The first student in 100 years to whom Erlangen University on Doctoral Studies granted a Ph D. summa cum laude, Klaas Schilderwas soon caught up in doctrinal controversy, and his example of courage during WWII, during the Nazi occupation of Holland, became a bright symbol of hope at a time when many other church leaders merely groped in the darkness. The author examines the thological impact of Schilder both on his own and subsequent times, as now seen in their historical context. The story a theologian who stood firm in times of upheaval, both ecclesiastical and secular.