2026.01.27

When the Nazis came for the communists, I kept quiet; I wasn’t a communist.

When they came for the trade unionists, I kept quiet; I wasn’t a trade unionist.

When they locked up the social democrats, I kept quiet; I wasn’t a social democrat.

When they locked up the Jews, I kept quiet; I wasn’t a Jew.

When they came for me, there was no one left to protest.

Rev. Martin Niemöller

I have told you before that I have been to Dachau concentration camp twice in my life. It was the first, and its purpose was to imprison enemies of the Reich. It was also a SS training site. In fact the majority of the acreage was dedicated to housing, feeding, and training members of the SS.

Each time I visited, I was reminded that Martin Niemöller, a Lutheran pastor, was a prisoner in this camp. Today, I am thinking about him. How did a conservative pastor and Nazi supporter become an enemy of the state? The Third Reich began the Nazification (politicization) of the German Church; Niemöller began resisting this and joined Confessing Church movement. Martin was eventually taken into custody in 1937. At Dachau, he was imprisoned in a barracks set aside for priests and pastors; approximately 2500 members of the clergy were imprisoned there. Niemöller was liberated in 1945.

For the rest of his life, Niemöller expressed deep regret about not having done enough to help victims of the Nazis. He would become an advocate for human rights and peace. He penned the statement above, a profound output of the regret he had.

Over the past few years, I have grown increasingly concerned that certain factions of the Christian church in the West are supporting behaviors from our politicians that would make even Jesus pause. These factions, from both the right and the left, have cozied up to people whose words and actions are meant to incite people. We have witnessed the violence.

My bLOG today is not meant to incite; its purpose is to make people pause and think. Why? Because the behaviors of our so-called “leaders” make me pause and reflect on my role as a servant of Jesus Christ. I feel trapped in the middle of extremes, which often leaves me frozen and unable to act.

This past week, we celebrated another pastor named Martin. He was a Christian man who peacefully advocated for human rights. I believe he died with a broken heart because others were becoming threatening and violent in the name of the same cause he was martyred for.