Moral Re-armament (MRA), also known as BUCHMANISM or OXFORD GROUP, a modern, nondenominational revivalistic movement founded by U.S. churchman Frank N.D, Buchman (1878—1961). It has sought to deepen the spiritual life of individuals and has encouraged participants to continue as members of their own churches. Primarily a Protestant movement, it has been criticized and banned by some Catholic authorities and praised by others. After his ordination as a Lutheran pastor in 1902, Buchman combined pastoral responsibilities with social work. Subsequently he worked with the YMCA at the Pennsylvania State University, as lecturer in personal evangelism at the Hartford Seminary Foundation at Hartford, Conn., and as an evangelist among college students. Following friction at Hartford, he resigned in 1922 to “live by faith” and launch a worldwide evangelistic campaign based on God’s guidance, moral absolutes, and the “life-changing” of individuals through personal work. The centre of Buchman’s operations was shifted to the campus of Princeton University, where he encountered opposition and where the authorities asked him to cease his work in 1926. He was subsequently successful in winning influential support at the University of Oxford in England, and the movement gradually became known as the Oxford Group (not to be confused with the Oxford Movement). During the next ten years the movement held increasingly successful conferences, often attended by thousands of people, in England, The Netherlands, the United States, South Africa, and other countries. In 1938 the name of the movement was changed to Moral Re-armament, and an attempt was made to widen its appeal to include all faiths. Buchman hoped that the world would avoid war if individuals experienced a moral and spiritual awakening. After World War II, MRA sent “task forces” to all corners of the free world to carry on its program, in part through plays emphasizing cooperation, honesty, and mutual respect between opposing groups.

Buchman was honoured in many countries for his work of reconciliation. The MRA has carried out its work by using various methods. A primary way has been the spiritual “house party,” which is similar to a religious retreat. In the 1960s meeting places and training centres were located at Mackinac Island, Michigan (q.v.); Caux, Switz.; and Odawara, Japan. Though it has by no means exclusively cultivated the upper classes, MRA has always shown much interest in converting the influential and the rich, the “up-and-outs,” as Buchman called them. It has steadfastly opposed Communism. The theology of the movement has been primarily conservative and not complex. An individual is urged to confess his sins, to surrender to and accept Jesus Christ as his personal saviour, and to seek guidance from and share with others whose lives have been changed. Thus, a converted person can reach the four moral absolutes: purity, unselfishness, honesty, and love. Once a person has experienced conversion, he should be able to help others attain the experience. The arn publishes no membership figures. Those who decide to become part of the movement are not required to give any special pledges or promises. They attempt to live as converted persons, and they voluntarily give time and money to the organization. In the 1960s about 3,000 persons were serving MRA as full-time workers in many countries throughout the world, but the influence of the movement declined after the death of Buchman (1961) and his successor, Peter Howard (1965). moral sense: see conscience; ethics. moral tale, didactic story, commonly intended for children, See also fable, parable, and allegory.


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