George Müller

Johann Georg Ferdinand Müller (later George Müller, born September 27, 1805 in Kroppenstedt, † March 10, 1898 in Bristol, England ) was a German Protestant theologian and evangelist. He became known as " orphan father of Bristol ".

Life

George Muller was the son of a tax collector. 1810 the family moved to Hadmersleben where Müller spent his youth. After attending high school in Halberstadt and Nordhausen, he studied theology in Halle, but led a rather dissolute life. Through a bible study at the home of simple Veit Wagner, he came to a new relationship to the Christian faith and committed settled for the missionary work. He was also influenced by the evangelical theology professor August Tholuck ( 1799-1877 ).

In 1829 he went as a missionary to England. Its particular use was the mission to the Jews. Here he met the dentist Anthony Norris Groves know who worked only by faith and had given up his secure income. Georg Müller decided to carry out his duties according to the same rules.

1830 appointed him to the small community in Teignmouth to the preacher. In the same year he married Groves ' sister Mary. In 1832 he went with his friend Henry Craik as a preacher to Bristol. Here he began in 1836 after reading the biography of August Hermann Francke, founder of the Halle orphanages, build an orphan work in Ashley Down for over 1,000 orphans whose parents were mostly died in the cholera epidemic of 1832. The work lived on donations, without ever a call for donations was published because George Muller on trust that God would provide for all possible donations.

Apart from Francke Müller was strongly influenced by the Methodist revival preacher George Whitefield.

Müller's church in Bristol, the " Bethesda Chapel", was a member of the Brethren movement. In 1848, John Nelson Darby separated from this community because she was too hesitant to investigate alleged heresies of the Bible boom Benjamin Wills Newton and pleadings. Due to this separation, the "Open Brethren " ( "open brethren " ), which Müller remained a lifelong emerged.

As of 1875 took Müller evangelism trips through Europe, America, Asia and Australia. Thus he came back to Germany and Switzerland. In addition to Friedrich Wilhelm Baedeker, Carl Heinrich Rappard, Otto Stockmayer, Hudson Taylor, Dwight Lyman Moody, among others he was one of the leading men of holiness and evangelization movement.

" ' Mr. Smith ', wrote the Bristol Evening News, ' was a unique phenomenon among the philanthropists of the 19th century. In an age of unbelief and materialism, he tried practically theories, which many people take for unworldly theologian bickering. ' "

Writings (selection )

• A Narrative of some of the Lord 's Dealings with George Muller. 6 volumes. Nisbet, London 1837-86 passim
• German selection Edition: And the heavenly Father feeds them. Diaries. R. Brockhaus, Wuppertal 1985 passim Re: Haenssler, Holzgerlingen 2009.

A directory of Müller's writings can be found in the catalog of the Christian Brethren Archive ( University Library of Manchester ).

Film

• George Muller - A man who changed the world ( hänssler DVD)