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Martin Niemoller, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and their fellows would respectfully disagree. There was opposition from both Protestants and Catholics alike, with the Catholic Church standing in especially strong opposition to the regime's policy regarding euthanasia.
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum states the general position of both churches this way, and it's sadly not positive:
"The general tactic by the leadership of both Protestant and Catholic churches in Germany was caution with respect to protest and compromise with the Nazi state leadership where possible. There was criticism within both churches of Nazi racialized ideology and notions of "Aryanism," and movements emerged in both churches to defend church members who were considered "non-Aryan" under Nazi racial laws (e.g., Jews who had converted). Yet throughout this period there was virtually no public opposition to antisemitism or any readiness by church leaders to publicly oppose the regime on the issues of antisemitism and state-sanctioned violence against the Jews. There were individual Catholics and Protestants who spoke out on behalf of Jews, and small groups within both churches that became involved in rescue and resistance activities (for example, the White Rose and Herman Maas)."
"After 1945, the silence of the church leadership and the widespread complicity of "ordinary Christians" compelled leaders of both churches to address issues of guilt and complicity during the Holocaust—a process that continues internationally to this day."
Bonhoeffer yes but what what was Niemöller's position regarding the Nazis in 1932 and 1933?
If the Protestants formed a strong front against the Nazis, why was it necessary to form the Confessing Church?
Without getting into Bismarck's Kulturkampf, nationalist politics, patriotism, the aftermath of WWI, historic anti-Semitism, the völkisch movement and a fear of the Red Terror, the basic problems of the Church resisting Nazism was the deep split between Protestants and Catholics.
Hitler had a more difficult time with the Catholic Church because it is more monolithic and trans-national in leadership whereas Protestants are inherently fragmented and local in leadership. The Nazis could more easily remove, flip, or replace Protestant pastors than Catholic clergy. Additional problems were presented by the split between mainstream denominations and groups such as Jehovahs Witnesses and Seventh Day Adventists.
An additional problem preventing a united front against Nazism was that neither Jew nor Christian recognized that to the neopagan Nazis, Christianity was seen as just a large Jewish sect.
As a Catholic, I am happy to see that the truth about the persecution of religious people in Nazi Germany is finally becoming better known. Shame on the 700 Club for disemminating falsehoods about this time in Germany.
I am Catholic and I have always known about the persecution of the Catholic Church under Hitler. The fact is, the Catholic Church was persecuted under Otto von Bismarck as well by the imposition of the “May Laws” which terrorized the clergy in the 1870’s. The law was eventually overturned.
However, I digress. You are correct that for 65+ years the American press has ignored the terrible circumstances of ALL the CHRISTIAN churches under Nazism. It was untrue that the Lutherans did not resist. In fact, they put up a very good fight against the Nazi plan to replace the historic Lutheran Church with a “German Church”, filled with heretical pastors who were willing to toe the line and impose radical nationalism, anti-Semitism, and also willing to replace the crosses in the Lutheran churches with a picture of “Der Fuehrer”.
Recently I read a book about the terrible circumstances faithful Lutherans had when the Nazis came after them and indoctrinated their children with the toxic Nazi philosophy. The book is named, “Day of No Return”, by Kressmann Taylor. It is well worth reading. I highly recommend it. Martin Niemoeller’s name is prominent in the story.