Mothering the Fatherland
A Protestant Sisterhood Repents for the Holocaust
George Faithful
Reviews and Awards
"The story of the Evangelical Sisters of Mary is unique and interesting, but the larger contribution of this book is the window it provides into developments in post-war Germany."--Church History
"A significant study of an unconventional group of women. In 1947, in war-torn Germany, these Protestants took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience to do penance for Christian anti-Judaism and lived in strict monastic discipline to atone for German guilt for the Holocaust. Faithful's sympathetic analysis of Basilea Schlink's vision and community provides a startling counterpoint to prevailing narratives of post-war Germany's inability to mourn, repent, or admit the Holocaust." ---Katharina von Kellenbach, author of The Mark of Cain: Guilt and Denial in the Lives of Nazi Perpetrators
"Telling the fascinating story of a German Protestant sisterhood who engaged in acts of repentance in Israel, George Faithful masterfully explores the group's mixture of German national theology and faith in the special historical mission of the Jews. This is a welcome book that sheds light on little known corners of German theology and Christian-Jewish relations. I highly recommend it." ---Yaakov Ariel, Professor of Religious Studies, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
"Mothering the Fatherland presents a carefully documented look into a small but significant movement within German popular Christianity. In the process, George Faithful has offered a clear set of data for re-theorizing the field of Christian Zionism studies. This work is essential for understanding dynamics within twentieth-century theopolitical history both in Germany and in the Holy Land." --Robert O. Smith, author of More Desired than Our Owne Salvation: The Roots of Christian Zionism