From Hitler’s Wolves to Christ’s Lambs: The Chaplain to Nazi War Criminals

1517.org ^ | Chad Bird

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Henry Gerecke was in his early 50’s when he went, cell by cell, to introduce himself to his infamous “congregation.” He invited them to chapel services. Some refused, others wavered, and still others promised to be there. Of the fifteen chairs set up for the first service, thirteen of them were filled. Scriptures were read, sermons preached, hymns sung, prayers prayed...

Soon some of the very lips that had once barked, “Heil Hitler!” spoke an Amen as they knelt to receive the body and blood of their forgiving Lord.

They expressed a desire for their children to be baptized. One of them began reading the Bible to find justification for his unbelief, but ended up being led to faith by the very same divine words.

So reliant did these men become upon their pastor that, when a rumor surfaced that he might be relieved of his duty and allowed to return home, they wrote a letter to Mrs. Gerecke and begged her to ask him to stay. On that letter were the signatures of all these former Nazis. Men who had enjoyed power and rank were now humbly beseeching a housewife in America, who had not seen her husband for two and a half years, to let him stay. In her brief reply to her husband, “They need you,” is packed a whole volume about sacrifice and love.

Pastor Gerecke’s story has already been told...it deserves to be retold, again and again, to every generation, for two very important reasons.

The first has to do with the men to whom he ministered, the ones who repented and believed in Christ. The scandal of Christianity is not that these men went to heaven; it is that God loved them so much that he was willing to die to get them there...

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TOPICS: History
KEYWORDS: chaplain; nazi; redemption; salvation; worldwarii

[ek_hornbeck]

Hermann Goering famously told the chaplain that he's welcome to say any prayers he likes if it makes him feel better, but he himself doesn't believe in Heaven, Hell, or an afterlife. He also told the chaplain that "this Jesus you keep talking about was just a glib and clever Jew from ancient times."

In contrast, many if not most other defendants at Nuremberg welcomed the chaplain and wanted communion, e.g. Keitel, Ribbentrop, Speer etc.

[CondoleezzaProtege]

Fascinating. Thank you. It’s amazing to me that the chaplain who was equipped and called by God to this was from middle America.

[Beowulf9]

When Jesus died on the cross he said ‘forgive them Father, for they know not what they do’.

Did this mean they were innocent dupes? or were they forgiven for being misled by Satan?

Did the evil they did hide from their eyes under the guise of Roman policy?

Is it about the devil or men being misled by men themselves?

What is evil?

[CondoleezzaProtege]

In the grand eternal scheme of things...we’re all equal but by Christ.

[flaglady47]

“What is evil?

There you go, getting all existential, lol...

[No name given]

Amen.