Methodst Hstory, 32:3 (Aprl 1994) THE FATHERLAND REVSTED; THE RELATONSHP OF THE EVANGELCAL ASSOCATON N EUROPE TO THE AMERCAN MOTHER CHURCH (1912-1940) J. STEVEN O'MALLEY Recent Research has probed sgnfcant aspects n the hstory of the European free churches n the twenteth century, ncludng Epscopal Methodsm and the Evangelcal Assocaton. 1 However, there s need for an understandng of the ongong relatonshp between ths free church movement and the Amercan mother churches that were prmarly responsble for ther ncepton and ntal growth. Ths s especally apparent n the case of the Evangelcal Assocaton, the subject of ths study, whose hstory s less extensvely famlar to Unted Methodsts. t s noteworthy that there was greater party n membershp between the two bodes n Europe than n Amerca at the tme of unon n 1968. 2 Further, the older denomnatonal hstores have chroncled the foundng and early development of Evangelcal mssons n Europe wthn the nneteeth century, 3 but lttle research has been devoted to more tenuous perod n ther contnung relatonshp wth the mother church n the early twenteth century, especally between the world wars. Ths was an era when the nurturng tes became straned by unprecedented poltcal ssues that threatened to sunder the longstandng trans-atlantc "Verbundenhet" altogether. Ths was also the era when unprecedented strans were placed upon those twn themes of "Scrptural Holness" and German cultural dentty that had served as the man threads of lnkage n that relatonshp from the begnnng. 1 See Brgt Dess-Nethammer, Das Verhaltns der Methodstschen Frekrchen n Deutschland zu Staat und Gesellschaft n der Zet der Wemarer Republk (Stuttgart: Chrstlches Verlagshaus, 1985); and Ulrch Zegler, Msson-Anpassung-Vernderung; De Geschchte der Evangelsche Gemenschaftn Esslngen an., 1852-1945 (Stuttgart: Chrstlches Verlagshaus, 1987); both of these ttles were publshed through the Betrge zur Geschchte der Ev-M. Krche, herausgegeben von der Studengemenschaft fr Geschchte der Ev-M. Krche. 2 The EUB n Europe were known as the Ev. Gemenschaft because of the lack of Unted Brethren presence. The smaller UB msson had been absorbed nto Epscopal Methodsm at an earler date. 3 See especally R. W. Albrght, Hstory of the Evangelcal Church (Harrsburg: Evangelcal Publshng Co., 1956. 160
n ~.. : The Fatherland Revsted 161 ' '. '! ' ' ; ;! ; f ' - '; '.!. Our prmary source of nformaton s the frsthand data avalable n the ssues of the two Amercan denomnatonal organs of the perod, The Evangelcal Messenger and ts German-language counterpart, De Chrstlche Botschajter, as well as sgnfcant documents obtaned from archval sources wthn Germany. 4 Hstorcal Background By 1912, Evangelcals had been mnsterng n Germany for some seven decades. Ther modest roots n Europe paralleled ther lke orgn n late-eghteenth century Amerca, when they were founded under the Sprt-mbued mnstry of Jacob Albrght (1759-1809); a converted farm~r and Revolutonary War veteran whose burden had been to brng the apostolc and Wesleyan message of the new brth and the lfe of holness n:, Chrst to the German mmgrants of hs natve PennsylvaJ;l,a. By 1912, the number of Evangelcals n Europe had grown to more than 22,000 members, whch by then ncluded 6900 members n Swtzerland whch was organzed as a separate conference n 1880. n the early decades of ts mnstry n Europe, the Evangelcal Assocaton ganed strength by ts consstent adherence to the message of regeneraton and sanctfcaton n Chrst as matters of conscous experence requste for salvaton, and also by ts callng to mnster ths gospel to persons of German cultural and lngustc dentty. By 1914, Evangelcals were about to enter an era of unprecedented tenson when these loyaltes would ncreasngly come under attack by forces wthn Europe and Amerca alke. The nature of those tensons, that have contrbuted sgnfcantly to the present stuaton of the free churches n Europe, need now to be examned. The European Msson n the Era of the Frst World War (1914-1918): "The End of nnocence", 1 L; Evangelcals n 1914 see.med to be well on ther way toward the realzaton of the challenge that had been presented by Bshop Reuben Yeakel (1827-1904) of the Mssonary Socety when he sad, "Brethren, we are gong to take possesson of the whole of Germany. " 5 Snce the msson to the German Fatherland had become so ntegral to ts own dentty due to the German hertage and consttuency of Evangelcals n Amerca, t s not surprsng that the traumatc events of these wars were,to send profound shock waves through the Assocaton that would permanently transform the transoceanc relatonshp. The era of close, flal relatonshp l 4 Most sgnfcant s the unpublshed hstorcal manuscrpt by the former European church edtor, M. Rchter, De Entwcklung unserer krchlchen Verwaltung und Regergung n Europa set 1914 (13 pp.), that was kndly provded to the author by Dr. Karl Steckel. 5 Bshop Reuben Yeakel, quoted by Bshop Thomas Bowman n "Our Work n Europe," EM (23 July, 1913): 10.
162 Methodst Hstory between the two sectors of the church, that mght be called an age of nnocence, was forever passng away. At the outset of these years, when the age of nnocence was stll ntact, the German culture was stll vewed as a msson feld n need of the gospel, but t was also comng to be perceved as havng acheved moral and sprtual progress. Not only was the general socety vewed as beng healther than n former years. The health of European Evangelcals. was regarded as an example for Amercan Evangelcals to emulate. An Amercan vstor noted that, "The people seemed fresher to me, and more attentve at nne than Amercans usually are at eleven on Sunday mornng."6 At Koengsberg n East Prussa, 15,000 marks were gven n a sngle mass servce whch, exclamed Spreng, "are sums to make some of our Amercan conferences blush." 7 n the frst two decades of the twenteth century, sgnfcant church growth occurred n each conference year, and wde use was made of such Amercan relgous technques as camp meetngs, Sunday schools, and Y.P.A. (Young People's Allance) socetes. 8 There was a sense n whch the German culture was comng to be regarded as a hgh embodment of Chrstan cvlzaton. Amercan Evangelcals not only venerated the memory of Washngton and Lncoln; they also had begun to extol the vrtues of the German Kaser Wlhelm as a model of Chrstan pety and leadershp. 9 Full-page photographs of the Kaser appear on the cover of the Evangelcal Messenger n 1912 and agan n 1913, on the occason of hs twenty-ffth year n offce, that also featured a drawng of the Rechstag (parlamentary) buldng n Berln. 10 A translaton of an edtoral n the Evangelsche Botschafter, the leadng perodcal of the Church n Europe, extolled hm on ths annversary date as a great Chrstan emperor who "by the blessng of God... has preserved peace among our people and n our realm when war was mmnent.'' 11 After the erupton of hostltes n 1914, both the Evangelcal Messanger and the Chrst fche Botschajter proceeded to prnt artcles that favored the German pont of vew regardng the European war stuaton. 12 6 EM, (September 15, 1921): 2. 7 EM (September 15, 1921): 2. 8 CB (July 11, 1914): 9. 9 Besde an artcle notng Washngton's brthday was a lead edtoral enttled, "En sch6nes Kaserwrt"-CB (February 22, 1913): 31. 10 EM (August 7, 1912): 1; and (June 11, 1913): 16. Also CB (January 25, 1913): 19. ll"the Twenty-Ffth Annversary of the German Emperor," EM (July 12, 1913): 4-5. (Note: the Evangelsche Botschafter s not to be confused wth the Chrstan Botschajter, the Germanlanguage paper of the Amercan Evangelcals). 12 EM (August 19, 1914): 10.
1 ' ~! : ' 1. ' 1. : l { : r ~ ~ ; l l ; ~ ' ~ ' ' \. ~ j r 1 l l l. :...".1 The Fatherland Revsted 163 Very rapdly ths became more than a theoretcal dscusson, as a majorty of Evangelcal laymen and over half of the pastors of the German conferences found themselves beng drafted nto the German army. Soon the semnary at Reutlngen was closed and remaned so untl September 1917. 13 The appeal the Amercan Evangelcals took to heart was for "earnest ntercesson" on behalf of the afflcted famles and congregatons and for generous fnancal ad to meet the unforeseen emergency. Both were suppled n abundance. 14 Hearts were moved when n 1915 the Messenger reprnted a letter from a leutenant n the German army who wrote that whle, ''We can hear shootng from a great dstance,... have just conducted worshp" for the battalon. 15 The solder was R. Carchet, the. ~ ',. Evangelcal mssonary to Rga, Russa. Athough the devastatng effect of the War upon the European msson of the Evangelcal Assocaton soon became evdent to the mother church, the ethnc and poltcal sympathy wth the German cause dd not cease untl Amerca entered the conflct n 1917. The record of the 1916 North Germany Conference proceedngs as prnted n the Messengermentoned that the Conference had "sent a telegram of admraton to the German Emperor at the headquarters," and that "after two days we receved an answer contanng thanks and good wshes." 16 Meanwhle, the_toll of war mounted. Amercan bshops were now unable to attend European conference sessons, as reports were comng to the church papers announcng "15 pastors absent and four ded at the front" n the 1915 sesson of the South Germany Conference, and "22 pastors servng n the army and four dead," wth a membershp loss of 267, n the 1915 report of the North Germany Conference. 17 A report from 1916 stll refers to the German Fatherland, 18 although that term wll be reserved for the Unted States after 1917. n the fnal months before Amercan entry nto the War the edtor of the Messenger adopted a strong peace stance n whch he suggested that f the government fals to ntervene on behalf of peace n Europe, then the Amercan churches should take that ntatve. 19 Practcally all communcatons wth the European conferences were sundered by 1917. 20 The edtor of the Messenger, T. C. Meckel, was only 13 "An Appeal for Help for our Mssonary Work n Germany," EM (September 16, 1914): 16; and Paul Eller, Hstory of Evangelcal Mssons (Harrsburg: Evangelcal Publshng Co., 1942): 164. ' 14 Eller, p. 164; also CB (September 12, 1914): 5; and CB (October 10, 1914): 3. 15 "A Letter from a Leutenant n the German Army," EM (August 18, 1915): 12. 16 EM (October 23, 1916): 12. 17 EM (July 28, 1915): J, 16; and (August 4, 1915): 11-12. 18 "We have 173 preachers n the feld, every one of them a natve of the German or Swss Fatherland"-G. Henmller, "Our Work n Europe," EM (January 19, 1916): 24. 19 "Peace propaganda," EM (January 3, 1917): 9. 20 See the report by T. C. Meckel, "Our Mssonary Operatons n Europe," EM (March 28, 1917): 7.
164 Methodst Hstory able to secure data on the proceedngs of those conferences by consultng copes of the European Evangelsche Botschajter that had been sent to a Phladelpha pastor and had been reproduced n the Amercan Chrst fche Botschajter. 21 Callng for ntercesson on behalf of "the sufferng, sorely tred consttuency of our own Evangelcal Assocaton n Europe," 22 Meckel's edtoral for March 1917 s the last to appear on ths subject n the Messenger untl May 1918, long after Amercan entry n the War. n hs 1917 edtoral he observed, "t s sad to contemplate thatmany of our Evangelcals n Germany are n the army and many Evangelcals n Amerca have responded to ther country's call, and that these wll clash on the battle front." 23 Wth the blackout of communcatons between the two sectors of the church, the church press fell slent on the European msson, untl a renewal of these contacts took place after the Armstce n November 1918. There were only occasonal crtcal remarks of the popular tendency to slander everythng German or to swear aganst the name of the Kaser that the edtor consdered demeanng and vulgar. 24 The Messenger prnted edtorals supportve of the Amecan war effort n the fall of 1918, and a revsonst readng of hstory now appeared, as the church edtor suddenly announced that "the people of Germany... have been, lo these many decades, under the nfluence of a wrong educatonal and mltary system of nstructon and practce." 25 On the occason of the Armstce, an edtoral expressed concern that the treaty would be equtable to all partes concerned-a hope that would be severely dsapponted for German Evangelcals n the postwar years. 26 The Era of the Wemar Republc (1919-1933): The Search for New dentty A predomnant theme n the postwar reports of the European conferences to the mother church was the need to regroup and advance the msson of the Evangelcals n a post-mperal era n whch German natonal and cultural nterests were at a decded dsadvantage wthn Europe. Now, for example, the work of the Evangelcal Assocaton that had formerly been under German governmental authorty n East Prussa and Alsace-Lorrane found tself under new flags- Polsh and French, respectvely. 21 EM (March 28, 1917): 7. 22 EM (March 28, 1917): 7. 23 EM (May 1, 1918): 12. 24 EM (Aprl 24, 1918): 12; also "De Schmahung als Kaserwaffe," CB (January 14, 1915): 5. 25 EM (October 16, 1918): 12 and (November 20, 1918): 3-4. 26 EM (January 20, 1918): 3-4.
L ' ' The Fatherland Revsted 165 Wthn postwar Germany, the atttude of Evangelcals toward the Wemar Republc was ambvalent. t was also roncal that the Evangelcals n Germany were begnnng to dentfy more wth the German "Volk" than wth the Amercan mother church, although as a free church t was better ntegrated and accepted wthn the "nternatonal, ecumencal plane, than wthn the natonal, ecclesal landscape. " 27 Ths was an era n whch the personal tes wth the mother church were gratefully renewed, wth Amercan Evangelcal bshops once agan conductng well-receved epscopal vsts. 28 At the same tme, there was a growng sense on the part of the European Conferences that a return to prewar "normalcy" was mprobable. Bshop ~"preng reported that German Evangelcals had been "heartbroken" over Amercan entry nto the war aganst them, and "they seem to thnk that the Germans n Amerca should have prevented t." 29 A greater structural autonomy for ther work, under the general oversght of the mother church, was n order. Ths would hopefully prevent the recurrence of the knd of dsruptons n leadershp that had oc~urred durng the war years. Ths more ndependent outlook was also encouraged by the trend toward dsestablshment of the state churches n Germany after 1919 30 under the aegs of the new Wemar Republc that fostered the hope for better treatment for Evangelcals wthn ther ndgenous German culture. However, the movement toward greater ecdesal autonomy from the mother church was to be countered by the ensung economc depresson of the 1920's that made European Evangelcals rely more and not less upon the mother church for needed fnancal support. Wthn the context of these broad developments t s necessary for us to dentfy the crucal phases of negotaton and the key personaltes nvolved on both sdes of the Atlantc. Frst, the negotatons. n 1918-1919, the North and South Germany Conferences prepared a memoral that was presented to the 1919 Evangelcal General Conference. The memoral, pettoned that a "general synod" be formed for Germany that would have authorty to oversee the work of the conferences and to elect a resdent bshop who would also hold membershp n the denomnatonal board of bshops. 31 A jont Amercan and European body was commssoned to meet n Stuttgart early n 1920 to formulate a proposed structure. 32 The dfferent ways n whch these negotatons were reported 27 Dess-Nethammer: 43-44. 28 "Wederherstellung krchlchen nteressen n Europa,"-CB (November 28, 1918): 2 and (September 25, 1919): 4. 29 EM (March 10, 1920): 8. 30 Spreng, "Germany n 1923," EM (August 18, 1923): 10. 31 Rchter: 6. 32 Rchter: 8.
166 Methodst Hstory by the Amercan and by the European representatves s noteworthy. For the Amercans, the chef consderaton was to reestablsh contact and "normal" relatons wth the European msson. For the Europeans, the greater consderaton was gven to fndng a way of securng legal recognton and ncorporaton as a free church from the provncal German governments. 33 Ths meetng n Stuttgart nvested greater energy n developng a plan to provde much needed war relef for the thousands of European Evangelcals sufferng from hunger and lack of shelter than to resolvng the ssue of autonomy. The rght of the Assocaton to hold legal ttle to ts property was fnally acheved n 1920 before the mplementaton of the proposal for autonomy. Ths movement toward ncorporaton and autonomy was also takng shape n Europe at a tme when the Evangelcal Assocaton n Amerca was movng toward reunon wth the Unted Evangelcal Church, the group that had favored a greater use of Englsh among Amercan Evangelcals, resultng n the formaton of the Evangelcal Church of North Amerca n 1922. Further nsght nto these changng patterns n the postwar relatonshp of Amercan and European Evangelcals s llumnated by focusng upon the key personaltes nvolved n these negotatons. Chef among them was a member of the forenamed commsson, Bshop Gottleb Renmller (1853-1921), a German-Amercan, whose mnstry was unquely shaped to brdge the concerns of the European and Amercan sectors of the church. Henmller was the frst bshop to presde over the postwar European conference sessons n 1921 and he was able to conduct extensve epscopal vsts throughout the European msson that helped replensh the reservor of good wll among European Evangelcals for the Amercan mother church. n that year of postwar revval he reported the largest numercal gans n the hstory of the work n Europe. He attrbuted the real reason for the ncrease to the neffectveness of the state churches n provdng sprtual nurture for the people and, snce they have now been "shorn of (ther) one tme great autocratc power, " 34 t has become possble for the free churches of Germany to reap the results. The success of Henmller's epscopal vst may have been due not only to hs fervent preachng and pastoral leadershp, but also to hs propensty to thnk lke a German, as well as an Amercan. For example, he noted crtcally the decson of the French government to declare the Evangelcal work n Alsace-Lorrane a "foregn body" and to prevent them from clamng damages to church property that was damaged by French artllery fre n the War. 35 At the same tme, Henmller's Amercan 33 EM (July 18, 1921): 8. 34 EM (October 3, 1921): 8. 35 G. Henmller, "From the Garden of Germany to Beautful Swtzerland" EM (July 18, 1921): 7.
ll ' The Fatherland Revsted 167 ;~ [. l! ~ : :. ; j;. l dentty provded hm wth a leverage that was unavalable to a European Evangelcal. Hence, when he was dened entry nto Poland to nspect Evangelcal work there, Brother Wecke, the senor Polsh mssonary, pled wth hm to "come to hs relef," belevng that "a bshop as the representatve of church n Amerca mght preval upon the authortes n Poland not to treat our preachers as they have treated many German Lutheran mnsters who were deported." 36 Ths 1921 epscopal vst by Henmller to Europe was to be hs last. He was prevented by death from acceptng hs appontment by General Conference n 1922 to serve as the frst resdent bshop n Europe. Ths conference had also granted the Europeans ther lon~-awated autonomy and Henmller would have presded over the newly-formed European Central Conference that frst met n Stuttgart n 1924. 37 Lackng hs leadershp, the sentment for autonomy would be nurtured for the next quadrennum wthout the gudng nfluence of an Amercan leader who deeply understood the European pont of vew. Mndful of the growng chasm between the Amercan and the European sectons of the church, the General Conference had also provded for the German translaton and revson of the book of Dscplne for ts more effectve use n Europe. Church edtor Rchter descrbed the sgnfcance of t.hese actons from hs Eu[opean vewpont, notng: As the Evangelcal Assocaton n Europe, we must not rernan altogether dependent upon the development that has to be taken by our mother church n ts homeland, wth regard to the ever more promnent changes wthn the areas of lngustc, relgous, and mssonary concerns, as well as n other respects. 38 The growng need for an effectve resdent bshop was underscored by addtonal reasons. From 1922-26 the European Conferences were served by an Amercan bshop, L. H. Seager, who could not communcate n German. Also, for the frst tme, reports from the European msson feld to the Amercan papers contaned notes of nternal demoralzaton that was n part a functon of the growng economc and socal chaos n Germany. Less than half of the 307 congregatons n Germany owned ther own property, and n Poland church property was lqudated. n Alsace, the suppresson of the German language and the contnung denal of cvl rghts to ther congregatons were cted. 39 The frst Amercan church leader snce Bshop Henmller to be receved as "one of ther own" and hence to receve the unqualfed endorsement of the European Evangelcals was the new resdent bshop 36 F. Wercke further noted that as a result, "70 to 80 Lutheran Churches n Poland are wthout pastors."-em (August 1, 1921): 71. 37 CB (July 24, 1923): 3. 38 CB (July 24, 1923): 9. : j 39 EM (September 27, 1924): 12; and EM (July 4, 1925): 20.
168 Methodst Hstory elected by the 1926 General Conference, S. J. Umbret (b. 1871). 40 The former head of mssonary work n Japan, Umbret was fluent n German and, even more mportantly, he had a strong nclnaton to dentfy hmself wth the people he served. For the next two quadrenna he dd much to restore the vtalty of the European msson and serve as ts sympathetc nterpreter n the hgher councls of the church n Amerca. As early as June 1927, a report from Berln, the newly developed epscopal center, had reached the Messenger that ths "fathful man of God who has quckly won the hearts of all, has been n Berln snce the tenth of Aprl.,,4 1 Over 1250 Evangelcals n Berln heard hm preach on Easter of 1927 n the audtorum of the largest hgh school n Charlottenburg. A new day had come for the Evangelcals of Europe. Umbret's acceptance not only by Evangelcals but also by other German church authortes was remarkable. n readng Bshop Umbret's reports to the Amercan church press durng the late 1920's and early 1930's, t becomes evdent that he was ncreasngly adjustng hs outlook to that of a German Chrstan of the nterwar era. The new resdent bshop found hmself rejocng n the returnng sense of German ndustral, cultural, and natonal self esteem and progress that began to assert tself durng these years. n a publshed ntervew wth an Amercan newspaper, Bshop Umbret, from hs headquarters n Berln, was asked, "What s the atttude of the average German toward the Unted States?" He repled that although the Germans "cannot even yet understand how the Unted States came to enter the war," he had found "no unfrendly feelng toward the Unted States," especally snce "Amercan captal has put Germany on her ndustral feet.',4 2 He asserted that another war s "absolutely certan to come" unless the terms of the Versalles Treaty of 1918 can be changed, such as the solaton of East Prussa by the Polsh corrdor, the preventon of Germany from the power to colonze, the "amputaton" of the Saar basn from Germany, and the forcng of Germany to admt she was "altogether responsble for the war.,,4 3 He was hopeful that these changes would come by peacefulmeans. He was also hopeful the "ant-god movement" of tne Sovet government would " eventually burn tself out," and that a revval of relgon would come to Russa as well. 44 Umbret was even more hopeful regardng the postwar prospects for the Evangelcal msson n Europe that s "thoroughly organzed for 40 Joyous news of hs electon was recorded by the European delegaton to the General Conference-EM (November 6, 1.926): 8. 41 Rev. W. Joern, "The Recepton of Bshop Umbret n Berln." EM (June 4, 1927): 20. 42 "An ntervew wth Bshop Umbret," rep. from the Lowell, Mass., "Evenng Leader," EM (September 27, 1930): 11. 43 EM (September 27, 1930): 11. 44 EM (September 27, 1927): 52.
...------------------------------------- The Fatherland Revsted 169 '' ' ; ' '! ' aggressve evangelstc work. 45 Above all, t possesses an evangelstc message that focuses less upon practcal, moral ssues, as n Amerca, and more upon an nward, Chrst-centered "crss theology," that recognzes the "utter hopelessness" of man and dsparages personal ntatve. 46 Anglo Saxons expect the world to get "better day by day n every way" untl the Kngdom of God appears on the earth, whle contnental Evangelcals look for "a sfted group of select people and then judgement, and a cataclysmc establshment of God's kngdom.' 747 Umbret found grounds for a hopeful outlook on the European msson not only n the perceved sprtual vtalty of the congregatons but also n the aggressve plantng of msson n new felds, n Venna, Pars and n securng a promse fro_m the Polsh government for the eventual return of exproprated church property. 48 He also rested hs hopes for European msson n the foundng and enlargement of benevolent homes and schools throughout the Central Conference, plus the completon of a new seven-floor home for the Stuttgart Publshng House. However, Umbret's postve assessment of the European msson and ts prospects contrast wth the more cautous and at tmes negatve assessment by leaders from wthn the German conferences. They seemed to be senstve toward ssues that the resdng Amercan bshop dd not notce, although they consstently regarded hm hghly. Hence, 1. Sturzenacker of the North Germany Conference reported n 1929 to the Messenger that, "The debts upon most of our church buldngs are a source of much concern.' 749 Agan n 1931, he wrote, "the worldly sprt of the tmes s enterng." 50 Perhaps the most penetratng crtque of the European msson n relaton to ts transatlantc tes was offered by M. Rchter of the South German Conference n hs unpublshed hstorcal study. 51 n 1933, he was sensng the detrmental effects of the decades when there was no resdent bshop n Europe. n ther formatve years, they had become a body that was lackng a head, despte the fact that the Dscplne called for full-tme epscopal leadershp, there was no one n authorty to speak for the Evangelcal Assocaton. As a result, the offce of Dstrct Superntendent was enlarged beyond ts proper scope, and the Annual Conferences allowed themselves to be developed nto an "unsound democracy. " 52 45 S. J. Umbret, "Evangelsm n Our European Church," EM December 10, 1927): 11. 46 EM (December 10, 1927): 11. 47 EM (December 10, 1927): 11. 48 S. J. Umbret, "n East Prussa," EM (Aprl9, 1932): 13. He reported n August that ths request stll had not been acted upon.- EM (August 27, 1932): 13. 49 EM (September 13, 1930): 20. 50 EM (August 29, 1931): 11. 51 Rchter: 10-13. 52 The ttle for ths offce had been changed from Presdng Elder to Dstrct Superntendent at the General Conference of 1930. Rchter dd applaud the ncluson of lay delegates n the European conferences after 1930, notng that th was consstent wth the doctrne of the general presthood of all belevers.- Rchter: 2.
.. 170 Methodst Hstory n Rchter's vew, ths tended toward the nculcaton of medocrty wth persons assgned to responsbltes for whch they were less than qualfed. t also nhbted the emergence of qualfed leaders, who had a holstc vew of the msson, snce such persons knew that ther proposals would easly be defeated n a popular vote. 53 These vews, comng as they dd at the outset of the Natonal Socalst era, reflect Rchter's dsenchantment wth the cumbersome democratc process that was seen as a falure n the Wemar Republc. t was an era whch called for strong, decsve leadershp. The ecclesal changes that were occurrng n 1933 were needed, sad Rchter, "because they were nclned toward the 'Fuhrer-thnkng' of ths new age. " 54 The Early Natonal Socalst Era (1933-40): The Unexpected Danger Ths was an era of desperate hope. Evangelcal leaders were ncreasngly alarmed by the sense of potental danger, but they remaned anxous to latch onto any sgns of credblty n the Natonal Socalst regme. The era began wth a sense of euphora. The new day would call for strateges for the church. European church edtor M. Rchter exclamed that, ''n our new Germany, that the thnkng of the Fuhrer s brngng fully nto expresson, we wll even have to reorder our epscopal consttuton more radcally and fully." 55 n 1933, the Messenger prnted artcles for Amercan Evangelcals that ntroduced Htler's "eght pont plan," hs adopton of Protestantsm over Catholcsm, hs declaraton on nonnterference wth the free churches, hs denal that an ncrease n armaments wll be sought, hs teetotalsm n support of the German Ant-alcohol Socety, and hs advocacy of the "smple" lfe, based upon moral values. 56 On the other sde, artcles also appeared that announced the requested emgraton of large numbers of Jews, Htler's threat to remove chldren from non..,naz homes and hs proposal of euthanasa for ncurables, as well as reports of Protestant and Catholc opposton to the radcal, "neopagan" elements of the emergng Naz 'Volkskrche.' 57 Bshop Umbret reflected a defensve posture as he proceeded to gude the European area of the church, wth ts consttuency of more than 100,000 persons/ 8 nto the new era. He joned Bshop Nuelsen of the Methodst Church and several promnent Berln pastors of the Prussan 53 Rchter: 2. 54 Rchter: 13. 55 Rchter: 13. 56 EM (May 27, 1933): 4; (July 22, 1933}: 5; (September 16, 1933): 5; (November 1, 1933): 4; (October 14, 1933): 5. 57 EM (July 1, 1933): 4-5; (October 21, 1933): 5; (December 2, 1933): 5. 58 Umbret gave ths estmate on 3/25/1935, p. 12; EM (October, 1933): 13.
; ; The Fatherland Revsted 171 :. Protestant Church n opposng the "fabrcatons" and "horror propaganda" from New York and London that threatened Germany wth an economc blockade for ts "alleged" ant-semtc polces. The blockade of Jewsh shops n Berln, that was soon to follow, was regarded as a "strange spectacle," although t was descrbed as nonvolent and as drected aganst persons who "have a heavy account on the wrong sde of the moral ledger. " 59 The commttee promsed that such "commercal drves" would cease when there s a cessaton of foregn Jewsh agtaton. They further assured the west that "Reawakened Germany s determned to rd herself of the baneful present and future results of Bolshevsm, and restore a sane and sound Chrstan state. 60 Smlar sentments were sounded by R. Kcklch, the South German Conference Secretary, who gave a theologcal nterpretaton to a new era: "God... gave new condtons to the German people ths sprng. We see a wonder before our eyes. The battalons of the godless are no rore. The church faces new opportuntes." 61 However, n another context, Kcklch urged Evangelcals to have as lttle as possble to do wth poltcal nvolvement, n dstncton from the strong pro-htler stance adopted by the Landeskrchen. 62 Umbret, too, was convnced that the radcal (neo-pagan) element n the Landeskrche was not reflectve of the poston of the go~ernment that has repeatedly declared t s "Chrstan to the core. " 63 Htler's rse was concdng wth the "comng of age" of the free church Umbret headed. Snce legal recognton, "we no longer lve n the corners or bends of European lfe. " 64 Furthermore, "There s no queston," he stated, ''but what we wll contnue as an ndependent denomnaton, servng God and the state.... " 65 Despte oppressve economc condtons that had requred preachers' salares to be slashed by 400Jo n 1934, Umbret remaned optmstc as he was also strvng for fnancal ndependence for the European msson. However, by 1934 he was havng to descrbe condtons n Germany n a more qualfed way. ncreasng attacks from zealous agtators wthn the Landeskrchen (the "blood and sol" neo-pagans) were reported to be ntmdatng many Evangelcals, 66 and the young people's socetes (YP A) were now dssolved and merged nto the state-operated youth socetes for 59 S. J. Umbret, "Reports of Atroctes n Germany Unfounded," EM (Aprl ~9, 1933): 20. 60 EM (Aprl 29, 1933): 20. -., 61 EM (July 15, 1933): 11. 62 R. Kcklch, "De Wendestunde," Evangelsches Baustene; (September-October, 1933): 10. 63 EM (October 7, 1933): 17. 64 EM (November 11, 1933): 13. 65 S. J. Umbret, "Paragraphs from the Epscopal Message, Central Conference of the European Area" (111), EM (November 25, 1922): 20. 66 Stll, he was assertng that the government and the "Rechsbschof" were seekng to defend the rghts of the free churches.
172 Methodst Hstory the nculcaton of Natonal Socalsm that he ncredbly vewed as beng sutable "to meet the needs of the German young people better than the old method." 67 Toward the end of hs report, he abruptly announced that "t s not dear what the legal status of the (Central Conference) really s." 68 Ths s the last word reported from Europe by Bshop Umbret. Wth lttle dscusson, he was recalled by the 1934 General Conference and, under apparent German poltcal pressure, the European bshoprc was dscontnued. 69 n the lght of ts ambvalent status, the Central Conference dd not meet for fve years and the old pattern of conferences beng chared by vstng Amercan bshops was resumed. 70 n 1935 the government pressured the South German Conference to absorb congregatons lyng wthn Germany that had been under the jursdcton of the Swss Conference. 71 Fnally, n 1938, the Central Conference convened to petton the General Conference of that year to establsh an all German "Rechskonferenz" wth a supervsng bshop to be selected by themselves to oversee the msson wthn German boundares. 72 The congregatons n France and Swtzerland were to be excluded from ts jursdcton, thus damagng the nternatonal fellowshp that had been nurtured among European Evangelcals. Feelng helpless to dssent, wthout courtng the danger of dsruptng the autonomy that t was stll tryng to respect, the General Conference n the Unted States gave ts consent and thus collaborated wth the captulaton of ther msson to the rsng statsm. Wth ths reorganzaton pendng, n lne wth the prevalng German natonalst sentment, the German government agreed to grant the Evangelcal Assocaton the coveted "Corporaton of Publc Rghts for the whole of Germany," that was gratefully acknowledged by the German annual conferences n 1938. 73 The report of the Amercan-based Mssonary Socety observed that the ncorporaton rghts would strengthen the msson, although t was recognzed that the German people were beng led by ther new socal and poltcal agenda. 74 At the frst sesson of the "Rechskonferenz," held n Berln, n Aprl1939, 75 the electon of a German 67 EM (November 25, 1922): 20. 68 EM (November 25, 1922): 20. 69 R. M. Veh, Thumbnal Sketches of Evangelcal Bshops (Harrsburg: Evangelcal Pub. Co., 1939): 25. 70 1. S. Stamm, who succeeded Umbret, contnued hs effort of descrbng the German culture n a postve lght. EM (July 20, 1935): 10. 71 Eller: 191. 72 Eller: 191. 73 EM (July 23, 1938): 16. 74 EM (October, 1938): 17. 75 Eller: 169.
The Fatherland Revsted 173 bshop was deferred and, n the chaos of the War that followed, was ndefntely postponed. 76 Concluson Wth the erupton of the Second World War, the transatlantc communcatons were once agan fully severed. The msson had passed from unexamned bondng wth the mother church to autonomous dentty to an era fraught wth unexpected danger. n the Amercan church there was a wearness and some loss of nterest n the "troublesome" German msson n whch so much had been nvested for so long. The Evangelcal hstoran Paul Eller, wrtng n the frst month after Amercctn entry nto the War, summarzed ths atttude by sayng, the development n Germany of a poltcal doctrne whch n zeal and comprehensveness rvals the clams of the Chrstan fath has alenated the nterest and sympathy of many Evangelcals from ths enterprse. 77 Ths outlook, together wth the process of Anglczng the Amercan part of the church, greatly ncreased the dstance wth the European msson. t has left those of us who have nherted the mantle of ths promsng transatlantc msson venture wth a task to resume and strengthen those neglected tes, n the Name of the Lord of the natons. At ths s done, a judcous awareness of the ptfalls of ts nterwar hstory may possbly yeld nsght for ts present-day successors who face the prospect of bearng wtness to the fath amd the uncertantes of the current German natonal resurgence. 76 "Snce the German bshop was not yet elected by the German Rechskonferenz, t was necessary to elect the charman of the South Germany Conference" - R. Kklch, "Proceedngs of the South Germany Conference," EM (July 15, 1939): 16. 77 Eller: 169 (note: Eller's work was publshed n January, 1942).