Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16Let us compare humankind to the human body, which is a God-given image of how humankind is intended to function ­cooperatively. When one member of the body becomes detached from the body’s unity of consciousness and acts contrary to the functional unity of the whole, we recognize it as something demonic. Jesus says: “If your right hand causes you to sin, if it leads you to death, cut if off and throw it away.” So long as a person has unity of consciousness, all of his body’s members and functions serve the unity of the whole; no member serves itself without regard for the others. But if one organ becomes independent and separates itself from the harmonious functioning of all the others, it is diseased. Likewise, when one function attracts attention to itself, disease has already supplanted health. Our heart is only in good condition so long as we do not notice it. The same principle holds true for people. When an individual makes himself conspicuous, gives himself airs, and pushes himself forward, it is an indication of decline, indeed, of disease. The only way to avoid this fate is when each one is there for all and when all are there, in unity, for each one. This has obvious relevance to the question of property. In fact, property – private possessions – is the root of murder. From property come war, competi- tion, and the mutual injuriousness of business life. Property nourishes the most morbid forms of sexuality, prostitution and marriage for money (which is the same thing). And property gives birth to the lie, both in commercial dealings and in social relationships. I recall how some of my relatives lost a considerable sum of money in their tropical timber business. When they gathered for a family council, the question was: “How can we cut down our expenses? We cannot stop traveling first class or give up our 1 Cor. 12:12–31 Matt. 5:30 1 Tim. 6:9–10 James 4:1–4 In November 1929,the Tolstoy Club in Vienna invited Eberhard Arnold, the German Protestant theologian and founder of the Bruderhof community, to hold a series of lectures. These talks, compiled in the essay above, respond to a precarious moment: both Germany and Austria, still reeling from losing the First World War, were increasingly riven by conflicts between rich and poor and extremists on the left and right. What does the gospel say in the face of such a social and religious crisis? Arnold’s words continue to provoke, but with a purpose: to help us read the Old and New Testaments with more faithful eyes. Eberhard Arnold, right, with fellow members of the first Bruderhof community in Sannerz, Germany (1920s) Photo from the Bruderhof Historical Archive 14 Plough Quarterly • Summer 2016