This work investigates how German Catholics navigated the ideological and existential pressures of the Nazi regime while maintaining their religious identity during the Second World War. Thomas L. Brodie, an academic historian, utilizes a diverse array of primary source materials to reconstruct the internal mentalities and external behaviors of the Catholic population. The book argues that the relationship between the Catholic community and the state was characterized by a complex, often contradictory, negotiation of loyalty and faith.

Historians recognize this monograph as a significant contribution to the study of religious life in the Third Reich. Scholars frequently cite the work for its meticulous use of archival evidence to illuminate the nuanced social history of the German Catholic community.