The Individual and World Need
Eberhard Arnold
Timeless yet as timely as ever, this short book explores the relationship
of the individual to world suffering and points clearly to a solution.
Enlivened by a wide variety of anecdotes–from the ancient myth of
Prometheus to the expressionist Franz Werfel–Eberhard Arnold’s message
is simple but revolutionary: only by overcoming the cancer of individualism
can we begin to address the need of the world.
Arnold’s essential diagnosis of what is wrong in the world–fragmentation,
alienation, lust for power and wealth–is as precise today as when
he penned this essay in the 1920s. The agony he has us confront
is so grim, it could lead one to despair. But instead he faces despair
head on, grapples with it, and emerges writing about joy. How is
this possible?
Readers solely interested in personal salvation may not like this
essay. Arnold calls for a commitment that may seem too demanding
to some. Yet without that commitment the world will remain as it
is, full of illusions about self and material things and unable
to see the consequences. Arnold believes that this state of affairs
does not have to be. It can be transcended by the faith that moves
mountains.
Praise for The Individual and World Need
Spencer Perkins and Chris Rice
A timely challenge to a world where millions claim the title “born
again,” yet where more and more of God’s children sleep in alleys,
are enslaved to drugs, are locked away in prison, grow up without
a father, or struggle to survive in dangerously deteriorating ghettos.
Arnold powerfully calls us to a whole new relationship with the
poor, lest the credibility of our love for God be called into question.
Vernon Grounds
A profound and compelling apologetic for the Gospel, Arnold’s book
is more relevent now than it was then. It was a privilege and a
blessing, a challenging blessing, to read.
