james patrick kelley, then professor of religious studies at lynchburg college in virginia, videotaped oral history interviews from 1984-1989 with 43 germans who before 1935 had done some act of public protest against the hitler administration's efforts to nazify and coordinate all institutions and groups in support of its policies. most interviewees were members of the confessing church, which separated from the state church over opposition to hitler's influence on the church.

james patrick kelley, then professor of religious studies at lynchburg college in virginia, videotaped oral history interviews from 1984-1989 with 43 germans who before 1935 had done some act of public protest against the hitler administration's efforts to nazify and coordinate all institutions and groups in support of its policies. most interviewees were members of the confessing church, which separated from the state church over opposition to hitler's influence on the church.

james patrick kelley, then professor of religious studies at lynchburg college in virginia, videotaped oral history interviews from 1984-1989 with 43 germans who before 1935 had done some act of public protest against the hitler administration's efforts to nazify and coordinate all institutions and groups in support of its policies. most interviewees were members of the confessing church, which separated from the state church over opposition to hitler's influence on the church.

pastor ernest l. gordon was a retired church of england priest raised in germany as the son of a father who was “non-aryan” according to nazi criteria although he had honorably served germany as a decorated soldier in world war i. as a student at the university of berlin he decided to seek training and approval as an ordained pastor of the church of the old prussian union, the territorial church in berlin-brandenburg during the early years of the kirchenkampf or "church struggle" between the confessing church and german christians, who supported the nazification of all aspects of life under hitler as the unquestioned leader of the nation. after successful completion of university study and church examinations, gordon found himself facing a nazified church government who regarded him as unacceptable for ordination because of his confessing church sympathies.

from 1935 until 1938 he was fully qualified for ordination but still not ordained. with the help of dietrich bonhoeffer and karl barth, he emigrated to the united kingdom in 1938 and was ordained, serving several parishes during his career, including some exchanges with parishes of the protestant episcopal church in illinois. his views of the nazi takeover of the churches with various programs to persuade church members to support nazism are detailed, highlighting the problematic relations between church and state in hitler’s germany and what broader lessons he had learned.

joachim kanitz was a retired pastor of the church of the old prussian union, the territorial church in berlin-brandenburg. he studied for ordination the first class (1935) of the confessing church seminary organized and led by dietrich bonhoeffer when the historic seminaries had accepted nazification. he had survived a stroke and worked to recover from its effects to present vivid personal observations about bonhoeffer and the kirchenkampf lit. "church struggle."

pastor/professor heinrich vogel (1902-1989) already defined in 1933 views specifically opposed to germanized christianity’s anti-judaism, 1935 director of the confessing church protestant college, systematic theologian, musical and literary talent, humorist and composer of confessing church parodies of nazi martial songs. he augments lucid discussion of lessons from the german church struggle, slowly moving to the piano in his living room and pounding out in ragtime some of these songs widely heard as morale boosters in the confessing church circles.