Religion 50, Liberation and 20th Century Christian Thought
Spring 2011

Reading questions for Doris Bergen, Twisted Cross

1)	What role did the idea of a ‘people’s church’ play in the German Christian movement, according to Bergen?  What does she say about the history of this idea?

2)	Bergen frequently speaks of ‘theological illiteracy’ on the part of the German Christians.  What does she mean by this, and why is theological illiteracy important to her argument?

3)	How would you compare the way the German Christians understood Jesus to the way the Social Gospel thinkers did?  Are there any similarities?  

4)	In what ways did the German Christians have difficulty reconciling Christianity and National Socialism?  Had Germany not lost the war, do you imagine the German Christian movement continuing to exist?