How a devastating WWII bombing raid rained down death and destruction on the German town of Darmstadt but also birthed revival at a girls’ Bible class.

The global outrage against Jewish people stirred by the current conflict in Gaza has left many feeling saddened and distressed. However, the newly updated autobiography of Mother Basilea Schlink provides a poignant counterpoint and sheds light on the reasons behind the hostility directed at the extraordinary movement she founded in Germany.

Although Basilea Schlink (1904-2001) recognised that unwavering devotion to Jesus would inevitably lead to persecution – as Jesus had promised that true followers would endure suffering similar to his own – she evidently underestimated the negative reaction to their stance in favour of Israel.

The Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary endured significant libellous defamation even from fellow Christians over the years, being accused of Catholic tendencies, charismatic fanaticism and in some cases even demoniacal inspiration. Nevertheless, Basilea and her disciples refrained from retaliating in their steadfast commitment to blessing rather than cursing, as they prayed and worked for the unity of all believers.

However, at the time – and this was perhaps less evident due to German denial or guilt – their strong support for the Jewish people (so fundamental to their ethos) appears to have been a significant factor in the fierce opposition they faced.

It is unfortunate to note that Luther, a foundational figure in the Reformation, expressed severe anti-Semitic sentiments in his later years. This fact was even used in defence of the Nazis at the Nuremberg Trials after WWII.

The Berlin Declaration of 1909 issued by German Evangelicals further contributed to this climate. They deemed the Azusa Street Pentecostal revival of 1906 to be demonic – a view that Austrian-born Bournemouth pastor Werner Oder characterised as blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. This perspective may have contributed to the rise of Hitler and the Holocaust. Whether this is an over-assessment is debatable, but it is evident that charismatics were unpopular in post-war Germany.

An international ministry still based in Darmstadt, Germany, The Evangelical Sisterhood of Mary was founded in a revival that broke out in a girls’ Bible class after the city’s devastating raid. On the night of September 11, 1944, RAF bombers from Doncaster left tens of thousands dead or homeless. The young ladies, led by Basilea and her friend Mother Martyria, did not view themselves as victims but recognised the judgment of God on their nation for the mass murder of the Jewish people.

For this they were led by the Holy Spirit into profound repentance for their personal sins and national guilt. As Mother Ba-silea recalled: “Suddenly, in the middle of the Bible study, the grace of repentance fell upon the gathering like rain from heaven. Girls who had never prayed in front of others now spontaneously prayed aloud. Genuine tears of repentance flowed for all our sins and failures ... the night of terror had become the hour of birth ... out of death came life.”

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