Early morning work, the Jews and Hitler

Woke up sometime after four am, and finished off a near-final draft of some Bible studies on Romans 6-11.

It is pretty clear to me, reading these chapters, that God has not given up on his Old Testament promises to the Jewish people. And that the rest of us non-Jews should in no way be complacent or smug when we consider the dire straits that the Jews have experienced in the last 2000 years.

In an effort to illustrate some of the more rebarbative attitudes, I briefly looked up some of the things that Hitler had said in Mein Kampf. I won't quote them here, they are readily available in too many places.

I was reminded that one of the most frightening things about Hitler was that he was so clear, direct and compelling as a communicator. Reading quotes from him is like reading quotes from Martin Luther. He is direct. He is stark. He invokes not only the forces of politics but the forces of heaven and earth, God and Satan.