37 that the condition of U.S. Christianity reveals that Christian leaders have forgotten how to engage society with a faithful witness.7 Supporting Hunter’s concerns over a damaged witness, a recent Pew Research study reports that 45% of adults in the United States do not trust religious leaders to act in ways that benefit society.8 Due to the deluge of recent unhealthy actions of Christian leaders, some Christian media have declared ministry leadership to be in a crisis of character.9 At a time when U.S. Christianity is in substantial decline and not projected to stop, the need for Christian leaders with solid biblical character to positively influence society is significant.10 Seeking a Historical Parallel Given the current state of Christian leadership and the decline of Christian influence, reflecting on past crises and the Christian leaders who navigated them can be helpful in considering how to respond and lead more effectively. A notable crisis of character within Christian history is the German Protestant Church’s complex relationship with the Third Reich. Sources during and immediately following World War II often gave the false impression that many within the German Protestant Church, specifically those associated with the Bekennende Kirche (Confessing Church), fiercely opposed the Nazi Party. However, there is now a substantial amount of scholarship revealing that only a small minority of German Protestant leaders acted in outright resistance to the unbiblical policies of the Nazis. Victoria Barnett, the foremost modern scholar on the crisis, argues that the famous Confessing Church movement is often misunderstood and should not be viewed as a resistance to Nazism.11 Ian Kershaw’s definition of opposition provides a more accurate description of the movement: actions that may partially move against the Nazis but may also support other aspects of Nazism.12 This definition provides a more accurate description of the majority within the Confessing Church, particularly in relation to their reluctance to support the removal of Hitler. The complexity of this crisis within the German Protestant Church is difficult for modern readers to grasp; nevertheless, it remains an important crisis to study due to its extremeness within a modernized society and what it reveals about Christian leadership. At the time of the crisis, Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemöller stood as one of the most famous and controversial leaders within the German Protestant Church. Today, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a friend and colleague of Niemöller, is commonly known among U.S. Protestants, while few have heard of Niemöller. The irony of these circumstances is that Niemöller, Bonhoeffer’s senior by fourteen years,
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