Let the Bells Ring!
Although Hitler and the Nazi regime failed to take over the German churches and align them with Nazi ideology, they still took measures to interfere in ecclesiastical affairs and harass the faithful. The Nazis sought to diminish Christian influence and culture in order to pave the way for a morality based on National Socialism, a morality shaped, that is, by Nazi concerns about the “purity” of blood and the need for soil sufficient to sustain “Aryan” supremacy.
Historians have detailed the arrests and imprisonments of prominent pastors and churchmen who resisted Nazi rule, and they have examined how Hitler’s regime interfered with the churches’ efforts to catechize the youth and serve their communities. But one tactic not often discussed was the regime’s interference with the ringing of church bells, which had long been rung in churches throughout Christendom to indicate the time and special occasions, to call the community to worship, and to spur the people to action, such as for the defense of a town.
While pro-Nazi clergy on occasion interfered with the scheduled ringing of the church bells, a more common Nazi tactic in wartime was to seize the church bells themselves for raw materials to be used for the war effort. Such an action was explicitly forbidden by the Hague Convention of 1907. The Nazis, unsurprisingly, paid no heed to such stipulations. The historian Kirrily Freeman has shown that the regime melted down nearly 150,000 church bells during the Second World War.[i] Agents of Hitler’s government seized 90,000 bells in Germany alone, but they also appropriated bells in German-occupied territory throughout Europe. Church bells were categorized in classes A to D based on artistic and historical value, with class D bells having been created prior to 1740 and of the greatest historic value. As the war raged on, the Nazi government seized and transported bells to so-called Glockenfriedhöfe (bell cemeteries) and melted them down for metals, predominantly copper and tin.[ii]
At first glance, these actions against the ringing of church bells might seem merely like a minor provocation or even entirely trivial. After all, the ringing of church bells probably does not seem very consequential for anyone. In Germany during the war, no one was harmed by these actions, nor did anyone lose their livelihood. So, why then should we deem the Nazi interference in the ringing of church bells to be historically significant, and what might this history mean for Christians today?
I would argue that church bells may be likened to audible versions of monuments that represent the institutions that inspired and created them; moreover, they are an audible marker of a specific community bounded in a given space.[iii] They are the voices of the churches that have rung for millennia and continue to ring throughout the world. All within earshot of the ringing bell are beckoned by its call to worship and prayer or to a special acknowledgment that is meaningful to the community, such as a wedding or a funeral. It is for these reasons that control of a community’s bells indicates a form of political power. Thus, as scholars have shown, the Nazi drive for church bells in the Second World War was not simply an effort to scavenge for the material resources needed for the war effort, but part of an ideological and political campaign against the churches.[iv] The seizure of church bells was meant to subjugate and silence the churches. Taking the church bells was a cunning attempt to silence the beckoning call of the church at a time when the Nazi regime was perpetrating a war for German lebensraum (living space) and working to exterminate European Jewry.
Today, it may not be common to hear the ringing of church bells. In my suburban context in southeastern Virginia, I don’t ever hear church bells ring. Indeed, a church may have legitimate reasons not to ring their bells. Perhaps the bells have not been maintained and are in disrepair. City ordinances may have regulations against noise nuisances, which may prevent churches from ringing their bells. Or, in the short term, the church may not ring its bells in a time of sorrow or lamentation, such as a national tragedy or in remembrance of the recently deceased. But the disuse of bells for a church ought to be an exception, not the norm.
I would argue that if a church has bells, they should ring them intentionally and with purpose. Given the history of Nazi Germany and the Nazi seizure of church bells during the Second World War, we would do well to ring them as an expression of our communal Christian identity and values. I’ll offer just a few reasons why.
First, simply put, the sound of ringing of bells is beautiful.[v] They make a joyful sound and they lift the spirit. Indeed, they not only lift the spirit but they lift the gaze upward, and toward the church, beckoning us to a higher calling in our everyday lives.
Second, when the church bells ring, the entire community hears them, thus uniting them in the moment of the sacred sound. The chiming informs all in the community of the time, or indicates the start of a service. The chiming bonds the community together by commemorating an event, uniting them in joy at the wedding of a young couple starting out on their own, or in mourning at the death of a loved one laid to rest. And what is more, when the bells ring and a service is in session, the people of that community know that there are people praying for them, praying for their town and their nation, even if they don’t attend the service. The ringing of the bells carries with it the knowledge that our prayers—as a community of faith—are lifted up to God.
Third, as was mentioned already, the ringing bells is also a way to draw the community of faith into the thousands of years of tradition of the church. Bells have adorned church towers since the early Middle Ages, and they are still with us today. The bells are a reminder that we belong to a much older tradition that can inspire and provide profound meaning in our everyday lives. Scripture provides evidence that clanging symbols and musical instruments are means for the people of God to express their joy and enthusiasm for the things of God in their communities. Bells are simply one among many instruments presented in Scripture. For example, Psalm 150:1-6 states,
Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!
This point leads directly to the fourth: as this verse states, the ringing of bells is a way for the community of faith to praise God. The ringing of the bells is an expression of thanks and devotion. And the effort it takes—setting aside the time, pulling the bell ropes (or even pushing the button), and maintaining the bells—is all for the glory of God. We should take every opportunity to ring those bells! Indeed, ringing the church bells takes diligence and conscientiousness, and it’s a sign of our thanks and praise to God. (So don’t even think of playing a preprogrammed audio recording of church bells ringing from the steeple!)
Indeed, the ringing of bells are an impetus for a community to be about the things of God. Young and old alike need encouragement to devote time to the spiritual life. In Luther’s German Mass and Order of Divine Service, he argued that for the sake of the children and their progress in the faith, “we must read, sing, preach, write, and compose; and if it could in any wise help or promote their interests, I would have all the bells pealing, and all the organs playing, and everything making a noise that could.”[vi]
Fifth, and on a related point, the ringing of the bells wakes us up out of our reverie, out of the mundane, and even out of evil. The sound of the bells set our sights on the sacred. The great German poet and writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe presents the eponymous protagonist of his magnum opus Faust on an Easter morning in the presence of malevolence, the devil Mephistopheles, who has prepared Faust a poisoned infusion. As he lifts the cup to lips to drink, the Easter morning church bells toll, reminding him that there is always hope, that God has a plan, and that God will not forsake us. There is always redemption! The bells are a wake-up call in more ways than one. The more wake up calls we have in the midst of the mundane and secular world, the better we will be.
Now, it is true some in the community may not support the ringing of bells, such as those who do not identify as Christians or those who simply don't like the sound of ringing bells. Where there are many such persons, churches must exercise prudence and discernment so that they do not needlessly generate anger or irritation. Even in such locations, however, churches should aim to ring their bells on some occasions. Ringing church bells is one way to Christians to tell their local communities that they are present, active, and there to serve in love. And it’s a way to proactively promote Christian values and traditions. Churches located on the campuses of Christian universities, or in areas with large Christian populations, would do well to ring their bells on a pre-scheduled daily basis.
The history of the Nazi seizure of church bells is a reminder of the importance for Christian communities to cultivate Christian identity, culture, and society alongside the broader secular society. The intentional and conscientious ringing of church bells can become one way of expressing our collective Christian voice and providing a beautiful sound for all alike to hear.
[i] Kirrily Freeman, “‘The Bells, too, Are Fighting’: The Fate of European Church Bells in the Second World War,” in Canadian Journal of History (Winter 2008): 1.
[ii] See M. Parker & D.H.R. Spennemann, “Reverberating Silence: The Termination of Bells and Bell Ringing as an Exercise of Political Power,” Heritage & Society (2024): 1-21.
[iii] Ibid.
[iv] See C. Mahrenholz, Das Schicksal der deutschen Kirchenglocken. Denkschrift über den Glockenverlust im Kriege und die Heimkehr der geretteten Kirchenglocken. Ausschuss für die Rückführung der Glocken. (1952); and Parker and Spennemann, “Reverberating Silence.“
[v] In regard to these specific points, special thanks to Jonathan Loxley for our conversations on why communities should ring their church bells, especially on college campuses.
[vi] Martin Luther, The Martin Luther Collection: 15 Classic Works (Waxkeep Publishing. Kindle Edition) 443-444.
William Skiles is Associate Professor of History at Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia, and an ordained Lutheran minister in the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ. He is also the author of Preaching to Nazi Germany: The Pulpit and the Confessing Church (Fortress Press, 2023).