43 guilt, anger, general irritability, dysfunctional thinking patterns, and physical discomfort.39 Additionally, Bessel A. Van Der Kolk reasons that trauma affects the brain, mind, and body, and can therefore cause a variety of physical and emotional symptoms.40 To what debilitating extent and for how long Niemöller endured these symptoms is outside the scope of this article, but certainly, he was dealing with adverse reactions to trauma from 1945 to 1947. The Question of Positive Development Is there any evidence supporting positive improvements in Niemöller’s leadership following the adversity he endured under the Nazis? In his post-war leadership, Niemöller continued to show many strengths that he had exhibited before his imprisonment, such as dedication to the mission, loyalty to the team, motivating others, and acting as a skilled administrator. Similarly, some of Niemöller’s weaknesses persisted in his post-war leadership, including his rash and aggressive behavior, resistance to feedback, workaholism, and a tendency to embellish facts. Niemöller was provocative, divisive, more focused on German suffering than that of Holocaust survivors, not free from all antisemitic tendencies, and prone to cause scandals in the press. It is important to note that scholars of posttraumatic growth acknowledge that growth may occur within several months or several years, and this examination is only reflective of a specific point in Niemöller’s life.41 Several scholars have also acknowledged that Niemöller exhibited signs of personal growth and made positive contributions to the rebuilding of the German Protestant Church. Following his imprisonment, Niemöller underwent a significant theological shift away from Martin Luther’s two kingdoms doctrine. The doctrine was commonly interpreted to mean that churches were to focus primarily on internal church affairs and support the state unquestioningly, and only when the state violated its God-given role should it be criticized.42 Niemöller now saw how this type of thinking had allowed the Nazis to go unchecked. Furthermore, he decided that the pastor should be a prophetic voice of truth in society. After the war, Niemöller boldly called German Christians to own their guilt in the murder and persecution of Jews across Europe. While he did not necessarily become a friend to the Jewish community, he advocated for German confession and repentance more than any other German Protestant pastor.43 Even though Niemöller gave up his campaigning for German repentance after a personal scandal, it does not negate the importance of his work. Without his voice, it is unlikely that the ecumenical world would have been so CHARACTER FORGED IN ADVERSITY
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