I took my time with this collection precisely because it challenges so much that's wrong with Christendom in the early twenty-first century: Individualism, modern piety and the rest. This is a prophetic call to leave behind the bad faith and dying faith of Christendom and embrace the essentials of the Faith without falling into the twin traps of Fundamentalism or Progressivism.
And, make no doubt about it, Blumhardt's ideas were so demanding of a living faith, that he became one of the primary influences upon folks like Karl Barth, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jurgen Moltmann. That's because Action in Waiting is more than systematic theology: It's too blunt to be a theological tome. Instead, it is the pastoral call for Christians to remain active in their expectation that God's Kingdom is more than just getting my soul to heaven. The Kingdom of God is coming into our world, breaking in to transform and renew, if we but have the eyes and lives to see it and join in.
Action in Waiting is one of those texts that is itself nothing short of a spiritual transformation, if you take the time to read and inwardly digest it. Blumhardt's unrelenting prophetic voice has left me renewed and transformed. And for that reason alone this is a book that I'm recommending to everyone I know. Because here, in this little book, there's a clear picture -- straightforward and without any apology -- of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.
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I received a free copy of this book from Plough Publishing in exchange for my honest review here.