What good is it to point poor people to their heavenly home while their hearts are so embittered and their earthly home feels like hell to them.

— Friedrich von Bodelschwingh (1831–1910), Theologe, Diakonie-Gründer

Topics: Justice & Commitment, Service & Love of Neighbour

Friedrich von Bodelschwingh

Friedrich von Bodelschwingh (1831–1910) war ein deutscher lutherischer Theologe und einer der prägenden Pioniere der Diakonie, der ab 1872 die Hilfseinrichtungen in Bethel bei Bielefeld aufbaute. Er widmete sich der Fürsorge für Menschen mit Behinderungen und Wohnungslose, stand dabei jedoch auch für ein stark patriarchalisches Leitungsverständnis und eine konservative Ablehnung politischer Reformen. Für Bibelleser veranschaulicht sein Wirken eine radikal praktische Nächstenliebe im Dienst an Ausgegrenzten, die zugleich eng an die kirchlich-gesellschaftlichen Strukturen ihrer Epoche gebunden blieb.

All quotes by Friedrich von Bodelschwingh (177)

More on this topic

We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish; but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.

Martin Luther King Jr.

O Lord, make me an instrument of your peace! Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light, and where there is sadness, joy.

Francis of Assisi

Darkness cannot be overcome with more darkness, only with light. Violence cannot be overcome with more violence, only with peace.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Prayers do not change the world. But prayers change people, and people change the world.

Albert Schweitzer

The true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him.

Gilbert Keith Chesterton

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Martin Luther King Jr.

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

Martin Luther King Jr.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

Martin Luther King Jr.

All quotes · lumen.bible