Ernst Käsemann - Church Conflicts: The Cross, Apocalyptic, and Political Resistance

R Y O. S IGGELKOW

W hat you hold in your hands is a translation of the first volume of Ernst Ksemanns Kirchliche Konflikte , a collection of essays, lectures, Bible studies, meditations, and sermons spanning the late 60s to the early 80s, compiled and published in 1982.

The Early Years and Theological Studies

Ernst Ksemanns life spanned nearly the entire twentieth century. While studying at Marburg, Ksemann learned more about the dialectical theology movement, working his way through the writings of Kierkegaard, Barth, and Heidegger. In his fifth semester he left for Tbingen for further study under Adolf Schlatter.

The Pastoral Years and the Resistance against Nazism

After completing his initial theological studies, Ksemann took up a position as a teaching vicar in Zieverich, about a hundred kilometers south of his hometown of Essen. While there he completed his first theological examinations at nearby Koblenz, and by 1931, under the direction of Bultmann, he submitted his doctoral dissertation on the theme of the worldwide body of Christ. Along with many others, Ksemann would cast his vote for Adolf Hitler and join the right-wing Hitlerite movement of German Protestantism, the Deutsche Christen (German Christians). Before long, however, Ksemann grew mistrustful of the regime after Hitler intervened on behalf of a criminal storm trooper in Silesia. But Ksemann admits that he still navely thought that Germany could wait until the next election, four years later, to vote Hitler out of office.

Ksemann changed his mind when, in the summer of 1933, his congregation witnessed a dramatic increase in membership of the Deutsche Christen (from four to forty-five members). On the Day of Repentance and Prayer on November 15, 1934, Ksemann, along with his colleagues and friends from the Confessing Church, publicly dismissed before the altar the forty-five members of the Deutsche Christen from membership in his congregation and presented forty-five members of the Confessing Church to replace them.

In response to the planned action, a group of Nazis from Gelsenkirchen had prepared a plan of their own. As the service was about to commence, a group of Nazis formed in front of the church, determined to stop the service from happening by having the pastors flogged out of the church. A group of women in the congregationthe backbone of the congregation, in Ksemanns wordsformed the key opposition against the Nazi group. While the Nazis did not threaten the group of women violently, they promised to participate aggressively if the situation demanded it. By this point, many curious onlookers from all ages and walks of life began to gather in front of the church to see what was going on. In Ksemanns words, the front of the church had been transformed into a battle arena. In response to what appeared to be an impending riot, a man named Graf Stosch, a Nazi advocate for church affairs in the district of Westphalia-North, appeared with fifty policemen and ordered everyone to clear the area in the name of the state. Stosch had earlier informed Ksemann and others preparing for the service that he had received a commission from Berlin to arrest the pastors and prevent the service from taking place. In response to his query as to whether they would still continue the service, the Confessing Church pastors answered, Yes. Stosch said that he would ensure that the pastors would be protected, and he informed Berlin that he would secure law and order. Although he was not sure what had motivated Stosch to allow the service to continue, Ksemann found this action very moving, going so far as to say, The climax of our struggle is bound up with him.