Against the Wind: Eberhard Arnold and the Bruderhof - Plough

Against the WindBaptismOnce the prospect of taking the theology examination evaporated, Eberhardsaw no reason to postpone his baptism. In the spring he had made friends witha Leipzig physician, Dr. Gotthelf Müller, and asked to be baptized by him. Formonths, Eberhard had been thinking of a suitable place for his baptism, and thereare several indications that he found it in the Halle suburb of Ammendorf, onthe White Elster, a Saale tributary. The baptism took place there, probably on the25th, but in all events not before the 20th, of October 1908. 4It is characteristic of Eberhard that he later took his baptism as a matter ofcourse and very rarely brought up the subject himself. Believer’s baptism was nevera theme in his public lectures or articles except in surveys of church history. 5 Infact, the only time baptism had been an issue for him was during those months ofintense seeking back in the summer of 1907. Others had far more problems with itand either created or predicted difficulties for him.Eberhard’s parents took the news of his baptism bitterly. And it was equallyhard for him when, as a result, they banned him from the family home. OnDecember 2, Elisabeth Arnold wrote a scathing letter to her son, speaking of“perversity,” of a “fatal step,” accusing him of “foolish, short-sighted views,” and of“loveless inconsideration.” She even cast him as a victim of “sectarianism with all itsdeceptions,” and finally, regretfully, predicted for him “a very difficult life, full ofdisappointments.” Carl Franklin Arnold declared, and not for the first time, thathe could not teach students when his own son was doing the opposite of what hetaught, and that therefore he would have to resign his professorship immediately(which, however, he did not do).40on thEir own fEEtThe bottom line by the end of October was that both Emmy and Eberhard weredeprived of parental support and sympathy – she through loyalty to him, he throughbaptism. In spite of this, their letters during the following year ring with the samecarefree tone as those exchanged during the very first weeks of their engagement.The conflict with their parents had crystallized their situation in more ways thanone: They could at last appear in public as an engaged couple, without scruplesand without breaking any promises. Furthermore, unencumbered by parentalexpectations, Eberhard could freely follow his inner call, arrange his doctoralstudies, and resume spiritual responsibilities. Neither Eberhard nor Emmy werefinancially dependent on their parents any longer.