Image: Modern photograph of a WWI-era German belt buckle engraved with an elaborate circular design and the words 'GOTT MIT UNS'. Text: 'German Military Chaplains in the first World War'

German Military Chaplains

Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 - 6:30 p.m. Auditorium and Online

During and after the First World War, German military chaplains were heavily criticized. They were charged with lacking the courage to serve soldiers on the frontlines, and with overemphasizing victory over themes of death and redemption in their sermons. Drawing on personal testimony by both military chaplains and ordinary soldiers, Dr. Benjamin Ziemann will offer a more nuanced picture of the historical record of German military chaplains, discussing the practical problems and challenges to pastoral care experience amid total war. 

Free with RSVP | Auditorium and Online

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This program is supported by a grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc.

 

 

“Gott mit uns und wir mit ihm!” (“God is with us and we with him!”): Learn more

 

 

Hosted in conjunction with the exhibition

Sacred Service


Rabbis, pastors, monks, imams, priests and more served with the fighting nations of World War I; many as unprepared for the horrors of war as the soldiers they served, yet they strove to bring courage, comfort and compassion to millions – on and off the battlefield.