Against the Wind: Eberhard Arnold and the Bruderhof - Plough

Against the Wind
life; it was an inner vocation that called him above everything else. His parents,
who returned home in early September, did not realize at first the drama taking
place in their son’s heart. He withdrew into himself. The only noticeable sign of
this spiritual change was that he began attending youth meetings held by a young
pastor. 19
On the surface Eberhard’s behavior hardly altered – at least not until October 2,
1899. While walking downtown that day he suddenly came to a decision, turned
off the main street, and made his way to the young pastor’s house. Apparently the
pastor was not particularly surprised to see him, and he listened to Eberhard’s
flood of questions and reproaches, among them, “Why do I hear so little about the
Holy Spirit from you? I long for the working of Jesus’ spirit.” 20 To this the pastor
calmly responded that it was simply and solely the working of the Holy Spirit that
had brought his “young friend” to him. After imparting some careful advice, he sent
Eberhard home. Once there, Eberhard shut himself in the drawing room, leafed
through his pocket Bible to the third chapter of John’s Gosel, and read it aloud.
Then and there, on October 2, 1899, Eberhard Arnold selled out for himself the
meaning of “born again” (John 3:3); confessed his belief in Jesus, the Son of God
(John 3:16); and in reading the words of John 3:21, resolved to break with all sinful
behavior and, in the future, “to act according to the truth.” What is more, he
weighed in detail the change in lifestyle and the costs that this step would demand
of him.
This was undoubtedly a far-reaching decision for a sixteen-year-old, but it
brought its reward. More than thirty years later Eberhard described this experience
as a stream of God’s love flooding his heart with inexpressible joy. When he finally
left the drawing room, shaken to the core, he found the family gathered for dinner
in the dining room. He turned to his parents and told them, in a voice bursting
with emotion, what had taken place and what it meant for him. His father said
nothing and remained doubtful and cautious; his mother uttered some soothing
remark but did not quite know what to make of her son’s words. His siblings sat
silent. After a pause – embarrassing for all at the table except Eberhard – the talk
returned to everyday matters.
initial ConSEquEnCES
As a first step Eberhard gave up any last trace that marked him as an upper-class
gentleman. Horse races and idle promenading were now a thing of the past. His
fashionable ivory walking stick now seemed merely silly. He withdrew from the
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