Arthur Richter (pastor)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arthur Richter (* 1908 in Bentschen , Province of Posen ; † 1993 in Hanover ) was a pastor, lay theologian and the long-time managing director of the Marburger Kreis , which he was involved in founding.

Life

Arthur Richter wanted to become a pastor, but had to do a technical and commercial apprenticeship. He joined the technical service of the Reichswehr and became an officer there. In 1945 he was taken prisoner of war. During an evangelism in 1946, he gained the certainty of faith he had long sought. For him, personal confession , which he made socially acceptable in evangelical circles, and the daily quiet time , as morning listening to God's will for daily activities, played an important role for him , which later also became essential for the work of the Marburg Circle. In the morning, the passwords from the password book of the Herrenhut Brothers Congregation are quietly read and reflected on, so that Jesus or God is addressed. The thoughts that arise in the prayer are usually recorded in writing, especially since it is also about the tasks of the day.

Very soon Arthur Richter himself was sought as a pastor. He got involved as managing director of the “Working Group for People's Mission” in Hanover and then in the moral rearmament . When this group developed from a Christian base to a humanistic group, Richter distanced himself and founded the Marburg Circle with some friends in 1957 , which he headed as managing director until the 1980s. Local groups in the Marburg district work there as "teams" who want to persuade people who are distant from the Church to follow Jesus Christ in a sober and objective manner . The center of this missionary activity are so-called “guest conferences”, at which non-believers are brought into contact with Jesus and the kingdom of God .

In 1963 he was given the "right to freely proclaim words" in the Lutheran Church in the Hanover district . Richter now also preached in the Marktkirche in Hanover.

Arthur Richter's 187 circulars, which were sent every two months from 1955 to 1986 and whose content he later published in various books that were translated into several languages, made a significant contribution to the development of the Marburger Kreis. His book In Search of Freedom , which describes the main focuses of the Marburger Kreis, has had 23 editions to date. The circulation of his books had already reached 250,000 in 1981. His book Trial against God , in which he vividly described the Passion of Jesus, appeared in eleven editions until 1993 and was translated into Dutch and Portuguese.

Arthur Richter died in 1993 after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for years.

Works (selection)

literature

  • Hartwig Thieme: Arthur Richter. A picture biography . R. Brockhaus, Wuppertal 2003, ISBN 3-417-20620-0
  • Curt Georgi and Hartwig Thieme: Being a Christian with experience. The history of the Marburger Kreis . R. Brockhaus, Wuppertal 2001, ISBN 3-417-24696-2

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Judge, Arthur
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German pastor, founder of the Marburger Kreis and author
DATE OF BIRTH 1908
PLACE OF BIRTH Bentschen
DATE OF DEATH 1993
Place of death Hanover