In the tumultuous aftermathof the First World War, thousands of young Germans defied the social mores of their parents and the constricting influence of the established churches in search of freedom, social equality, nature, and community. Hiking clubs were formed and work camps organized, and hundreds of rural folk schools and communes sprang up across the country. In the 1930s, Nazism swallowed this so-called Youth Movement virtually whole.
A Joyful Pilgrimageis the engaging storyof a remnant that survived: the Bruderhof, a 75-year-old community that began when the author and her husband, a well-known writer and lecturer, abandoned their affluent Berlin suburb to start a new life and venture of faith.
At first glancea memoir,A Joyful Pilgrimageis a radical call to faith and commitment against great odds. It is also a remarkable testimony to the leading of the Spirit, which, as Emmy Arnold writes, can hold together those who believe in the daily miracle of community through thick and thin.A moving story&and an amazing continuation of the Book of Acts.1. Origins2. Seeking3. The Wind Blows4. Beginning at Sannerz5. Crisis6. A New Start7. The Rh?n Bruderhof8. American Journey9. Between Time and Eternity10. Before the Storm11. Conflict with Hitlers State12. Eberhards Last Struggle13. The Fight Goes OnPostscriptVery moving&Emmy Arnolds story is a simple and direct account of a Christian life stripped to the essentials.A remarkable woman traces her journey from middleclass housewife to co-founder of a Christian community.