Christoph Blumhardt's ideas about the kingdom of God influenced a generation of European seekers, including Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Karl Barth. The book's "active expectation" of God's kingdom shows the reader that the object of our hope is not relegated to some afterlife.

Given the number of people whove been saved, youd think the world was becoming a brighter place. It could be, too, if more people would grasp the joy of losing themselves in service to God and each other. People like Christoph Blumhardt, who, in his quest to get to the essentials of faith, burns away the religious trappings of modern piety like so much chaff. Blumhardt writes with unabashed fervor, but his passion encourages rather than intimidates. His witness influenced theological giants like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Karl Barth. But Action in Waiting is not theology; it is too blunt, too earthy, too real. Its active expectation of Gods kingdom shows us that the object of our hope is not relegated to some afterlife. Today, in our world, it can come into its own if only we are ready.

Pulse-quickening?Blumhardt reminds us that personal peace is merely the wrapping paper of a more magnificent gift: confidence in the coming of God's kingdom.