Vilified Member of the Confessing Church


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Influenced by Karl Barth, Johannes Koch joined the Rhineland Brotherhood of Pastors in 1934. A period of conflicts for him began in his congregations when he espoused support for the Confessing Church. He was denounced time and again in the ensuing years by both mayors and both village teachers. At the behest of the Gestapo, the state police kept an eye on Koch’s activities and statements from early 1935 onward. As a former front line soldier as well as a Protestant pastor, Koch felt this surveillance and the distrust of his patriotism it signified were insulting and complained about them to the district administrator responsible.


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  • © Udo Koch-Mehrin

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