Nazism and Christianity had a fraught and tangled relationship in Hitler's Germany.

Though we would be hard-pressed to call Hitler a Christian, he sprinkled his speeches with all kinds of references to both God and faith. He pressed for something his government called "Positive Christianity," which was grounded almost totally in Germany's National Socialism, and what one author called, "the 'politically correct' version of an empty gospel."

This is how Dean Stroud explains it:

"Although the Nazi program included a counterfeit 'positive Christianity' and although Hitler peppered speeches with references to God, neither he nor Nazism had a single thing in common with traditional Christianity.

Nazi religious was pagan, containing a pagan savior [Hitler) and creed [Mein Kampf]. The creed knew nothing of sin, and its faith glorified violence.

Nazism had no meekness or humility, no love of neighbor, and no thought of forgiveness.

Hitler was the German savior and Jews were the devil incarnate."

Hitler used Christianity to draw support to himself. He was able to convince Christians in Germany to uncouple their faith from the teachings and the Gospel of Jesus.

Once that uncoupling was complete, as long as Hitler mentioned God and Christianity enough, those who had become disconnected from the teachings of Jesus were pawns in his hands. The German church became complicit.

We know the outcome.

It is a dangerous thing when a leader, or a group of leaders, uses faith to compel people toward beliefs and actions that are in direct opposition to that faith.

But it has happened before.

And it is happening now.

The weak, the poor, the disabled, the marginalized, as well as those considered aliens, strangers, and foreigners; anyone considered outside the bounds of "normal" are often the first victims.

And always, always, the church has a decision to make when moments like this arrive. Does it stand? Or does it crumble and turn inward, acquiescing to the powers-that-be in order to protect its standing and position?

A majority of the German church crumbled.

Some brave souls and churches stood.

I want to know why.