Reinventing Protestant Germany | Brandon Block
In this episode, Dan Hummel sits down with historian Brandon Block to explore his new book, Reinventing Protestant Germany. The conversation traces the complex role of Protestant churches in Germany from the Weimar Republic through the Nazi era and into the post-war reconstruction. Block shares insights into how religious nationalism shaped political ideologies, the nuanced responses of church leaders to Nazism, and how post-war Protestantism positioned itself as a moral compass in rebuilding German democracy.
🧠Topics Covered
• Brandon’s academic journey and early experiences in Berlin
• The religious landscape of Germany in the early 20th century
• Protestant responses to the Weimar Republic and the rise of Nazism
• The Confessing Church, Bonhoeffer, and the myth vs. reality of resistance
• Lay women and local resistance efforts during WWII
• Post-war Protestantism and its role in moral reconstruction
• The church’s stance on denazification and human rights
• Protestant identity, conscience, and democratic values in West Germany
• Comparative reflections on secularization in Germany vs. the U.S.
đź“š Key Takeaways
• Protestant churches were deeply intertwined with the German state pre-WWI and faced identity crises post-1918.
• Initial enthusiasm for Nazism among Protestant leaders gave way to internal conflict over racial policies and church autonomy.
• Resistance efforts were often led by laypeople, especially women, rather than prominent pastors.
• Post-1945, Protestant churches leveraged their moral authority to influence democratic reconstruction and human rights discourse.
• The concept of “conscience” became central to Protestant political engagement in West Germany.
• German secularization differs from the American model, with churches maintaining public roles despite declining private religiosity.
đź”— Resources & Mentions
• Reinventing Protestant Germany by Brandon Block — Harvard University Press https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674295438
• Peter Kaika’s book Follow Your Conscience
• Doris Bergen’s work on military chaplains and Nazi crimes
• Kirchentag (German Protestant lay assembly)
• Martin Niemöller’s famous quote: “First they came for the communists…”
đź“Ť Where to Listen
Find this and over 150 other episodes at slbf.org/studio