「在地若天」――主禱文與極權政治

On Earth as It Is in Heaven –The Lord’s Prayer and Totalitarianism

Pilgrim W. K. LO

The Third Reich appeared in Germany, which has a long tradition of Christian culture and a rich theological heritage. During Hitler’s reign, a great schism took place between the church leaders. There were contradictions between German Christians and the Confessing Church; there were fierce debates between the group of “pro-Hitler theologians” like Emanuel Hirsch, Paul Althaus and Werner Elert who presented the Ansbacher Counsel, and the group of “anti-Hitler theologians” who signed the Theological Declaration of Barmen drafted by Karl Barth.

The theological framework of the Ansbacher Counsel is based on Luther’s doctrine of the Two Kingdoms, while the Theological Declaration of Barmen is based on the Reformed “Royal Lordship of Christ.” The focus of the dispute is obviously on the issue of “the positioning of the Earthly Kingdom.” This article attempts to explore the political significance of the Lord’s Prayer. It uses the theological paradigm of the Lord’s Prayer –”From the Father to the Son ” – to deal with the shortcomings of both the Ansbacher Counsel and the Theological Declaration of Barmen. The Lord’s Prayer does not deny the kingdom on earth, nor does it exclude the Christ. We can explain it as follows:

Jesus is not the king of the earth, but the Kingdom of God came to the earth through the Son. However, the kingdom of the Son is not a kingdom established by the Israelites, nor is it any kingdom based on politics, but a kingdom that guides all kingdoms on the earth to do the will of the Father.