Vernard Eller

Radical Christians are people whose life and work are rooted in their faith. Johann Christoph Blumhardt and his son, Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt, were radical German Reformed ministers in the nineteenth century. Both father and son published a lot of material in German. Their books were quoted by other writers who were translated into English and are still apparently easy to obtian in German. Vernard Eller, initially looking up references in Kierkegaard and Barth, became interested in the Blumhardts' work and obtained rough translations from several sources listed in this collection.

There have been several different editions as more material became available. It's important to know that what I read (and what you can now download free of charge, or buy, from Plough) is the 2011 edition with the flowers on the cover. The last 16 passages in my copy may not be included in earlier editions. It's also worthwhile to know that nearly all the content of the book was written by Christoph Friedrich, though a few short passages are taken from books by Johann Christoph Blumhardt. That's because the first rough translation was done by a Swiss Socialist who wanted to call attention to things C.F. Blumhardt wrote that supported Socialist movements, ignoring other things he wrote that warned against infatuation with political parties or movements.

In this "reader" we see mostly C.F. Blumhardt responding to most of the religious and political movements that influenced US history. Without actually becoming a Socialist, Humanist, Universalist, Adventist, Charismatic, or a real follower of any of the other contemporary movements he spoke with a sympathetic understanding of each one. At least he wanted to believe that all people could be saved; certainly he preached that all people should be loved, and that Christians should be actively working to build the Kingdom of God in this world.

It's easy to translate what is considered good German into bad English. Eller worked hard to overcome that and make Blumhardt's prose as clear and readable as Beecher's, Lewis's, or Fosdick's. He succeeds in allowing C.F. Blumhardt to spek for himself. Anyone can understand what he meant though there are lines that will make informed readers wonder exctly what he meant. Thus, whether or not you are a radical Christian, this book is likely to make you want more translations of Blumhardt's books in English. The Bruderhof religious group, some of whom brought these books from Germany in the 1930s, will no doubt enjoy meeting that demand. This book was an excellent choice for Plough...and it's an enjoyable, thought-provoking read, especially for those who don't get into discussions of Q-source material or the aorist verb.… (altro)

i am very disappointed in this book. i had been told it was THE book to read about christian anarchy. normally i find quirky writing styles endearing (especially in more academic books) but in this book i found it to be distracting and off-putting. it was clear throughout the book that eller has some serious issues with women. he would throw in barbs where it was completely unnecessary.

i find his theology to be somewhat shallow which made his theory unworkable. this idea that someday God is just going to step in and fix things is something that just doesn't work for me. he did raise some really interesting things about the nature of civil disobedience and about the separation of politics and theology that i really liked and benefited from.

i also felt that the book could have been at least 50 pages shorter as he repeated himself quite a bit. also, the section on karl barth was just too damn long.

the other frustrating thing about the book is that it is clear that eller is a person of privilege; a white, well-employed man. some of his disdain for people who want to be a part of revolutions is distasteful as clearly he is someone who benefits from things the way they are.… (altro)