Kaiser Wilhelm Church

Hi, I’m Pastor Lutzer, here in Berlin, standing in front of the Kaiser Wilhelm Church — the Kaiser Wilhelm Gedächtniskirche, which translates to the Church of Remembrance. Beside me is my nephew, Chris. You’ve never seen this church before, have you? No, but today we’re going to talk about it and explore the significance of the Kaiser era in Germany. Often, we hear about the Third Reich, but many people don’t know what the First or Second Reich was, or even what the term “Reich” means. It is our intention today to clarify that.

You might have already noticed — it’s a very cold day here in Berlin. But what we’re going to learn is absolutely critical for understanding the history of Germany and the meaning of the word “Reich.” Let’s start there: what does “Reich” actually mean? It translates to “Empire.” I was raised in a German-speaking home, where my parents read from the German Bible every morning, and we, as children, recited the Lord’s Prayer. In that prayer, it says, “Dein Reich komme” — “Your Kingdom come.” So, when we talk about the Third Reich, the first question is: what was the First Reich?

Let’s date that to the year 800, when Charlemagne was crowned by the Pope in St. Peter’s Basilica, marking the beginning of what became known as the Holy Roman Empire. As Voltaire famously said, it was neither holy, nor Roman, nor truly an empire, but it served as the glue that held Europe together, primarily under Germanic influence. This empire endured until roughly the year 1800, during the time of Napoleon, when the Germanic Empire gave way to a French one.

After Napoleon, we see the rise of Otto von Bismarck, Germany’s first Chancellor. Bismarck deliberately started a war with France, knowing that Germany would win. The resulting victory gave rise to the Second Reich, often referred to as the Kaiser era. The word “Kaiser” means “Caesar,” symbolizing imperial power. Interestingly, Kaiser Wilhelm I was crowned in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles — a direct insult to the French. This marked the beginning of a new German Empire.

Now, behind me stands the Kaiser Wilhelm Church, a monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I, though it was dedicated by Kaiser Wilhelm II. This church commemorates the Second Reich. However, after Germany’s defeat in World War I, there was chaos, leading to the Weimar Republic — an attempt at democracy that ultimately failed due to internal conflicts. Amidst this turmoil, Hitler rose to power, beginning what we now know as the Third Reich.

A fascinating side note: after World War I, Kaiser Wilhelm II fled to the Netherlands to reflect on why Germany lost. He was heavily into the occult, relying on soothsayers who had falsely predicted Germany’s victory.

Now, fast forward to 1932, on Reformation Sunday, just months before Hitler would seize power. Dietrich Bonhoeffer stood in this very church to deliver a sermon. Instead of the grand celebration everyone expected — honoring Martin Luther and the Germanic heritage — Bonhoeffer stunned the congregation. He preached from Ephesians 2, warning that they had lost their first love. He told them, “You have come here for a celebration, but what you don’t realize is that you’ve come to a funeral.” He emphasized that the blaring of trumpets cannot raise the dead and rebuked the congregation for becoming so nationalistic that they had forgotten the gospel.

This moment serves as a powerful example of what we now refer to as Christian nationalism. I will be giving a more detailed lecture on this later, but for now, let me simply say this: it’s a stark reminder of what happens when the flag rises above the cross, and the gospel is replaced by the gospel of politics and nationalism. These are huge, important lessons for us today, even in the context of America.

Thank you so much for joining us from Berlin, Germany, at the Kaiser Wilhelm Church. God bless you, and take care.