The Faithful Spy: Introduction–Chapter 2

Hitler had surrounded himself with henchmen and cronies who were more demons than dignitaries.

Hitler had surrounded himself with henchmen and cronies who were more demons than dignitaries.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one of the first in Europe to detect and decry the foul aroma of death surrounding Hitler in his treatment of the Jewish people.

At eighteen, Dietrich was already training to be a theologian in Berlin, Germany. He enjoyed studying how humanity thinks about God—in his case, the God of the Bible.

Dietrich himself was something of a virtuoso piano player and had considered a career in music before theology grabbed his heart.

Karl was an austere man but took great joy in his children’s intellectual life.

Even Dietrich's father, Karl, who was a kind but very pragmatic man, thought his interest in the church at such a young age was strange.

Early in the war, there was nationwide elation (near glee!) for the prospect of a grand adventure on the battlefield.

The country was possessed with a patriotic desire to prove its mettle.

Dietrich’s childhood was over. In fact, the idyllic Germany Dietrich had known as a child was itself coming to an end.

Hitler and his proxy army of storm troopers attempted to grab control of the government through brute force—a coup or, in German, a “putsch.”

Hitler and his proxy army of storm troopers attempted to grab control of the government through brute force—a coup or, in German, a “putsch.”

Hitler and his proxy army of storm troopers attempted to grab control of the government through brute force—a coup or, in German, a “putsch.”

The attempted hijacking was ill-conceived and quickly thwarted.

Hitler, as the leader, was swiftly arrested for insurrection.

His 1924 trial became a sensation, galvanizing popular support for his cause.

Dietrich continued to study theology, but it no longer was merely academic. It was alive with possibility! He even wrote his doctoral dissertation in 1927 on this revelation, called “sanctorum communio,” or the communion of saints, asking what the church could do if God’s people acted in the world with one voice.

Though Hitler was banned from public speaking until 1927, he routinely ignored the law to rally his cadre of growing supporters.

Dietrich was in New York City. It was another vastly new experience. Although the stock market crash had happened the previous fall, the raw energy of the city hadn't been dampened yet.

He had come to the bustling city in 1930 to continue his studies at Union Theological Seminary, located just to the west of the neighborhood of Harlem.

Dietrich, like many other Germans at that time, loved his country and believed the Treaty of Versailles was a tragic injustice because of how it hobbled the country's financial recovery after the war.

In his studies, young Dietrich had learned about the history of slavery and racism in America. But growing up inside Germany's elite class, Dietrich had never actually experienced what it felt like to be treated like a second-class human. He was appalled to his core.

But there was something oddly familiar about what he was seeing. It reminded him of the rhetoric of that young nationalist upstart, Adolf Hitler, and his Nazi Party, who had tried to seize control of the government a few years earlier.

But there was something oddly familiar about what he was seeing. It reminded him of the rhetoric of that young nationalist upstart, Adolf Hitler, and his Nazi Party, who had tried to seize control of the government a few years earlier.

Lasserre was a strong pacifist—he believed there was no good reason for a Christian (or anyone, for that matter!) to ever fight in a war.

The gregarious nationalist Adolf Hitler had been gaining moderate support before Dietrich had left for New York.

He was telling a story to the German people that they were eager to hear—a hopeful prophecy of German ascension.

They had little inkling of what we know today: that he was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

His storm troopers wore distinctive brown shirts with red armbands, and they paraded around Nazi rallies with brooding menace.

Since 1919, when Germany abandoned the monarchy, the new cabinet-style government had floundered.

There were too many political parties to get a clear consensus in the Reichstag.

The 85-year-old president appointed Hitler to the office as part of a deal with his rival politicians who felt this appointment would mollify Hitler and keep his Nazi Party under government control.

Hitler was steering the great German galleon straight into a hurricane!

They instantly pinned the blame for the entire plot on a faction of radical communists who they claimed were eager to overthrow the German republic.

This trauma was a perfect excuse to cajole old President Hindenburg to expand Hitler's powers.

The Nazi propaganda machine stoked the fears of the people, reminding them that a vote for Nazis in the upcoming election was a vote for protection from a communist revolution, which many feared.

Within weeks, Hitler had dismantled the German constitution and made himself nearly untouchable by the law. This single act was the legal linchpin on which Hitler's future dictatorship was founded.

During this time, Hitler would brazenly walk around carrying a riding whip.

The downtrodden people of Germany adored this triumphant new version of Christianity. No more did they have to pray for their enemies or “turn the other cheek."

The entire country, and now even the church's leadership, had fallen under Hitler's intoxicating spell.