This article was originally published on April 19, 2017.

Here at Plough, we’re still getting used to the world without Johann Christoph Arnold – pastor and peacemaker, author and editor, mentor and friend – who died Saturday, April 15, 2017.

Christoph led Plough’s publishing efforts in the 1960s, and we became his publisher in the 1990s when he turned to writing books to share wisdom and stories gleaned from decades of peacemaking around the globe and of pastoral service at Woodcrest, the Bruderhof community he called home for over half a century. His books have helped over two million readers navigate the turbulence of marriage and parenting, aging and grieving, forgiving and overcoming fear and despair.

Those of us privileged to work alongside Christoph will never forget how he challenged us to have more faith: to believe in redemption for the most depraved, hope for the most intractable conflicts, an end to every injustice. He taught us to speak plainly to the widest possible audience, using the power of stories to open hearts and minds – true stories of amazing people he knew and had befriended.

Has Johann Christoph Arnold’s life or any of his books touched you personally? If you have a story or thoughts, please leave a comment and we will share it with his family.

Christoph used his stature as a public figure to inject a note of reason into the national conversation. He reached out to people of every political persuasion and faith to find common ground and, where possible, to make common cause. When there was tragedy on the news, local or global, we could expect a call within hours; he would have already drafted a thoughtful response, comforting the victims’ families while tackling the roots of the problem. On TV, radio, editorial pages, and countless online outlets he called for peace and understanding when the drums of war rolled, for forgiveness when the public wanted blood, for courage in the face of fear-mongering, solidarity in the face of hate, faithfulness in a world of infidelity, and sanity in a culture warped by technology and consumerism.

Johann Christoph Arnold’s gift will go on giving in his many books, which Plough will continue to make available, and in the example he left us to be peacemakers, believers in the spark of God in every human heart just waiting to be fanned into flame.