God's Spies: The Stasi's Cold War espionage campaign inside the Church

During the fall of the Berlin Wall, the files of the East German secret police, the Stasi, were opened, revealing that nearly 10% of the Lutheran Church's workforce was involved in spying on each other and the Church's congregations. The Lutheran Church was the only semi-free space in East Germany, and even the organizations that smuggled Bibles were infiltrated.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 18 October 2019
Publisher: Lion Hudson Ltd

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 brought a wave of revelations, including the uncovering of a deeply disturbing secret within the East German regime. The files of the feared Stasi, the secret police of East Germany, were opened, and the contents were painstakingly examined. Among the shocking revelations was the extent of the Stasi's infiltration into the Lutheran Church, a religious institution that had been considered a bastion of freedom and resistance in the communist country.

According to the files, nearly 10% of the Lutheran Church's workforce was engaged in spying on each other, as well as on the Church's congregations. This astonishing figure revealed the extent to which the Stasi had penetrated even the most sacred spaces of East German society. The Lutheran Church was the only semi-free space in East Germany, where individuals who dared to rebel against the regime could find a way to live a marginal existence, at least temporarily, outside the government's tight grip.

However, even the organizations that smuggled Bibles into East Germany were not immune to the Stasi's reach. The files revealed that the Stasi had planted spies within these groups, monitoring their activities and gathering information that could be used against the Church and its members. This level of surveillance and infiltration was a testament to the Stasi's determination to suppress any form of dissent and maintain its grip on power.

The discovery of the Stasi's infiltration of the Lutheran Church was a significant blow to the Church's reputation and credibility. It cast a shadow over the institution and raised questions about the extent to which religious freedom was truly respected in East Germany. The revelations also highlighted the lengths to which the Stasi would go to control and manipulate society, even within the confines of a religious institution.

The fall of the Berlin Wall marked a turning point in East German history, and the uncovering of the Stasi's secrets was a significant part of that transformation. It served as a reminder of the importance of freedom and religious expression, and of the lengths that governments will go to suppress them. The legacy of the Stasi's infiltration of the Lutheran Church continues to be felt today, and it serves as a warning to all who value these fundamental human rights.

Weight: 300g
Dimension: 131 x 198 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780745980089
Edition number: New ed