Abstract
This paper examines how the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches and
their theologians responded to the specter of national socialism. The
Roman Catholic church was silent regarding the Jewish genocide, while
the German Christian church sought to remove all vestiges of Judaism.
The Confessing church struggled against its Protestant counterpart, but
failed to address the genocide. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of a few who
resisted the regime, recognized the error of the dichotomy between faith
and political life. It was this grievous error made by good churches and
good people that contributed to the development of the evil regime that
continues to haunt the church.