Against the Wind: Eberhard Arnold and the Bruderhof - Plough

Against the Winddeclare unrelenting war on mammon and oppose the whole mammonistic worldorder. They have only one purpose: to set their hearts on God. 15All previous spiritual threads in Eberhard’s life now seem inextricably interwoven:the dedication and obedience of faith in the revival period; Hermann Kutter’ssocial conscience and the war against the spirit of mammon; the community oflove among the early Christians. And for the first time there are echoes of theMoravian Anabaptists’ refusal to bear arms, their rejection of all use of courts oflaw, and their renunciation of private property. These particular tenets of faithhad not hit home during his study of Anabaptist history in 1913. But now, forEberhard as for so many others, the Sermon on the Mount had become a key – theWord affirmed history, and history affirmed the Word.For some the conference would remain unforgettable. Still it cannot be ignoredthat other participants left the Marburg Pentecost conference of 1919 with quitea different impression. For many old associates of the SCM the whole event wasruined by a lack of organization, very casual behavior, and (in reference to the folkdances of the youth movement members) the “frolicking around like spring lambs.”When all was said and done, the question still remained: at what point in theArnolds’ life would they put this renunciation of private property into effect? Theywere still firmly ensconced in their middle-class lifestyle – not exactly extravagant,but far from poverty-stricken. As a starting point they made attempts to breakdown class distinctions, at least within their own home. Eberhard made a practiceof cleaning the shoes for everyone in the household without exception. The servantgirls were moved into a spacious room. When guests came to visit, Eberhard andEmmy vacated their bedroom and shifted to the servants’ quarters. Despite theirbest intentions the Arnolds’ steps were of a rather clumsy and symbolic nature. Theservants absorbed only half of the message, and this resulted in unrealistic demandsand considerable head shaking.After one particular Free German Youth conference in Tübingen, Eberhardreturned home to Berlin sporting a new look. 16 He had left home dressed in histypical, conventional dark business suit, stiff collar, necktie, hat, and coat. Now hecheerfully presented himself to his family in knee britches and a loose tunic witha Byron collar open at the neck – the costume adopted by the youth movement asa sign of their determined and irreversible departure from the bourgeoisie. At firstEmmy did not know whether to laugh or to cry, and so she did both. 17 After herinitial astonishment she agreed with the change, and she would later recount that82