The Confessing Church, The Barmen Declaration

The Confessing Church was founded and promoted by Bonhoeffer and several other leaders of the original German church as a clear Christian alternative to the Reich Church. In spite of Hitler's continuing efforts to shut the church down, Bonhoeffer and his allies continued to operate the church throughout the war, its practices continuing even after Bonhoeffer's execution. The Barmen Declaration, named for a German town where a conference was held laying the groundwork for the Confessing Church, was essentially a manifesto laying down the beliefs and practices of the Confessing Church.