'We all owe an enormous debt of gratitude to East German Protestantism for the role it played in the fall of the Berlin Wall and of communism in 1989. By forming a whole people in the theory and practice of democratic discussion and of peaceful protest, it saved Germany from civil war and Europe, indeed the whole world, from a potential Third World War. That a revolution could occur without violence is a miracle of discipleship to the Prince of Peace, which is rapidly being forgotten and ought to be remembered. Wendy R. Tyndale's admirable and magisterial book is based on a mastery of written sources supplemented by interviews with those actually involved in this epic but everyday struggle. Covering the period from the end of the Second World War with shrewd analysis of both Church and State and of the necessary tensions between ideology and faith, this is a genuinely fresh and original contribution to the field. Tyndale conveys something of what life was actually like both for church leaders and also for ordinary church members and non-members alike under 'real existing socialism' in its most consistently Stalinist form. Shortly after the revolution, however, the masses of people who had flocked to the Prayers for Peace, which had undergirded the demonstrations, ceased to go to church. Once they had reached their destination, the passengers got off the bus; and East Germany is now among the most secularized places in Europe. This book shows how and why that happened. There are lessons here for us all.' John Arnold, Dean Emeritus of Durham, UK and formerly President of the Conference of European Churches 'Wendy R. Tyndale has written an important book about a period in the history of the Church which is not often remembered now. With precision and in an accessible style she charts the development of Protestant Christianity in the GDR from the aftermath of the Second World War to the peaceful revolution of 1989 and into reunited Germany. The story she narrates is one of resistance and compromise, of courage and cowardice; she tells it with sympathy but not uncritically. Her book illustrates how a church that has lost much of its traditional privilege and power, but refuses to withdraw to the niche of private religiosity, can meaningfully contribute to social and political transformation. It therefore deserves the attention not only of those with an interest in German history and society, but of everyone who is concerned about the future of the Church in the increasingly secular societies of the West.' Johannes Zachhuber, Trinity College, Oxford, UK 'A fascinating story as complex as human life itself.' Paul Oestreicher '[Tyndale's] book offers a concise overview of Protestantism in East Germany and reminds readers of the Church's important contributions to the peaceful revolution of 1989. Summing Up: Recommended.' Choice 'In this well-written and well-researched monograph, Wendy Tyndale describes the context from which the peaceful revolution and the (re-)unification of the two German states emerged. Tyndale combines her reading of official documents with interviews with a range of witnesses. What she offers is not hagiography, or nostalgia for a period of suffering and heroism, but sensitive insights into the complexities of making sense of the Christian faith amid the realities of living under a regime that opposed Christianity... her overall picture and assessment is fair and honest.' Church Times 'Wendy Tyndale is an experienced British journalist with wide international contacts. Her survey of the Protestant churches in East Germany is enhanced by the lengthy and well informed interviews she conducted with leading church members, some of whom held high office during the years of Communist rule... [A] sympathetic account of how these church leaders lived out the tensions between Communist ideology and Christian faith.' Association of Contemporary Church Historians 'The book's real contribution is that it makes accessible in one place, and in clear and well-written English, the story of the Protestant church in the DDR. The book might be suitable in an upper-level undergraduate course focused on the experience of churches under communism or on twentieth-century European Christianity.' Lutheran Quarterly
