Against the Wind: Eberhard Arnold and the Bruderhof - Plough
Against the Wind: Eberhard Arnold and the Bruderhof - Plough
Against the Wind: Eberhard Arnold and the Bruderhof - Plough
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Foreword<br />
Since <strong>the</strong> time of Jesus, small groups of earnest Christians have tried to<br />
live by <strong>the</strong> ethics of <strong>the</strong> Sermon on <strong>the</strong> Mount. From St. Francis to <strong>the</strong><br />
Benedictines to <strong>the</strong> Anabaptists, living as disciples of Jesus in community<br />
has been a sought-for ideal. While many Christians have viewed <strong>the</strong>se ethics as for<br />
a time yet to come, o<strong>the</strong>rs have insisted that Jesus meant for his followers to live<br />
<strong>the</strong>m in <strong>the</strong> here <strong>and</strong> now. Here is <strong>the</strong> account of one such Christian.<br />
The aim of this book is not to exalt <strong>the</strong> man, <strong>Eberhard</strong> <strong>Arnold</strong>, or <strong>the</strong> <strong>Bruderhof</strong><br />
movement he helped to found. Ra<strong>the</strong>r, it is to witness to God’s faithfulness <strong>and</strong><br />
God’s intervention in human history. Yet it remains true that God can only act in<br />
human history through people. <strong>Arnold</strong>’s commitment to discipleship, community,<br />
nonviolence, <strong>and</strong> his faith in <strong>the</strong> immediate reality of God’s kingdom continue to<br />
inspire <strong>and</strong> challenge all who seek to follow Christ.<br />
And it is also true that <strong>the</strong> <strong>Bruderhof</strong> movement is today a vibrant community<br />
of faith from which we at Sojourners have received great insight <strong>and</strong> strength over<br />
<strong>the</strong> years. Our 1984 visit to <strong>the</strong> Woodcrest <strong>Bruderhof</strong> in upstate New York was<br />
one of <strong>the</strong> most profound community exchanges I have ever experienced. There<br />
is a deep wisdom at <strong>the</strong> <strong>Bruderhof</strong> about how Christians can live toge<strong>the</strong>r. A<br />
strong presence of love exists among <strong>the</strong>m – not <strong>the</strong> sentimental kind that relies<br />
on excessive words, but ra<strong>the</strong>r a mutual resect, a readiness to serve, <strong>and</strong> a joy in<br />
one ano<strong>the</strong>r that has been born of much faith <strong>and</strong> struggle.<br />
Our life at Sojourners has been enriched <strong>and</strong> streng<strong>the</strong>ned through sharing<br />
with <strong>the</strong> <strong>Bruderhof</strong> <strong>the</strong> joys <strong>and</strong> struggles of our attempt to faithfully live <strong>the</strong><br />
kingdom of God in <strong>the</strong> world. Our shared belief that <strong>the</strong> gosel calls us to live in<br />
relationship with <strong>the</strong> poor continues to shape our vision <strong>and</strong> work at Sojourners.<br />
The <strong>Bruderhof</strong> is continuing on a journey, one that in recent years has led<br />
<strong>the</strong>m into <strong>the</strong> pain, injustice, <strong>and</strong> suffering of <strong>the</strong> world. A new movement of <strong>the</strong>