This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact The Epoch Times Reprints.
American Church Has ‘Very Little Time’ Left to Push Back Rising Authoritarianism: Author
The radio host and commentator says that one of the darkest chapters in modern history may repeat itself if American Christians do not act soon to prevent it.
Eric Metaxas has observed troubling parallels between the current political climate in America and that of pre-World War II Germany.
Perhaps the most concerning of those similarities, the conservative author and radio host says, is the American church’s silence amid the rise of authoritarianism within the United States.
“We’ve seen in the last year just unprecedented evil,” Mr. Metaxas told EpochTV’s “Crossroads” on Dec. 16.
“I mean, erasing the southern border, election fraud … It is up to the people of God, if you claim to be a Christian, to stand against these things for the sake of everyone.”
Documentary Slated on EpochTV in February
That’s the argument he makes in “Letter to the American Church,” a new documentary based on his same-titled book. The documentary, which will air exclusively on EpochTV on Feb. 8, explores the consequences of what happens when Christians fail to take a stand against tyranny.
“I think that, just like in Germany, there’s very little time,” Mr. Metaxas warned. “Like, I would say in two years, in a year, it might be over.
“If people don’t step up now and get involved … in the election, get involved in standing against these evils, we will lose.”
According to Mr. Metaxas, one of the threads connecting the churches of pre-war Germany and the modern-day United States is a similar perception of what constitutes faith.
In Germany, he said, Martin Luther’s reformation of the church gave rise to the perception of faith as something that is believed, not performed. And that notion, he said, sparked the concern of German theologian and Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer amid the rise of the Nazi regime.
German Church Ignored Warning About Nazis
“Bonhoeffer in the 1930s sees this in Germany, he says, ‘Look what’s happened since Luther. We have so bastardized this view of faith that it’s become this attenuated intellectual faith. It’s no real faith because it’s not lived out.’”
The German church ultimately ignored Bonhoeffer’s pleas to resist the Nazis, opting to stay out of Hitler’s way as he committed countless atrocities. Bonhoeffer was later executed by the Nazis.
The story, Mr. Metaxas said, presents a cautionary tale for American Christians as to what they could be held responsible for if they fail to act now in the face of tyranny.
“It’s just so ironic to me that we’re living in a time now where you have many Christians saying exactly what the German Christians were saying.
“And that’s what’s so chilling to me because my mother grew up in Nazi Germany, and I wrote the Bonhoeffer book, and I have seen this very clearly,” he said.
“I want to wake people up and say, unless Christians repent of their inaction and their silence, unless they get in the battle, God will hold you as guilty.”
Mr. Metaxas acknowledged that, as was the case for the German church, shifts in attitude and policy have influenced how American Christians apply their faith to the political arena.
For example, the Johnson Amendment, he noted, has long threatened the tax-exempt status of churches that dare to get political in their messaging.
Misreading the ‘Wall of Separation’
Meanwhile, the doctrine of separation of church and state has led many to believe they must keep their faith separate from all things political. But that idea, he said, is based on a misunderstanding of the concept.
“The reason in America the founders created the wall of separation—in Jefferson’s famous letter—between church and state was specifically to protect the churches from the state,” he noted.
He also emphasized that the desire of many Christians to avoid being political would put them at odds with their Christian values.
“Would you dare to keep your mouth shut on the issue of slavery? Would you dare to keep your mouth shut if Jews are being dragged off in boxcars to Treblinka and Auschwitz? … What kind of a hypocrite are you?” he wondered.
“That’s been part of the American culture in the church, the American Christian culture, and it is sinful. It is wrong.”
Citing the Book of James’ assertion that “faith without works is dead,” Mr. Metaxas said Christians have a biblical responsibility to live out their faith “in every sphere.”
If they aren’t doing so, he added, it raises the question of whether their faith is genuine.
“If you’re not living it out, doesn’t that prove you don’t really believe it? … A lot of people have this idea, like, ‘I can believe it, but not do anything about it.’ No, that’s wrong. You have to live it out,” he said.
Samantha Flom was a reporter for The Epoch Times covering U.S. politics and news. A graduate of Syracuse University, she has a background in journalism and nonprofit communications.
American Church Has ‘Very Little Time’ Left to Push Back Rising Authoritarianism: Author
Eric Metaxas has observed troubling parallels between the current political climate in America and that of pre-World War II Germany.
Perhaps the most concerning of those similarities, the conservative author and radio host says, is the American church’s silence amid the rise of authoritarianism within the United States.
“We’ve seen in the last year just unprecedented evil,” Mr. Metaxas told EpochTV’s “Crossroads” on Dec. 16.
Documentary Slated on EpochTV in February
That’s the argument he makes in “Letter to the American Church,” a new documentary based on his same-titled book. The documentary, which will air exclusively on EpochTV on Feb. 8, explores the consequences of what happens when Christians fail to take a stand against tyranny.“I think that, just like in Germany, there’s very little time,” Mr. Metaxas warned. “Like, I would say in two years, in a year, it might be over.
“If people don’t step up now and get involved … in the election, get involved in standing against these evils, we will lose.”
According to Mr. Metaxas, one of the threads connecting the churches of pre-war Germany and the modern-day United States is a similar perception of what constitutes faith.
German Church Ignored Warning About Nazis
“Bonhoeffer in the 1930s sees this in Germany, he says, ‘Look what’s happened since Luther. We have so bastardized this view of faith that it’s become this attenuated intellectual faith. It’s no real faith because it’s not lived out.’”The German church ultimately ignored Bonhoeffer’s pleas to resist the Nazis, opting to stay out of Hitler’s way as he committed countless atrocities. Bonhoeffer was later executed by the Nazis.
The story, Mr. Metaxas said, presents a cautionary tale for American Christians as to what they could be held responsible for if they fail to act now in the face of tyranny.
“It’s just so ironic to me that we’re living in a time now where you have many Christians saying exactly what the German Christians were saying.
“And that’s what’s so chilling to me because my mother grew up in Nazi Germany, and I wrote the Bonhoeffer book, and I have seen this very clearly,” he said.
“I want to wake people up and say, unless Christians repent of their inaction and their silence, unless they get in the battle, God will hold you as guilty.”
Mr. Metaxas acknowledged that, as was the case for the German church, shifts in attitude and policy have influenced how American Christians apply their faith to the political arena.
Misreading the ‘Wall of Separation’
Meanwhile, the doctrine of separation of church and state has led many to believe they must keep their faith separate from all things political. But that idea, he said, is based on a misunderstanding of the concept.“The reason in America the founders created the wall of separation—in Jefferson’s famous letter—between church and state was specifically to protect the churches from the state,” he noted.
He also emphasized that the desire of many Christians to avoid being political would put them at odds with their Christian values.
“Would you dare to keep your mouth shut on the issue of slavery? Would you dare to keep your mouth shut if Jews are being dragged off in boxcars to Treblinka and Auschwitz? … What kind of a hypocrite are you?” he wondered.
“That’s been part of the American culture in the church, the American Christian culture, and it is sinful. It is wrong.”
Citing the Book of James’ assertion that “faith without works is dead,” Mr. Metaxas said Christians have a biblical responsibility to live out their faith “in every sphere.”
If they aren’t doing so, he added, it raises the question of whether their faith is genuine.
“If you’re not living it out, doesn’t that prove you don’t really believe it? … A lot of people have this idea, like, ‘I can believe it, but not do anything about it.’ No, that’s wrong. You have to live it out,” he said.