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Christoph Blumhardt's Eschatology and Kingdom-Of-God Movement KOREA PRESBYTERIAN JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 46 No. 3 Christoph Blumhardt’s Eschatology and Kingdom-of-God Movement: Blumhardt’s Influence on Jürgen Moltmann, ‘the Theologian of Hope’ LIM Hee-Kuk, Dr.theol. Professor, Historical Theology Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary, South Korea I. Introduction II. Christoph Blumhardt’s Kingdom-of-God Movement III. Blumhardt’s Eschatology IV. Conclusion Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology Vol. 46 No. 3 (2014. 9), 113-136 114 KOREA PRESBYTERIAn JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 46 No. 3 Abstract This article focuses on exploring Blumhardt’s eschatology and his kingdom-of-God movement. His eschatology affected Moltmann’s theology of hope. The eschatology of Christoph Blumhardt and his Kingdom-of-God Movement was the legacy of his father, which be- gan with the healing of Gottliebin Dittus. Blumhardt’s eschatology was God’s promise to renew the Church and to transform the society. The promise testified by the outcry “Jesus is Victor!” was already fulfilled in the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ. With that fulfill- ment the reality of the life of resurrection, or the new creation of new life, began the kingdom of God on earth. The reality of resurrection is still working and will continue to work until the reconciliation of all humankind and the of all things. The life of Blumhardt pursued only to witness of the Kingdom of God, which is going on a new social order of life, justice, and peace in the earth. Moltmann also understood the outcry at Möttlingen, “Jesus is Vic- tor!” as an event of God’s eschatological kingdom. In this sense it is a sign of the eschatological new creation taking place here and now. God’s salvation comprehends not just the so-called spiritual dimension, but also human bodies and, even further, all the creatures in the world (salvation of all things). God’s salvation does not begin in the next world. It takes place here and now when evil powers are controlled, sins are forgiven, and resurrected life is testified. In this way the kingdom of God comes to the earth (1 Thess. 5:8; Rom. 8:24). Keywords Johann Christoph Blumhardt, Struggle in Moettlingen, Christoph Fr. Blumhardt, Eschatology, Juergen Moltmann Christoph Blumhardt’s Eschatology and Kingdom-of-God Movement: Blumhardt’s Influence on Jürgen Moltmann, ‘the Theologian of Hope’ 115 I. INTRODUCTION* This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first publica- tion of Jürgen Moltmann’s Theology of Hope.1 As Moltmann himself mentioned, his “theology of hope has two roots: Christoph Blumhardt and Ernst Bloch.”2 He added that he was first influenced by Blumhardt before he read Bloch. In 1958 when Moltmann was teaching in the Kirchliche Hochschule at Wuppertal, his theology moved from Karl Karl Barth to Blumhardt. With this regard I myself was told by Moltmann. In November 1989 there was a symposium in Bad Boll, where Blumhardt devoted his entire ministry, that celebrated the 70th anniversary of his death.3 I participated in a session where Moltmann presided and later had din- ner with him. At that time Moltmann shared to us his academic experi- ences, one of which left an indelible impression on my heart. He said, “I was freed from Karl Barth with the help of Christoph Blumhardt.” This statement had great influence upon my own theological journey and, * This article is supported b the Research Fund of the Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary, 2014. 1 Jürgen Moltmann, Theologie der Hoffnung, Untersuchungen zur Begründung und zu den Konzequenzen einer christlichen Eschatologie (München: Chr. Kaiser Verlag, 1964). 2 Jürgen Moltmann, “The Hope of the Kingdom of God and Signs of Hope in the World: The Relevance of Blumhardt’s Theology Today,” Pneuma 26-1 (Spring 2004), 4. 3 Christoph Fr. Blumhardt (1842-1919), often called B“ lumhardt the son,” was a pastor in Bad Ball, located at southwestern Germany, around the turn of the 20th century. Throughout his life he proclaimed that “in Jesus Christ God’s kingdom is coming to the earth,” and witnessed to it in his life and activities. At that time Germany was in the process of a great social transformation due to the industrialization that began in 1830s. Protestant (Lutheran) church leaders were not prepared for, and thus embarrassed by, the social transformation. Unlike them, however, Blumhardt entered the political world for the human rights of the poor and the oppressed—especially, the working class. His life and thought had a great influence on many theologians of the 20th century. Among those theologians directly influenced by him are: Swiss religious socialists Herman Kut- ter (1863-1931), Leonhard Ragaz (1868-1945), and R. Lejeune; dialectical theologians Eduard Thurneysen, Karl Barth (1886-1968), and Emil Brunner. Besides, Paul Tillich, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Arthur Rich, Jürgen Moltmann were also influenced by him. Cf. M. Mattmueller, “Der Einfluss Blumhardts auf schweizerische Theologen des 20. Jahrhun- derts,” in Religioeser Sozialismus, hg. Leonhard-Ragaz-Institut, o.J., 1-14. 116 KOREA PRESBYTERIAn JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY Vol. 46 No. 3 finally, my study of Blumhardt resulted in the doctoral dissertation.4 With this personal experience of mine in background, in this ar- ticle I focus on exploring Blumhardt’s kingdom-of-God movement and his eschatology which affected Moltmann’s theology of hope.5 II. CHRISTOPH BLUMHARDT’S KINGDOm-oF-GOD MOVEMENT 1. “Jesus is Victor!”: Inheriting His Father’s Legacy (1842-1888) When Christoph Blumhardt was born in 1842, his father Johann Blumhardt (hereafter “the elder Blumhardt”) had been in great spiritual struggle for the past two years.6 He was almost exhausted by fighting against an evil spirit that had been attacking Gottliebin Dittus almost to death.7 The fight did not cease until Gottliebin was dramatically healed on the Christmas day of 1843. On her recovery her cousin Katharina, who was taking care of her, shouted, “Jesus is Victor!” In the following Sunday service the father Blumhardt preached on Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 2:46-55), where he proclaimed Jesus Christ’s victory over the evil 4 Lim Hee-Kuk, ‘Jesus ist Sieger!’ bei Christioph Fr. Blumhardt. Keim einer kosmisch- en Christologie (Bern: Peter Lang, 1996). 5 Blumhardt’s sermons were published in four volumes posthumously by R. Lejeune, Eine Auswahl aus seinen Predigten, Andachten und Schriften, hg. R. Lejeune, 4 Bde. (Erlenbach/ Zürich/ Leipzig: Rotapfel-Verlag, 1925-1937) (=PA I, II, III, IV). Around 1980 J. Harder edited and published Blumhardt’s posthumous manuscripts in three vol- umes: Ansprachen, Predigten, Reden, Briefe: 1865-1917, Bde. 3, hg. J. Harder, 2. Aufl. (Neukirchen-Vluyn, 1982) (=AB I, II, III). Today’s studies of Blumhardt’s life in general follow Lejeune’s division of four periods. 6 Johann Christoph Blumhardt, Der Kampf in Möttlingen, hg. G. Schaefer (Goet- tingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1979). 7 Gottliebin Dittus was born on October 31, 1815. She grew up in an environ- ment susceptible to mental illness. In his 20s she suffered from a kidney disease. She had treatments of several doctors, but in vain. To make things worse, she caught women’s disease as well. From that time on she could urinate only with the help of the instrument prescribed by a doctor. Due to severe illness her right foot shrank, her back bone were bent, and suffered from a gastroenteric disorder. Christoph Blumhardt’s Eschatology and Kingdom-of-God Movement: Blumhardt’s Influence on Jürgen Moltmann, ‘the Theologian of Hope’ 117 spirit that had tortured Gottliebin for a long time.8 In Möttlingen healing events through forgiveness of sins continued to occur. The father Blumhardt adopted Gottliebin as his daughter, and she helped his healing ministry. At the same time Möttlingen witnessed to the rise of an awakening movement, whose core was forgiveness of sins and healing of the sick. The awakening movement developed into the so-called “Blumhardt movement.” Widespread news about the movement brought to Möttlingen a great number of people from dif- ferent countries in Europe. In 1952 the elder Blumhardt moved from Möttlingen to Bad Boll, where the movement continued. When the father Blumhardt passed away in February 1880, his ministry was taken over by his son Christoph Blumhardt (hereafter “Blumhardt”). Blumhardt understood “Jesus is Victor!” as the essence of his father’s pastoral and theological legacy, and thus made it the mot- to of his own pastoral ministry. Just as his father prayed for and healed the sick, so did Blumhardt. Blumhardt’s preaching was as moving as his father’s. He was often invited to preach in neighboring churches and also in Strasbourg and other European cities. In his thirties he became a renowned preacher. He also preached in front of the emperor. None- theless, he was not so much concerned with his fame, as with upholding his father’s legacy. Blumhardt observed, however, that his father’s legacy was not be- ing taken seriously enough. There were several obstacles, even within the church which had been under his father’s pastoral care. 1) The pi- ety of the congregation was selfish and self-centered. They concerned themselves only with healing of their illnesses, rather than with the condition of their inner selves. 2) They were in general dualistic pietists. Driven by their spiritual aspiration, they looked only for the heavenly things, while disregarding the earthly. They prayed only for the oth- erworldly blessings, while ignoring the issue of peace in this world. 3) They were orthodox Christians adhering to the literal meaning of Lutheran doctrines and church tradition. It is in this context that Blum- 8 Theodor Bovet described Gottliebin’s illness and healing from a psychiatric per- spective: “Zur Heilungsgeschichte der Gottliebin Dittus,” in Der Kampf in Möttlingen, 1-29.
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