D elton trueblood biography
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But there is no place in the Christian faith for those who cannot or will not practice. He would tell me, “Mack, there is a broken heart in every pew. All are members of the crew.”
Trueblood’s campaign to “abolish the laity” was not the only fruit of his lecturing and sermonizing.
And at the end he told me, “Mack, I want to come to Hereford. There is a time to read the Bible and a time to read the philosophers. “Mom. Everyone, he believes, is called into ministry; the task of spreading the Word of God and the responsibility for meeting the needs of a hurting world were never meant to be the assignments of an elite group of ordained church leaders.
I learned through Toynbee, through Elton, that society can only be renewed through the intentional and systematic renewal of our relationships.
The Quiet Revolutionary
Elton Trueblood enjoys telling his guests that he has been alive every day of the twentieth century. His living-room bookcase behind his desk is filled with copies of the 34 volumes he has penned, and he springs from his sofa seat to show his guests some of his favorite titles.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D._Elton_Trueblood). And its power. Here was his incredibly rich life concentration of intellect, experience, proficiency, depth, and initiative willingly pressing heart to heart with so many of us and showing each of us in turn and all of us together that friendship is the osmosis of the soul.
I share the story above because it illustrates that transcendent principles and means must be utilized to grasp us and to transform us.
I responded with my smarts: “Yes, Dr. Trueblood we do live in a sick society.” That’s it! He had already retired for the night. But fools rush in, and I went on down.
Shortly after introductions were made, a small prayer group gathered. I was going to spend an entire week in my family home with none other than Dr.
D. Elton Trueblood.
He was an absolute legend to my generation of American churchgoers. The same with law. Please try again.
It was Quakerism that lay behind Trueblood’s bold admonition to “abolish the laity” (that is, do away with rigid distinctions between laity and clergy), but the phrase is original to Trueblood. Jones, Jesus said, ‘Feed my sheep not my giraffes!” We must have joy and empathy for all, because all are bearing a burden, he believed.
And your task is to ‘comfort ye my people.'”
Within four years of our meeting, Elton led me to Arnold Toynbee’s work A Study of History. And so do thousands of others.
When Rudolf Otto sat down to write his classic, The Idea of The Holy, his greatest challenge lay in somehow describing humankind’s uniquely innate gift of wonder.
During the Nixon Administration he again served as an adviser to the President.
Late in the evening of December 20, 1994, Elton Trueblood’s breathing evened out and became so softly tapered that no one could be completely sure of the precise moment when his unconquerable soul slipped away. I have always reversed that.