Christ Vs. Hitler: The unforgettable story of Pastor Wilhelm Busch

Pastor Wilhelm Busch (1897-1966) was another Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He too paid the cost of discipleship in opposing Hitler’s Nazism. Son of a godly pastor also named Wilhelm, he was converted to Christ while serving in the military in WWI. A friend had just been hit by a grenade. Busch’s eye was caught by 1 Timothy 1:15 “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” He realized that he was a sinner and needed saving by the Saviour Jesus Christ. A few weeks later, he locked himself into an old French farmhouse and fell on his knees:
          “Lord Jesus, it says in the Bible that you came from God to save sinners.  I am a sinner.  I cannot promise you anything for the future because I have a bad character…therefore, Lord Jesus, I am giving myself over to you, from head to foot. Do with me what you want!”

From that moment, it became clear to Busch that he must become a pastor and tell young people how to be saved. While studying theology at the University of Tubingen, he told his mother that he didn’t get much joy from the Bible anymore: “I find so many difficult things in it. There are contradictions and things you can’t grasp that make this book not enjoyable for a modern person.” His mother laughed out loud, saying “That comes from the fact that you are reading the Bible in a completely wrong way.” Busch defensively disagreed, saying that he was reading the Bible in the Hebrew and Greek original text, as well as reading commentaries and listening to lectures. His mother responded, saying that the Bible is a love letter from our heavenly Father: “If you can’t understand the letter anymore, you mustn’t put the blame on the letter.” Busch also spoke critically as a student about the cross of Jesus and the blood atonement: “Why should God have wanted his Son to die? Is that not an antiquated idea of sacrifice?” His mother cried: “So, is that nothing…’Who forgives all your sins’? Is that nothing?” As she said that, the cross of Jesus suddenly stood bright and clear before Busch’s eyes: “I recognized the One on whom God had cast our guilt and sin, and I grasped the greatness of redemption.”

Later, Busch was sent as an assistant preacher to St. Peter’s Bielefeld where he began ministering to trade unionists who felt rejected by the Church. Inflation in Germany was so bad that a sum enough to buy a lunch would not buy a bun by the next day.  His war injury left his back almost paralyzed for a season. Again and again God miraculously provided for his young family, like ravens provided for Elijah.  Despite a piece of iron still stuck in his back, Wilhelm agreed to start up a church youth group. After no one showed up, he recruited three unchurched 16-year-olds who were sitting by a bridge smoking: “Let’s hike to the mountains and play cops and robbers.” Before they knew it, he had them singing “Most Lovely Lord Jesus”. A flourishing Youth Group had been born!

In 1924, he moved to pastor the Alstadt Church in Essen, a place that he described as ‘unspeakably wretched.’ Apart from a few church women, it was a post-Christian world: “The people seemed to have left Christianity behind.” While visiting the homes, they mostly tried to shut the door in his face, spitting out ‘I don’t need any parson!’ He had already put his foot in the door, saying, ‘It’s true: you don’t need a parson, but you need a Saviour.’ They were astonished and opened the door.

Once, while doing a home wedding, the bride’s communist father rushed at Wilhelm with a breadknife.  The nazi bridegroom however wrestled his future father-in-law to the ground. The new mother-in-law calmly said, ‘have another cup of coffee.’

After many miners began to flock to Busch’s bible studies at the church hall, 20 communist miners decided to beat up Wilhelm. He bravely said to them: “You want to beat me up? Here I am at your disposal!’ They suddenly changed their tune, wandering away in confusion. 

Busch experienced such a youth revival in Essen that 800 boys became involved in singing hymns and bible study. With the rise of the Great Depression, Busch was shocked to see so many formerly busy factories and businesses deserted. So, he turned the Weigle Youth Centre into the UfE (University for the Unwaged), offering free courses in farming, mathematics, languages, music, and law. When both communist and nazi youth turned up wearing their uniforms, Wilhelm had to calm everyone down: “This is a university. Only mental weapons are used for fighting here! Here everyone can have their view.” Instead of fighting, communist and nazi youth in full uniform would go on peaceful mountain hikes together. Frightened shopkeepers and farmers would go into hiding for fear of a revolution starting. Busch led these youth in lively discussions about world views, always closing with the gospel of the Saviour of sinners:
        “You have always made out that the Bible is a stupid book, long since overtaken by modern knowledge. Now I am telling you that the Bible is right! For it says that things will only change when our hearts change, when you and I become new, when we are set free from our terrible selfishness.”

The Hitler Youth commanded all German youth to assemble on Sunday morning rather than go to church services. Their Grace before Hitler Jugend meals was ‘Dear Lord Jesus, stay from us far; We’ll gladly eat the way we are.’ The Gestapo banned Christian youth groups, including hiking, camping and sport. Busch’s son organized a bicycle tour with Pastor Busch. When challenged by the Gestapo, he said that it was not a youth group, just a family gathering with friends along. Miraculously they let them go. 

Because of the ‘omnipresence’ of the Gestapo, everyone hid their thoughts and only said things that the Gestapo might overhear. Everyone got used to lying. Busch said: “The people became a nation of hypocrites. That produced gruesome complexes and warped personalities and gave my generation soul-wounds that are still not healed.” The Nazis would show up if the Confessing Church dared to speak out against euthanasia. People with epilepsy were in danger of being given MAID.

Ulrich Parzany commented: “Wilhelm Busch was among the few pastors who refused to take the oath to Hitler.” Called into the Gestapo office, he was told that he was being observed carefully. His ‘crime’ was that he had not cancelled any service or youth meeting: “When your halls and churches were destroyed, you went into the cellars. And when a cellar was destroyed, you arranged to meet in the next one.”  Wilhelm admitted that this was true, saying “Yes, the triumphal march of the gospel goes on!” He then said slowly to the Gestapo officer: “The theme of this dreadful time is ‘Christ or Antichrist’!”

The Gestapo officer responded: “I agree with you. It is just a question of whether your imagined Jesus is to go on holding minds in captivity, or whether we and our world view are to rule. That is the real issue of our time.”

Busch then said to him that Jesus Christ is not imaginary, but that he lives.

Despite Busch’s house being destroyed through Allied air raids, his heart was joyful: “I was allowed to serve a Lord whose victory is certain since he cried on Golgatha: ‘It is finished!’ 

Wilhelm was arrested by the Gestapo several times and threatened with going to a concentration camp:
    “The first time I went to prison for preaching the gospel, I sat in the cell, overwhelmed by loneliness, despair and fear, until I suddenly noticed that God wanted to speak to me…I experienced the same after every arrest.”

He began evangelizing the fellow prisoners and even the Gestapo officers. One Gestapo officer told him that in ten years, no young person would even know who our imaginary Jesus is.  Busch paid a high price for being involved in youth ministry:
    “During my life, I have passed through periods of various hard trials. Because of my faith I have been thrown into prisons on more than one occasion. Not because I had been stealing silver spoons or had committed some other crime. In the Third Reich, Nazis didn’t like youth pastors like me, and that’s why authorities kept throwing me into these pretty sinister places.”

After the Allies liberated Germany, hymns once again broke forth, beauty for ashes. Once again, Busch could hold Gospel lectures throughout Germany, especially to the youth and young adults. His book Jesus our Destiny/ Jesus unser Schicksal, drawn from his radio speeches, is one of Germany’s most famous evangelistic books.

With thanksgiving for a faithful pilgrim, we pray that Wilhelm Busch’s faithfulness may inspire many throughout the world to stand firm in the gospel, no matter the cost.