Thy Kingdom Come: A Blumhardt Reader - Plough

i n T r o d U C T i o nin this introduction there are two things I want to do andone I do not want to do. The not doing of the one will bethe most difficult.But, in the first place, no matter how sore the temptation,I am going to try not to do anything in the way ofintroducing the Blumhardts’ thought—whether describingit, characterizing it, explaining it, or commenting upon it.Once I start that, there would be no end. I prefer to devotethe space to letting them introduce their thought for themselves—whichis what this whole book is about.Besides, these two are fully capable of introducing theirown thought. Perhaps every word of theirs recorded hereoriginated as oral discourse delivered informally before a layaudience. The Blumhardts may be the theologians who leastneed a third party to analyze and “explain” them. if theirown words fail to inform, enlighten, or move the reader,there are no words of mine that could reverse the situation.Besides attempting not to introduce the Blumhardts’thought, I intend to present a whole collection of facts purposedto show the sort of influence the Blumhardts have hadupon modern Christian thought. The hope is that this willarouse within the reader the question, “Why have I not heardof them before?” thus exciting him to do something aboutIt, namely, read the remainder of the book. Finally, then, Iwill offer brief biographical sketches of the two men.12