Stasi Infiltration of the Cold War East German Church (109)

Cold War Conversations - "vivid & compelling" The NY Times

Ian Sanders

History, Documentary, Society & Culture

4.8 • 865 Ratings

🗓️ 22 February 2020

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When the Berlin Wall came down, the files of the East German secret police, the much-dreaded Stasi, were opened and read. And among the shocking stories revealed was that of the Stasi's infiltration of the Church. The Lutheran Church was the only semi-free space in East Germany, where those who rebelled against the regime could find a way of living at least a little out of the government's grip. Do you know how much $3 USD is in Pounds? It’s 76 pence which equals about 20p per episode if you sign up as a monthly financial supporter of the podcast. Higher amounts are welcome too. It’s very straightforward and you can stop whenever you want. Plus monthly supporters get the sought after CWC coaster too! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Recent supporters include David Banvery, Daisy Birkenhead, Steve Kerins, Tim Marks and Holly Meade. If that’s not your cup of tea then leave a written reviews in Apple podcasts or share us on social media. By telling your friends you can really help the podcast grow. Back to today’s episode, author of the book "God's Spies" Elisabeth Braw tells the real-life cloak-and-dagger story of how the Stasi infiltrated churches in East Germany. We welcome Elizabeth to our Cold War conversation… UK Fans can buy the book here & support the podcast https://amzn.to/2t2EZxk US Fans can buy the book here & support the podcast https://amzn.to/38Ks2HH There’s further information on this episode & the opportunity to win a free copy of the book (ends 23rd Feb 2020) in our show notes, which can also be found as a link in your podcast app here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode109/ If you like what you are hearing, please leave reviews in Apple podcasts and share us on social media. If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook. Thankyou very much for listening. Radio GDR If you are interested in East Germany we can highly recommend our friends over at Radio GDR. Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/ Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/ Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Cold War Conversations, the home of real stories of the Cold War.
0:05.9	Timothy Shalame is Bob Dylan and a complete unknown.
0:09.4	If anyone who's going to hold your attention on the state, you have to kind of be a freak.
0:13.9	Critics agree it's outstanding on every level. Five stars.
0:19.1	Shalemay is a revelation.
0:20.8	What do you want to be?
0:21.9	Whatever it is, they don't want me to be.
0:23.8	Now nominated for the Golden Globes for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor, Edward Norton.
0:29.3	A complete unknown.
0:30.6	Ladies and gentlemen, Bob Bill!
0:32.4	In cinema's January 17, rated 15.
0:35.8	It was really quite phenomenal to get that sort of access to the man who led the whole thing.
0:42.7	So he led the church department for the last 10 years of East Germany's existence.
0:48.9	This is Cold War Conversations. If you're new here, you've come to the right place to listen to
0:55.8	first-hand Cold War history accounts. Do make sure you follow us in your podcast app or join our
1:02.3	emailing list at Cold Warconversations.com. When the Berlin Wall came down, the files of the East German secret police, the much-dreaded Stasi,
1:14.5	were opened and read, and among the shocking stories revealed was that of the Stasi's infiltration
1:20.1	of the Lutheran Church. The Lutheran Church was the only semi-free space in East Germany,
1:27.2	where those who rebelled against
1:28.7	the regime could find a way of living at least a little out of the government's grip.
1:33.6	Do you know how much three US dollars is in British pounds?
1:38.2	It's 76 pence, which equals about 20 pence per episode if you sign up as a monthly financial supporter of the podcast.
	...

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