Eberhard Arnold (1883–1935), co-founder of the Bruderhof and the founding editor of Plough, was a sought-after writer, lecturer, and speaker in his native Germany. Active in a student revival movement, he became secretary of the German Christian Student Union. In 1916 he became literary director of the Furche Publishing House in Berlin and editor of its monthly periodical.
In 1920, out of a desire to put into practice the teachings of Jesus, the Arnolds and their five young children turned their backs on the privileges of middle-class life in Berlin and moved to the small German village of Sannerz. There, with a handful of like-minded seekers who drew inspiration from the Youth Movement, the sixteenth-century Anabaptists, and the early Christians, they founded an intentional community on the basis of the Sermon on the Mount.
In April 1920, Arnold took over a weekly Christian Socialist periodical called Der christliche Demokrat, which he renamed Das neue Werk (New Venture) and co-published with Otto Herpel. It came out every two weeks, later once a month. Like Plough Quarterly, the editors solicited articles by people of various persuasions that addressed the issues of the day. Germany was trying to find its equilibrium after the devastating loss of World War I and before Adolf Hitler’s rise to power. Topics covered include pacifism, socialism, community, and the responsibility of Christians at a time of national confusion and instability.
In September 1922, conflicting opinions among the Neuwerk staff caused a division, and Arnold was no longer editor of the magazine, although he continued to write articles. Over the next century, the Bruderhof’s magazine has changed name and format several times.