By Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt, Bruderhof Foundation, 2002

These letters from Blumhardt to his son-in-law, a missionary in China, turn the traditional concept of Christian mission on its head. For Blumhardt, the gospel of Jesus Christ has nothing to do with religion. There is no need to bring Christianity to people. What they need is the good news Jesus promised--liberty for the oppressed and help for the poor.

In fact, as Blumhardt sees it, the "unchurched" and the "heathen," and especially the oppressed, already belong to Christ, and he is at work in their hearts before we arrive. Jesus did not come to found churches, but to set in motion a movement of the Spirit that will encompass nations and lead to peace and social justice. "No longer religion against religion, but justice against sin, life against death."

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Blumhardt writes from a passionately moved heart, hastily jotting down thoughts with little regard for the choice of words or the skillful marshalling of ideas. It is not a matter of theology, but of daring something in faith, of experimenting, and of finding new ways for God’s kingdom to advance.

Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt:

Christoph Blumhardt (1842-1919) was a German Lutheran theologian and one of the founders of Christian Socialism in Germany and Switzerland. He was a well-known preacher. In 1899 he announced his support for socialism and joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany; for this, he lost his position as minister. The next year, he was elected to the state parliament of Württemberg.

As World War I broke out, he declared his belief in a coming Kingdom of God, declaring "we live in the time before a massive change in the world. This darkness will be vanquished through the Lord Jesus Christ."

He was a significant influence on the theologians Karl Barth, Hermann Kutter and Leonhard Ragaz, who were also Christian socialists.

(This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia.)

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