the Church caved. Why the Church largely abandoned the Bible, and replaced it with Mein Kampf. Why the Church took down the symbol of the Cross and put the image of Adolf Hitler instead. It may sound bizarre, but is nothing short of historical fact.
It isn’t just the historical facts that Lutzer is interested in though. While they are important and need to be shared, Lutzer has a pastoral heart and sees that the mistakes of the past are about to be repeated in the present.
The Church was silent in the face of evil in the 1930’s and 40’s. It is being silent now. The Church was pressured by the governing body to conform to their image. This is also happening in modern America. The Church was divided over their beliefs and allegiances until they were nothing but scattered sheep. This lack of unity is very prevalent now.
Erwin W. Lutzer aims to tell the story of Nazi Germany as a conflict between two saviours and two crosses, Hitler and the swastika, and Jesus and the Cross. The well researched and described events of Hitler’s Cross will shake your soul, stir up your own convictions and drive you to see that you have only one Savior and one cross in your life.
“When the Cross is wrapped in the flag of a political party, it is always distorted and diminished.”
Watching dominoes fall one into the other is a magical, memorizing thing. One domino effects the other, effect the others, until everything has fallen down. Germany, a once great nation, did not suddenly fall apart when Adolf Hitler was voted into power. There were many more dominoes that fell that effected the cultural, economic, and even spiritual landscape to make Hitler’s meteoric rise successful. This is something that Lutzer unveils well.
Going as far back as the First Reich, from 800-1806, the ground was being prepared for Hitler to push the Church into a corner, and replace the Savior and Cross with another. The Church came under government rule, and the two scratched each other’s back. The problem comes when the ruling power wanted the church to only scratch it’s back.
Lutzer goes on to show how a failed economy, the philosophy being taught in university, like that of Georg Hegel and Friedrich Nietzsche, all contributed to what happened in the 1930’s and 40’s. Even though these men, both died well before Hitler was around, and the problems had origins in time gone by, they all contributed to the domino effect that gave rise to Nazism.
What makes this so interesting is that Lutzer includes what was happening spiritually in Germany at the time. History books will always share what happened in the past, but rarely do they touch on how the emotional, psychological, and spiritual conditions contributed to what went on. This is eye opening for those that do not know.
His method of sharing largely unknown history with people may seem strange, but there is a wisdom to what Lutzer is doing. By making this book a historic sermon, looking at history and then applying the lesson or mistakes to today, the problems that the church of Germany faced are quickly seen as the problems of the church in whatever country you hail from. Bending to the power of the government, being silent when you aught to be loud are not just things the church in Germany needed to learn, they are lessons for today. Only a pastor could bring those things to light and urge us to apply them so well and effortlessly.
While Lutzer does many things right as a historian, revealing details and sharing information in way that is both informative and entertaining, what may drive readers away is his preaching. This is not strictly a history book, but a comparative look at what happened in Nazi Germany and modern America, circa 1995. The horrible and deplorable things that happened in the 1930’s and 40’s, Lutzer argues, are happening again in the country the fought so hard against Nazism. He wants to open up the eyes of those that will see that Christianity in America is in jeopardy of being sniffed out as it was in Germany under the rule of Adolf Hitler.
No one can blame Lutzer having an opinion on the urgent affairs of the world, but to blanket them in terms like “demonic” and “satanic”; no reader will walk away from Hitler’s Cross and not know exactly what Lutzer believes.
And that is not only about topics like homosexuality or abortion, but even end times theology and the theology of others, like Dietrich Bonhoeffer. With statements about how “we” as 21st century Christians may wish that Bonhoeffer and his friend, Karl Barth would have been more forthright in affirming the reliability of Scripture or standing against “liberalism”, Lutzer is chasing a quick, but clear judgment that such Christian heroes should have done a better job in the midst of evil (229).
For those followers of Christ that hold a different belief about the Antichrist, Lutzer’s regular assertion that America is primed and ready for his arrival will be put off from time to time. Anyone that has read 1 John 2:18 may argue that an Antichrist lived during WWII, and there may be a place for another to arise in America now. However you read such passages, Lutzer hold fast to the notion that what Hitler and the Nazi party did was but a foreshadowing of what is to come to those that deny Christ and the work of His Cross. Let us pray that such work can be undone by the power of His Spirit.
To conclude Lutzer’s historical sermon, he appeals for readers to fight for Christianity in America. As though Christianity was to be snuffed out and the entire faith collapse. While it is right that one should stand up for their right to faith and not see it unduly persecuted by the governing bodies, it seems that Lutzer has forgotten much of Church history.
It was in persecution that Christianity spread from Jerusalem. It was in persecution that the world say an unshakable faith in a crucified and risen Savior. It was in persecution that the Body of Christ grew day after day, according to the book of Acts. Should America undergo such persecution, it may see the seeds blossom into great faith and many converts. Fighting against persecution will not save the American church. Only Jesus can save the Church, if it is worth saving.
“The church was not an ideal society that was never in need of reform; rather, as a community capable of being untrue to the gospel. The church always has to return to Christ as the center.”
Hitler’s Cross is a unique book, mixing a look at history and a sermon. It isn’t enough to see what happened to the Church in Germany; we must see if history is repeating itself now. While this book will frustrate the historian, it will be a welcome look at the past to the preacher and laymen, even if your theology doesn’t match that of the author.
I would give Erwin W. Lutzer and Hitler’s Cross a 4 out of 5-star rating.
March 3, 2016
At the Cross all narcissism ends; all attempts to impress God cease, and optimism about mankind's ability to build a better world on its own vanishes.
The cross of Christ and the cross of Hitler are two opposing beliefs that lead to World War II and the destruction of a people. Lutzer has written several books on Hitler and I am glad he has. Can history repeat itself? A resounding yes and it is because we are looking for a Savior. Just not the right one. The account also includes God's providence in what Hitler did. I believe that God foreshadows his plan of redemption for mankind. Was Hitler sent by God? No, however, it was the promise of salvation from Hitler that put him in that time of history. The fall of WWI, the economy, and the political rhetoric we even hear today. One of the things I found fascinating was the time Hitler was put into power or his rise he was 30 years of age. He also was very involved in the occult (Satanism and the like). He believed that to take away a man's conscience, that man would do anything such as lead many to death camps. What we can learn from Hitler is the depravity of us all. Because of WWII and the destruction of the Jews, would we have had the birth of Israel as a nation?
The question arises "Where was the church"? Lutzer goes into deep account of how Hitler took over the church and how easy it is to do that in the age of cheap grace.... The church was weak because it misunderstood grace. Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold the market like cheapjack wares. The sacraments, the forgivness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices...In such a Chruch the world finds a cheap cover for its sins; no contrition is required, still less any real desire to be deliverd from sin... Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner...It is the grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.... It is Bonhoeffer's testimony of standing up to Hitler and what he believed about the Gospel.
I was convicted with these quotes...
If you fall down in a land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of Jordan.
If we can't be loyal to Christ in small decisions, how can we expect to be loyal when our faith might cost us something very precious?
Suffering purifies the church; it makes important distinctions among men. ..The church that preaches a Christ who is worth dying for has the best chance of experiencing persecution but also the best chance of survival.
History does repeat itself even at our best efforts. Because of that, this book becomes an important read to grasp what means to follow Christ.
A Special Thank You to Moody Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review
The cross of Christ and the cross of Hitler are two opposing beliefs that lead to World War II and the destruction of a people. Lutzer has written several books on Hitler and I am glad he has. Can history repeat itself? A resounding yes and it is because we are looking for a Savior. Just not the right one. The account also includes God's providence in what Hitler did. I believe that God foreshadows his plan of redemption for mankind. Was Hitler sent by God? No, however, it was the promise of salvation from Hitler that put him in that time of history. The fall of WWI, the economy, and the political rhetoric we even hear today. One of the things I found fascinating was the time Hitler was put into power or his rise he was 30 years of age. He also was very involved in the occult (Satanism and the like). He believed that to take away a man's conscience, that man would do anything such as lead many to death camps. What we can learn from Hitler is the depravity of us all. Because of WWII and the destruction of the Jews, would we have had the birth of Israel as a nation?
The question arises "Where was the church"? Lutzer goes into deep account of how Hitler took over the church and how easy it is to do that in the age of cheap grace.... The church was weak because it misunderstood grace. Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our church. We are fighting today for costly grace. Cheap grace means grace sold the market like cheapjack wares. The sacraments, the forgivness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices...In such a Chruch the world finds a cheap cover for its sins; no contrition is required, still less any real desire to be deliverd from sin... Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner...It is the grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.... It is Bonhoeffer's testimony of standing up to Hitler and what he believed about the Gospel.
I was convicted with these quotes...
If you fall down in a land of peace, how will you do in the thicket of Jordan.
If we can't be loyal to Christ in small decisions, how can we expect to be loyal when our faith might cost us something very precious?
Suffering purifies the church; it makes important distinctions among men. ..The church that preaches a Christ who is worth dying for has the best chance of experiencing persecution but also the best chance of survival.
History does repeat itself even at our best efforts. Because of that, this book becomes an important read to grasp what means to follow Christ.
A Special Thank You to Moody Publishing and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review
January 9, 2017
Dr. Erwin Lutzer lays out the fascinating and seldom examined story of Nazi Germany’s paradoxical attempt to use the Church to overthrow Christianity in his book Hitler’s Cross: How the cross was used to promote the Nazi agenda.
“Deine Reich Komme,” Hitler prayed these words publicly- Thy Kingdom Come. But to whose kingdom was he referring? The answer to that question is the heart and soul of this book, as Lutzer examines the rabid hatred that Hitler and his National Socialist Party (NAZIS) had for Christianity, and how he sought to infiltrate the church with his own philosophy and ideals to destroy it from within.
In the midst of an economic and moral collapse, Hitler rose to power under the guise of a national “savior” who would restore the greatness of Germany after their defeat in World War I. Deeply influenced by the philosophies of Georg Hegel and Friedrich Nietzche, he believed that moral teachings upheld by Christianity -such as forgiveness and compassion- were fatal weaknesses that led to the downfall of the nation, and that the only way to fully restore Germany’s power was to completely remove such teachings from the hearts and minds of the people. In Hitler’s Cross, Lutzer examines exactly how Hitler attempted to accomplish this task, and how his plans were ultimately thwarted through a few strong Christians who risked their all in restoring the Church to it’s roots through sound Biblical doctrine.
Was Hitler a Christian? There aren’t many people in this world who would attempt to make such a ridiculous claim, however I have had some intriguing discussions along this line with people who have felt adamantly sure that he indeed was (and thereby condemned the entire faith). While it is indisputable that this force of evil attempted to use the facade of empty religion to sway the masses, it is equally clear that the only way to make such an outrageous claim is through complete ignorance of the basic tenets of the Christian faith, as well as the history and actions of Hitler and the Nazi party. Well researched and fully annotated with sources, this book is a wealth of information on one of the darkest periods in human history, and makes a powerful case for the importance of Christians having a deep knowledge and understanding of Biblical doctrine- knowing exactly what we believe and why -if we are to avoid a similar fate as what befell the German church.
A profoundly important book for believers and non-believers alike, highly recommended!
“Deine Reich Komme,” Hitler prayed these words publicly- Thy Kingdom Come. But to whose kingdom was he referring? The answer to that question is the heart and soul of this book, as Lutzer examines the rabid hatred that Hitler and his National Socialist Party (NAZIS) had for Christianity, and how he sought to infiltrate the church with his own philosophy and ideals to destroy it from within.
In the midst of an economic and moral collapse, Hitler rose to power under the guise of a national “savior” who would restore the greatness of Germany after their defeat in World War I. Deeply influenced by the philosophies of Georg Hegel and Friedrich Nietzche, he believed that moral teachings upheld by Christianity -such as forgiveness and compassion- were fatal weaknesses that led to the downfall of the nation, and that the only way to fully restore Germany’s power was to completely remove such teachings from the hearts and minds of the people. In Hitler’s Cross, Lutzer examines exactly how Hitler attempted to accomplish this task, and how his plans were ultimately thwarted through a few strong Christians who risked their all in restoring the Church to it’s roots through sound Biblical doctrine.
Was Hitler a Christian? There aren’t many people in this world who would attempt to make such a ridiculous claim, however I have had some intriguing discussions along this line with people who have felt adamantly sure that he indeed was (and thereby condemned the entire faith). While it is indisputable that this force of evil attempted to use the facade of empty religion to sway the masses, it is equally clear that the only way to make such an outrageous claim is through complete ignorance of the basic tenets of the Christian faith, as well as the history and actions of Hitler and the Nazi party. Well researched and fully annotated with sources, this book is a wealth of information on one of the darkest periods in human history, and makes a powerful case for the importance of Christians having a deep knowledge and understanding of Biblical doctrine- knowing exactly what we believe and why -if we are to avoid a similar fate as what befell the German church.
A profoundly important book for believers and non-believers alike, highly recommended!
October 30, 2015
The German people were hungry and out of work in the collapsed economy of the Weimar Republic. They gave Hitler power because he had a plan to end the madness. What they didn’t see immediately was that his promises were lies. Right and wrong became whatever he decreed.
Why didn’t the church in Germany protest? Some people did. Over 700 pastors and priests ended up in concentration camps. After initial opposition, most stayed silent. Speaking out levied a high personal cost.
Churches in Europe are supported by taxes. When it should have been condemning Nazi policies, the German church found its existence depended on maintaining the goodwill of the state. Liberal philosophies had infected the church. Most no longer believed in the cross of Christ. No clear message of repentance and hope was heard. God was dead, mercy and forgiveness were weak.
Nationalism was more important. When Hitler substituted the swastika for the cross, few objected. Mein Kampf replaced the Bible on the altar.
Hitler’s Cross is part historical study of what happened in Nazi Germany and part Bible study of end times. Hitler was a faint foreshadowing of the Antichrist to come. Conditions in Germany are taking place now in the U.S. and elsewhere. The unborn are murdered because the courts say they are not human, just as Hitler said the Jews were not human.
Also reminiscent of Hitler’s Germany, in the U.S., “Silent Night” must be replaced by “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Christmas must be renamed Winter Solstice, and Christ must step aside for Santa Claus. Nativity sets must not appear on secular property, and speaking of church things is forbidden in the workplace.
Why did God allow the Nazi rampage? Purification of His church. Judge the apostate church leaders. Refine the faith of true believers. God remained the ruler even when Hitler, in the power of Satan, was in control. God set the parameters that Satan had to abide. So much and no more.
Luther finally understood that on the cross Christ took upon Himself the iniquity of us all and that through faith alone, sinners can be reconciled to God. He thought the Jews would now accept his gospel revelation, and became religiously angry with them when they did not. He was not racially angry with them. (His ranting in his later years likely stemmed from dementia.)
It is the meaning of the Cross that gives Christianity power. The values and philosophies that guided Nazi Germany are finding increasing parallels in the U.S. Hitler's Cross is a wake-up call God believers everywhere.
March 23, 2017
I have mixed feelings about this book. One one hand, it does a good job of summarizing key turning points in 1930s Germany. Most books that I have read about what was happening in Germany in the 1930s tells events from a victim's perspective, which is of course heart wrenching, but I have never read much that has explained how otherwise reasonable people could become either a) perpetrators of the atrocities, or b) passive bystanders while all of it was escalating.
As someone who has admired Dietrich Bonhoeffer and has read an extensive biography about his life, I am happy that this short book told me even a few more things about him that I did not know. I also appreciated the fact that Lutzer spoke of some others who were involved in the resistance as well, and pointed out factors that all of them had in common.
However, my biggest problem with this book, and it is a big problem, is that Lutzer goes off on tangents constantly. The back cover of the book would lead one to believe that the aim is to tell the reader how Nazis gained control piece by piece, and eventually, as one would expect, draw parallels to our culture today that warns against allowing a similar future. It does give that history to some degree, but it simultaneously preaches to the reader, chapter after chapter. The author draws sometimes tenuous parallels multiple times throughout the book that do nothing to advance the history. I would have loved it if it had given more detail of the rise of the Nazis as well as more detail of efforts from the resistance, or even more detail about anti-Semitism from Martin Luther's time up until the rise of the Nazis, but instead Lutzer is giving a sermon in almost every chapter, which completely detracts from the history.
Additionally, I have to call out Lutzer for his inaccurate spin on some of the bulleted case examples he gives toward the end of the book, where he is trying to make a case that in the US, we are seeing states powers encroaching on our free practice of religion. For example, he speaks of the Wilson v. US West case as though the issue was simply a woman being fired for wearing a pro-life pin to work. There is a lot more detail that Lutzer conveniently leaves out that, if the reader took Lutzer at face value, would make one think that US West was being completely unreasonable.
Two and a half stars.
As someone who has admired Dietrich Bonhoeffer and has read an extensive biography about his life, I am happy that this short book told me even a few more things about him that I did not know. I also appreciated the fact that Lutzer spoke of some others who were involved in the resistance as well, and pointed out factors that all of them had in common.
However, my biggest problem with this book, and it is a big problem, is that Lutzer goes off on tangents constantly. The back cover of the book would lead one to believe that the aim is to tell the reader how Nazis gained control piece by piece, and eventually, as one would expect, draw parallels to our culture today that warns against allowing a similar future. It does give that history to some degree, but it simultaneously preaches to the reader, chapter after chapter. The author draws sometimes tenuous parallels multiple times throughout the book that do nothing to advance the history. I would have loved it if it had given more detail of the rise of the Nazis as well as more detail of efforts from the resistance, or even more detail about anti-Semitism from Martin Luther's time up until the rise of the Nazis, but instead Lutzer is giving a sermon in almost every chapter, which completely detracts from the history.
Additionally, I have to call out Lutzer for his inaccurate spin on some of the bulleted case examples he gives toward the end of the book, where he is trying to make a case that in the US, we are seeing states powers encroaching on our free practice of religion. For example, he speaks of the Wilson v. US West case as though the issue was simply a woman being fired for wearing a pro-life pin to work. There is a lot more detail that Lutzer conveniently leaves out that, if the reader took Lutzer at face value, would make one think that US West was being completely unreasonable.
Two and a half stars.
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