Evidenced in the legacies of two WWII figures.

This week, my mentor and I discussed the concept of influence; defined as “the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behaviour of someone or something, or the effect itself.” (Oxford Dictionary)

Think about that definition for a moment. Think about the power of influence. By impacting someone’s character, development and/or behaviour, a leader could completely change the trajectory of that person’s life.

The power that comes with influence could change the trajectory of history. That power could be very dangerous.

The proof can be seen in the lives and legacies of two well-known figures from the WWII era; Adolf Hitler and Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

The Early Years of Influence

Hitler: Though Hitler is known as one of the darkest figures of the past hundred years, it’s important to recognize Hitler’s success before World War II. So much so, that Time Magazine voted him “Man of the Year” in 1938!

Hard to believe isn’t it?

And yet, for the German people, who were in the sorrow of depression and unemployment, facing heavy reparations from World War I; Hitler gave them hope, that Germany could have a brighter future. This is where his influence began.

Bonhoeffer: In contrast, Bonhoeffer’s life before World War II was focused on Christ. His parents were Believers, working in professional fields. And yet, He and his family experienced the suffering that many Germans felt in those days.

As a teenager, Dietrich knew that he wanted to study theology. He would become a pastor by his early twenties.

Bonhoeffer’s influence was not wide-spread through politics and media, but through Sunday sermons and discipleship meetings with other young men. Word by word, person by person, Bonhoeffer’s influence was centred on the hope of the Gospel.

The War Years

Hitler: Not long after Hitler’s rise to political fame, the pendulum began to swing toward the dark influences outlined in his autobiography, Mein Kampf (My Struggle).

The 1938 Time magazine cover had faded and the world would be introduced to a narcissistic man with a hunger for power and a deep hatred for all people of Jewish descent or religious affiliation.

Unfortunately, by that time, his had all the authoritative influence (the power) to invade neighbouring countries and slaughter anyone who did not fit into his mould of the his Germany should be.

What still fascinates many people today, is how his charisma as a leader continued to influence the German people, even after so many terrible acts. Specifically noting the “Hitler Youth” where young people flocked to join his radical agenda.

Bonhoeffer: As the war began and continued, Dietrich maintained his pastoral duties to write, to preach, to shepherd. And yet, he was not influenced by his political and military overseer.

He knew that Hitler had brought his country into a dark era of sin and that soon, he would have to make a stand. Deep inside, the Holy Spirit was calling Bonhoeffer to an act of service that would eventually cost him his life.

He would become an influence to so many German’s, showing them how to follow Christ with courage, under such a tyrannical regime as the Nazi’s. He would also be the catalyst to rescue many Jewish people from Hitler’s death camps.

Eventually, Bonhoeffer was arrested for conspiring to rescue Jews. On April 9th, 1945  he was executed for that crime. Consider the following eyewitness account, and the influence he had, even in the last moment of his life.

Eberhard Bethge, a student and friend of Bonhoeffer’s, writes of a man who saw the execution: “I saw Pastor Bonhoeffer… kneeling on the floor praying fervently to God. I was most deeply moved by the way this lovable man prayed, so devout and so certain that God heard his prayer. At the place of execution, he again said a short prayer and then climbed the few steps to the gallows, brave and composed. His death ensued after a few seconds. In the almost fifty years that I worked as a doctor, I have hardly ever seen a man die so entirely submissive to the will of God.” (wikipedia.org)

The Years To Come

Today’s view of these two figures is likely the most sobering in regard to the power of influence.

Hitler: Hitler’s Mein Kampf autobiography has been translated into hundreds of languages and used as the constitution for radical racism and white supremacy around the world.

From the White Power Skinheads of the UK, to the Klu Klux Klan of the deep South, Hitler’s influence continues to breed hate and violence. Though dead, the power (and danger) of his influence remains.

Bonhoeffer: The sermons, books and other writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, as well as his life testimony continue to inspire and embolden Believers to live a sold-out life for Christ. To sacrifice everything for the call of the Gospel.

To prove his influence, simply read the following quotes and consider the power of his words. Consider the impact they have on you, in this very moment, long after he has gone to be with his Lord.

“Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.” (The Cost of Discipleship)

“In normal life we hardly realize how much more we receive than we give, and life cannot be rich without such gratitude. It is so easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements compared with what we owe to the help of others.” (Letters and Papers from Prison)

“The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists of listening to them. Just as love of God begins with listening to his word, so the beginning of love for our brothers and sisters is learning to listen to them.” (Life Together)

“God does not love some ideal person, but rather human beings just as we are, not some ideal world, but rather the real world.” (Meditations on the Cross)