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A Lutheran Theologian and National Socialism

Backschat, Maurice A Lutheran Theologian and National Socialism. Master thesis, Master Religion Conflict and Globalisation.

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Abstract

This thesis produces a biographical account of an influential but often overlooked Protestant theologian Helmuth Schreiner and explores his political and theological views. In historical postwar literature, the binary perception of German Protestant theologians, distinct in either support or resistance to the NS-regime, was too superficial and neglected the multifaceted relationship of the clergy to National Socialism before and during the Third Reich. Over the course of the 1960s and 1970s, historians added more shades to the black and white picture of the theologians, drawn in historiography and began to examine the middle ground between the two extremes as well as looked into less prominent actors. By analyzing previously underutilized documents from the Schreiner archive, this thesis contributes to a more detailed picture as it illustrates the quandary in which especially traditional Lutherans found themselves. This thesis argues that, driven by the fear of menacing secularism and atheism, Schreiner was, on the one side, attracted to the völkisch idea and National Socialism, but on the other, was deeply concerned about the antichristian tendencies in these movements. Over the course of the war he changed his sympathy to National Socialism and understood himself in resistance to the antichristian regime.

Type: Thesis (Master)
Supervisors (RUG):
SupervisorE-mailTutor organizationTutor email
Weir, T.H.Faculteit GGW, Christendom en IdeeengeschiedenisT.H.Weir@rug.nl
stuckrad, von, C.K.M.
Degree programme: Master Religion Conflict and Globalisation
Academic year: 2020-2021
Date of delivery: 16 Sep 2022 11:28
Last modified: 16 Sep 2022 11:28
URI: https://rcs.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/662
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