Our God Loves Justice: An Introduction to Helmut Gollwitzer by Dr. W. Travis McMaken is my favorite book published in 2017. I know I said this about another book, but that was before I read McMaken's "Golli" (a nickname bestowed upon Gollwitzer by his students, and my nickname for this book)[1]. Gollwitzer knew Karl Barth personally, and worked as one of Karl Barth's teaching assistants. Gollwitzer is frequently referenced in books about Karl Barth, yet Gollwitzer remains relatively unknown, and few English speaking Barthians know much about "Golli". I have encountered Gollwitzer at many times and places but it wasn't until I read McMaken's book on "Golli" that I was able to understand Gollwitzer significance due to his close proximity to Karl Barth, and as a theological heir of Barth's theological program.

McMaken's Our God Loves Justice (or as I call it: "Golli") may sound like a generic "introduction" to yet another unknown theologian like the countless other banal introductions, but it's not! McMaken's has unique value for the following reasons:

1) Gollwitzer was a theological child of Karl Barth who knew Barth personally, and was personally instructed by Barth, so Golli provides unique insight into Barth's theological program; 2) Gollwitzer is relatively unknown, especially among English speaking Barthians, and McMaken's "Golli" overcomes this poverty by epitomizing Gollwitzer's work; 3) McMaken's "Golli" provides direct translations of selections of Gollwitzer's works in the appendix of Our God Loves Justice that provides direct engagement with Gollwitzer; 4) McMaken's "Golli" provides entertaining applications of Gollwitzer's works that spans from the shoe-shop capitalistic evangelism of D. L. Moody to the nuclear bomb shaped cotton candy at the bombs away amusement ride in Katy Perry's Chained to the Rhythm video.

So I highly recommend McMaken's Our God Loves Justice for an excellent new book by an excellent scholar on an excellent theologian that will have key significance for Barthian studies today and in the future. (n.b. if you are a professor scouring for an introduction book to adopt on an important theologian to assign to your students.)

The Life of Helmut Gollwitzer

Helmut Gollwitzer (1908–1993) was an affluent white, male, german theologian and his profile may discourage some people from reading him, especially since he participated in World War II as a machine gunner in the Nazi army (although he never fired his gun at any person). Why should I listen to Gollwitzer? McMaken addresses these concerns from the onset of the book by reminding me, that I also fit Golli's profile, and I participate in an empire that causes oppression as well.[2]

Gollwitzer lived a life or privilege in Nazi Germany, and I often wonder what I would do if I was born and raised in the same situation, especially since there are problems in the United States (where I live) that are out of my direct control. Despite Gollwitzer's luxuries, he experienced tragedy in his life. For instance, McMaken tells the tragic love story of Helmut and his fiancee Eva:

"Eva and Helmut met on August 25, 1940. She was a singer and an actress whose dream of a professional career, along with the rest of her life, was derailed because her mother was Jewish. . . . They lived with the constant threat of arrest and transfer camp. Helmut and Eva rapidly fell in love, and they became engaged in 1941." [3] "Gollwitzer kept up a lively and extensive correspondence with his fiancee Eva throughout the war, but communications broke down as Germany fell and Gollwitzer was taken prisoner. Eva became increasingly depressed as the war continued. . . . on April 27, Eva and her apparently terminally ill father attempted suicide through barbiturate overdose. Eva succeeded, but her father made a full recovery and lived until 1957." [4]

In time, Gollwitzer married another. Gollwitzer and Brigitte Feudenburg and were married in 1951 [5], and they had a long marriage. Bridgitte died in 1986, and Golli was again forced to continue living without the one he loved, until his sudden death in 1993 when the fell down the stairs in his home. [6]

The story of Gollwitzer struck me as ironic, that he'd experience such a sudden end of life, and I appreciated McMaken's commentary on Golli's death in similar terms (and also this is an excellent example of how McMaken augments his introduction to Gollwitzer with not only commentary on current events, but also his own personal insights on Golli's life.)

"This may seem like an odd detail to include here. I must admit that when I first learned how Gollwitzer died, it struck me as an unjustly ignoble death for one who had lived the life and survived the circumstances that he did. From another perspective, however, that Gollwitzer survived what he did to die in such a mundane way is the greatest possible testament not only to his strength and character, but also to the grace of God that characterized his life—grace upon grace." [7]

Wearing Hitler's Uniform

Helmut Gollwitzer (like Jürgen Moltmann) was a Nazi soldier in World War II. Moltmann is easier to accept for Evangelicals because his conversion to Christianity was subsequent to his time as a Nazi soldier. Gollwitzer was a Christian that wore Hitler's uniform, yet he was not strictly committed to pacifism or non-violence, and so it's hard for me to read Gollwitzer without reservation. McMaken is aware of this impedemint, and he answers some of my concerns by reminding me (a white male person of privilege in the United States) that my situation is not so dissimilar to Gollwitzer's, since I live within the world's most powerful empire, that may later be viewed in condemnation, and is already negatively viewed in this way by many in the outside world.

McMaken writes "Gollwitzer offers some arresting reflection upon 'wearing Hitler's uniform' during his time in the Wehrmacht. Regardless of his own reservations about and even opposition to the Nazi regime, his position nonetheless entailed benefiting from the privileges of being a member of an occupying military force. This, in turn, meant that people oppressed by this occupying force rightly viewed him 'as Hitler's instrument for their oppression.' Christians in the global North—and white Christians in the United States, especially—are in a similar position today. They find themselves always already caught up in an insidious capitalist empire, and they receive a considerable amount of privilege on the basis of wearing that empire's uniform, whether literally or metaphorically. They are also understandably distrusted and disliked by the people that empire's uniform, whether literally or metaphorically. They are also understandably distrusted and disliked by the people that empire has marginalized and oppressed, both at home and abroad." [8]

McMaken's response is helpful, but Gollwitzer's complicity with the Nazi armed forces remains an active concern that gives me pause when reading his political writings. McMaken has encourages me to reconsider Gollwitzer, and to read more of Golli's works, before making a hasty judgment against Golli.

Karl Barth

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Gollwitzer to me, is his close proximity to Karl Barth, and how Golli's works illuminates hidden details about Karl Barth's life, theological works, and his influence. McMaken provides a list of these occasions, for instance:

"When it was time to lay out the first part-volume of Church Dogmatics for publication, Barth could not decide upon the best way to include the historical and exegetical digressions. . . . Gollwitzer advocated the use of small print, thinking that placing the material in notes would be too inconvenient for readers. [9]

Gollwitzer appears frequently in Barth's works, personal letters, and in writings about Karl Barth. After reading McMaken's Golli, I suddenly remembered all the occasions I encountered Gollwitzer's name, like the end of a great mystery novel, when you realized that the plot had been revealed all along, but you didn't recognize it until the paradigm shift at the end. One point of criticism I have of this book, is that I wish McMaken included more stories from Gollwitzer's work with Karl Barth. I can think of several dramatic encounters, such as Gollwitzer's misprinting of Barth's commentary on Job without the final section, and the angry letter that Barth sent Golli in response, that would have been valuable additions.

D. L. Moody

Our God Loves Justice is not a strict epitomization of Helmut Gollwitzer's life and works—it is more and less than that! It is less, because it is not a proper biography of Gollwitzer, which McMaken hopes that someone will write in the future. It is more, because it includes anecdotal stories and digressions that are indirectly related to Gollwitzer, yet incredibly insightful, such as that of D. L. Moody.

According to McMaken, Gollwitzer is most well know for his idea of democratic socialism, and McMaken introduces Golli by contrasting him to D. L. Moody, who is famous for his capitalistic evangelical methods that Moody derived from his experience as a shoe salesmen in Chicago, and Moody's capitalism upon evangelism is represented in manifold ways to this day, such as in Moody's Business Network, etc.

McMaken effectively recites Moody scholars to reveal Moody's capitalist form of evangelism. McMaken's description of Moody in his capitalist context helped me understand how Gollwitzer was different than other evangelicals today especially since I was once a member of Moody Church years ago. Here is one quotation that I particularly enjoyed in McMaken's Golli:

McMaken writes "Moody was a shoe salesman and so familiar with the strategies and dynamics of the market, such as its penchant for logistic organization and fundraising. He used that knowledge to good effect in his ministry. As [Timothy E. W. ] Gloege puts it, the preparations for Moody's revival meetings were 'made with a business eye' and can be described as a 'mass sales pitch.' But more than bringing the market dynamics more explicitly into the planning and execution of his meetings, Moody also seated prominent businessmen on the stage with him, along with more established clergy and prominent politicians, in order to provide 'a striking visual reminder to the audience that his message had the blessings of the elites.' He also dressed in business—rather than clerical—attire to reinforce this image." [10]

Democratic Socialism

At last, I will discuss the core thesis of the book, presented in the title: "our god loves justice." The title was confusing to me, when I first encountered it, but now I understand it as a gloss for Gollwitzer's political theology, which is thoroughly expounded in McMaken's book, especially within the rubric of Gollwitzer's "democratic socialism." And, McMaken believes that Gollwitzer's writings on "democratic socialism" were Golli's most important contributions.

McMaken includes two essays by Golliwitzer as appendices to his book, that I wish I had read first, instead of last: "Must a Christian Be a Socialist?" and "Why Am I, as a Christian a Socialist? Theses." In the first appendix, Gollwitzer presents a powerful thesis that "Socialists can be Christians; Christians must be Socialists." [11] In the second, Gollwitzer says "Socialism is not identical with Marxism. There are many non-Marxist socialists, and there are almost as many Marxist schools of thought as there are Christian theologies. For socialists, Marxism is a theoretical instrument for analyzing the situation and developing strategy." [12]. You will need to read these two appendices to fully appreciate Gollwitzer's Democratic Socialism, so I recommend beginning with them.

For some reason, American Evangelicals are afraid of "socialism" but this may be due to a misunderstanding over definitions. McMaken's book about Gollwitzer is also a book about Democratic Socialism, such that McMaken invests many pages in explaining democratic socialism, and he believes Gollwitzer's "democratic socialism" should be embraced today. For instance, here's a quotation from McMaken's definition of "democratic socialism":

... it is important to clarify at the outset that "socialism" refers not to a political system per se, but to an economic system. Consequently, it is possible to join a socialist economic system with a number of different political systems—as history attests. To Gollwitzer's mind, however, democracy is the political system with which socialism has the greatest affinity. He recognized that socialism and democracy must be joined together if either is to truly flourish: "socialism can be realized through democracy; democracy can only be perfected by socialism." This advocacy is perhaps Gollwitzer's most distinctive contribution, and the one for which he is best known. [13]

I have met people who cannot distinguish between socialism and tyrants who have associated with forms of socialism, and McMaken addresses this concern in his book, such as in the following quotation:

In other words, the evils of totalitarian socialism cannot be laid at the door of all socialists just as the evils of the Crusades and Ku Klux Klan cannot be laid at the door of all Christians. And—to extend the analogy—the evils of Islamist fundamentalists cannot be laid at the door of all Muslims. Acceptance of this point is a precondition for any profitable engagement. [14]

The Failure of Charity

Libertarianism has been popular among a few of my conservative friends, and they frequently say their motto that "taxation is theft." So I was intrigued McMaken argues (via Thomas Aquinas) that commandeering other peoples property in times of need is morally justified. In other words, there are times when taking other people's property doesn't count as theft [15].

McMaken argues further that charitable giving is insufficient to meet the great need that global capitalism has produced, and continues to say "Charity is not enough, because the distress is overwhelming." [16]

Theology of Revolution (and Rioting?)

In this final quotation, I had significant agreement and pause, because it is on the theology of revolution, that may justify violence towards property (and possibly rioting). McMaken makes an excellent point that violence towards property derives from the oppressive systems that created the situation that erupted in violence, and not the protestors alone. I was moved by McMaken's reference to Martin Luther King Jr's reference to his Letter from a Birmingham Jail that also expressed this sentiment [17], and by McMaken reminiscing about his proximity to the 2014 Ferguson protests. I agreed deeply with what McMaken said. However, I am still troubled by Gollwitzer expressing these same ideas, when he put on Hitler's uniform. Gollwitzer participated in World War II, and although he never fired his machine gun, he was still a participant, and he was not committed to non-violence. So although I agree with McMaken's following comments, I would need to re-read his commentary on Gollwitzer before I fully embrace Gollwitzer as a champion of these ideas.

It may be that violence against property is the most effective kind of counterviolence for drawing into the open structures of violence that reside at the necrotic heart of capitalist system. That system uses violence precisely in order to defend property and the privilege entailed by ownership of the means of producing wealth. Consequently, violence against property powerfully symbolizes revolutionary rejection of that system's legitimacy. [18]

Conclusion

McMaken leaves me wanting to read more books, by Golli! I highly recommend this book.

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