God stands above every event. Faith can withstand the storm of all forces only if we are one with God. It is not men who stand firm. God alone is invincible. In Him alone is the freedom of soul that guards against bondage to even the strongest force.
- Eberhard Arnold
- Eberhard Arnold, January 1920 From an EssayJustice and love demand that everyone take part in simple practical work with a spade, hatchet, or rake. Everyone should be ready to devote a few hours every day to this practical work; those who have done purely mental work till now will feel its humanizing effect especially. In this way it will be possible for each person’s unique gifts to be kindled. The light that flickers within each heart will then exhibit its once-hidden glow in scholarly research or in music, in expressive words, or in the craftsman’s art in wood, stone, or paint…such work will reveal the joy in life that is in each person. Only death knows idleness and tedium. Where there is life, the mind’s creative will remains alert and comes to expression in the service of the whole.
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Jesus challenged us to work while it is still day. (John 9:4) He compared His Kingdom to labor in a vineyard, the investment of entrusted money, the good use of every talent. If God’s Kingdom is to transform this vale of tears into a place of joy, it has to be a realm of work. Work, and work alone, befits the destiny of the human spirit. By our nature as human beings we are called to a life of creativity. Healthy joy in life will be ours only through unclouded, loving fellowship in work.
- Eberhard Arnold, 1919
Our all-inclusive task is to awaken the people of Israel to the impending catastrophe, to shake out of sleep the whole of mankind before their certain overthrow, that all may be prepared for the coming Kingdom.
- Eberhard Arnold