CHRIST or HITLER? Pastor Willhelm Busch

Wilhelm Busch, a Lutheran pastor, was born in 1897, his father also being a pastor Wilhelm Busch, some of whose life story forms the first part of the present book. The son, who is the author and main subject of the book, served in the German army in the First World War and was converted during that time. After studying theology he spent some years as an assistant preacher in Bielefeld, then in the Essen Altstadt congregation, and finally from 1929 as Youth Pastor in Essen, in which post he continued till his retirement in 1962. He died in 1966 while returning after preaching in communist East Germany. Wilhelm Busch requested that no biography of him should be written, and this request has been honoured. However, he left a great deal of published autobiographical material, from which this book has been compiled. 'Wilhelm Busch was an evangelical Lutheran pastor in the German Pietist tradition. He lived through the entire period of Hitler’s vicious tyranny and lived to tell the tale. Although he wrote several books recording interesting events, he never wrote a Memoir, and did not wish anybody to write his biography. Therefore this book is not the consecutive story of his life, but an expertly translated series of episodes extracted from his writings and organised chronologically. May it edify all who read it.' - Don Stephens, author and historian, Liverpool 'This is an enthralling book of the experiences of the German pastor Wilhelm Busch through two world wars and times of both freedom and arrest by the Gestapo. These autobiographical anecdotes are equally heart-warming and challenging, and come infused with a love for Christ and a desire to proclaim a life-changing gospel. It will encourage believers to make a stand for truth when under pressure, and can also be given to those yet to discover the Saviour. Christian Puritz is to be congratulated for collecting this valuable material and translating it so smoothly and sympathetically for a wider readership.' - Nigel Faithfull