Nazi Rocket Scientist Wernher von Braun Converted to Christ, Interviewed by C. M. Ward

Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center ^ | 06/26/2016 | Darrin J. Rodgers

[Jan_Sobieski]

Wernher von Braun (1912-1977), one of Nazi Germany’s leading rocket scientists, became a pioneer in America’s space program following World War II. But it was von Braun’s conversion to Christ that captured the attention of Assemblies of God radio preacher C. M. Ward. Ward interviewed the scientist in 1966, during which von Braun described the relationship between his newfound faith and his lifework in science.

Von Braun’s interest in rocket science had been sparked by a desire to explore space, but he came to regret that his work was being used to cause tremendous destruction of human life. He had developed the V-1 and V-2 rockets, which allowed Germany to pummel Allied targets up to 500 miles away during World War II. The rockets, manufactured by slave labor, indiscriminately killed thousands of people.

Sensing disloyalty, the Gestapo arrested von Braun in 1944 and charged him with espionage. Von Braun’s work was deemed essential to the success of the war effort, so Nazi leader Albert Speer intervened and ordered the release of the scientist. When American soldiers marched into central Germany in May 1945, they found that von Braun had organized the surrender of 500 of his top scientists, along with plans and test vehicles.

Von Braun and his German scientists were relocated to the United States, where they became indispensable to the development of American military and space programs. Von Braun’s life had changed drastically within the course of a year. But it was in a little church in El Paso, Texas, that von Braun experienced a spiritual transformation that would change him from the inside out…

[Jan_Sobieski]

In Germany, von Braun had been nominally Lutheran but functionally atheist. He had no interest in religion or God. In Texas, while living at Fort Bliss, a neighbor invited him to church. He went, expecting to find the religious equivalent of a country club. Instead, he found a small white frame building with a vibrant congregation of people who loved the Lord. He realized that he had been morally adrift and that he needed to surrender himself to God. He converted to Christ and, over the coming years, became quite outspoken in his evangelical faith and frequently addressed the complementarity of faith and science.

[EEGator]

He was a German, but not a Nazi.

[Jonty30]

Amen.

[DIRTYSECRET]

Like it’s gonna do the rest of us any good.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Bkmrk

[srmanuel]

If really research t

the guy was guilty of using massive amounts of slave labor, he was guilty of at least accommodating Nazi atrocities even if wasn’t part of the Nazi party

Should the USA have used operation paper clip to round up Nazi scientists to aid our scientific efforts, that is debatable but Werner Von Braun was at least a Nazi Sympathizer

[x]

Yes. He was a Nazi. Party member even.

[EEGator]

He used slave labor or the Nazis did?
Did he have a choice in helping?
Is having some allegiance to his country sympathetic to Nazi goals?

Painting everyone as this or that is too elementary.
I know you’re intelligent, so I’m not sure what makes you think he’s a sympathizer.
If I see something that shows otherwise, I’m open minded enough to change what I think.
I’ll look into myself and respond later on.
I have to finish work then volleyball…

[EEGator]

Show specifics. Show quotes. Show he made choices.

[MNDude]

Sadly, the German farmers that were conscripted ended up dead. The real Nazis just got recruited by USA and even revered decades later in articles like this.

[mware]

None, he was a Nazi. Lots of slave labor involved in his project. We got lucky and got him before Russia did.

[srmanuel]

Exactly the real Nazis lived a good life inside the USA working on things like the Apollo program Werner Von Braun was no different in the end was that a good thing for the USA scientific community that is debatable

[TheThirdRuffian]

"He was a German, but not a Nazi."

That's certainly the official Deep State line.

But I grew up in and around the area of New Mexico and West Texas where these guys worked, and my parents were very familiar with the PaperClip Nazis and worked with von Braun numerous times. He may have repented, but was very much a Nazi when captured.

Von Braun applied for membership of the Nazi Party on 12 November 1937, and was issued membership number 5,738,692. He lied about the year to the FBI.

In 1940, von Braun joined the SS and was given the rank of Untersturmführer in the Allgemeine-SS and issued membership number 185,068.

Here's a picture of him with Himmler:



His V2 program in Peenemünde used slave labor, at his urging. Robert Cazabonne, a French prisoner, claimed von Braun stood by as prisoners were hanged by chains suspended by cranes. Former Buchenwald inmate Adam Cabala claims that von Braun went to the concentration camp to pick slave laborers testified "the German scientists led by Prof. Wernher von Braun were aware of everything daily. As they went along the corridors, they saw the exhaustion of the inmates, their arduous work and their pain. Not one single time did Prof. Wernher von Braun protest against this cruelty during his frequent stays at Dora. Even the aspect of corpses did not touch him: On a small area near the ambulance shed, inmates tortured to death by slave labor and the terror of the overseers were piling up daily. But, Prof. Wernher von Braun passed them so close that he was almost touching the corpses."

[dadfly]

Praise God!

[sport]

Bullshit! He was the head of the V weapons program. he knew that the V2 was built with slave labor in underground factories.

[EEGator]

Doing what you have to so you can get by doesn’t make one a true believer.

One guy testified.

What about the officers that tried to kill Hitler?
They were uniformed German officers.
Nazis or no?

[Lake Living]

No one can (or in von Braun’s case, could) peer into the heart of another person. But even if Wernher von Braun was a full blown Nazi - and he truly repented, I have no doubt that the blood of the Lord Jesus has the power to forgive and cleanse even that foul of a heart. No one knows for sure right now - but one day everyone will know. I for one hope it is true.

[mass55th]

Anyone can convert their religion, even people who don’t believe in the religion they are converting to.

[ptsal]

Bkmk

[SoConPubbie]

Does it really matter in the big picture, or, was the most important thing that he repented and found God, and went to heaven?

What would be most important to Jesus?