Life Together

News Year's resolutions and the final Life Together Podcast. Our website is www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

A very short podcast from "Between the Years". Please rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Our website is www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

A conversation about the virtue of handwriting, responding to listeners' questions about Bruderhof Christmas traditions and whether or not we give each other gifts, and finally some reflections on the role of Mary the mother of Jesus. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: The English Patient. Scene on writing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7Rqz8x6Eos The Pen and the Keyboard - Mark Bauerlein (page 70 of Plough Quarterly 15) Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer - Wendell Berry (page 57 of Plough Quarterly 15) The Man Who Didn't Save The World. Peter Singer http://bit.ly/2BYIszm My Year of No Shopping​. Ann Patchett https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/15/opinion/sunday/shopping-consumerism.html?_r=0 Dylan Thomas. A Child's Christmas in Wales https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv4-sgFw3Go Benjamin Britten. There is no Rose https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBYpju2YQeo A Better Story: God, Sex, And Human Flourishing https://www.amazon.co.uk/Better-Story-God-Human-Flourishing-ebook/dp/B01N9HCSK2 Please rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Our website is www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

While equality in some areas has progressed, there is increased segregation when it comes to socioeconomic class. How should Christians respond in their own lives? Then, with Christmas around the corner, a conversation about Charles Dickens and his timeless classic A Christmas Carol which two of the podcasters are currently reading aloud at family breakfast every day. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: The Lines That Divide America https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/12/the-lines-reshaping-america/547205/ Britain ignores social mobility at its peril https://www.economist.com/news/britain/21732102-mobility-has-become-more-important-it-has-also-become-more-difficult-promote-britain I resigned from the Social Mobility Commission because of the British government's dismal record https://theconversation.com/i-resigned-from-the-social-mobility-commission-because-of-the-british-governments-dismal-record-88813 Ex-Facebook Big: ‘You Are Being Programmed' https://youtu.be/PMotykw0SIk?t=21m20s The Shepherd's Pipe – Songs for the Holy Night https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/music/shepherds-pipe A Christmas Carol http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19337 Christmas at Dingley Dell – excerpt from the Pickwick Papers https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Text/The%20Pickwick%20Papers-%20Excerpt%20-%20Dickens.html The Chimes – Charles Dickens (Christmas novella) http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/653 The Cricket on the Hearth – Charles Dickens (Christmas novella) http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/678 Run, ye shepherds, to the Light – Michael Haydn https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asnP05IlK1k Songs of Angels – Robert Shaw Chorale https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGI4cqItD6U&list=PLLzFhTjLsBLnNMTw8oAK0sdhCetbxQnMO The Thirteen Days of Christmas https://www.amazon.com/Thirteen-Christmas-Shirley-Hughes-Overton/dp/0192735438 Please rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Our website is www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

Bernard, Marianne, and Peter discuss sustainable living and whether it's greed or population growth that's destroying the planet (hint: at the Bruderhof we love people). Then a conversation about the feast day of St. Lucy or Santa Lucia and associated customs, some of which Marianne finds unsavory. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: * Are the Amish right about new technology? https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/nov/03/are-the-amish-right-about-new-technology-oliver-burkeman ​ * Our relentless consumption is trashing the planet https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/22/black-friday-consumption-killing-planet-growth * Where the small town American dream lives on https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/11/13/where-the-small-town-american-dream-lives-on​​ * Who Will Take Care of the Elderly? https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/09/who-will-take-care-of-americas-elderly/380147/​ * Councils may cut social care provision due to underfunding, LGA says https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/jan/30/councils-social-care-provision-cut-warning-local-government-association * A Trip to St. Kilda, Scotland's Lost Utopia in the Sea (article about prehensile toes) https://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/a-trip-to-st-kilda-scotlands-lost-utopia-in-the-sea * More about the Kelabit people https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kelabit_people * "Community Answers Social and Political Problems" by Eberhard Arnold https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/communal-living/community-answers-social-and-political-problems * Life of Robert Southwell https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/robert-southwell * New Heaven, New War by Robert Southwell https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/50634/new-heaven-new-war * Benjamin Britten's setting of New Heaven, New War https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_Tux6tixN0 * Santa Lucia song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2-Q_ObdE-4 * John Crist's Comedy http://www.johncristcomedy.com/ * "Legacy of Spies" by John Le Carre http://a.co/7VrAzBA * "The Spy Who Came in From the Cold" by John Le Carre https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spy_Who_Came_in_from_the_Cold Please rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Our website is www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

Would we be better off if our ancestors had never started farming? Peter, Marianne, and Bernard discuss. Then a conversation about the life and witness of Alfred Delp. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: Why did we start farming? https://www.lrb.co.uk/v39/n23/steven-mithen/why-did-we-start-farming?utm_source=New+Daily+Newsletter+Subscribers&utm_campaign=9b7809fff8-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_11_23&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4675a5c15f-9b7809fff8-81855089 Amish and Technology https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/15/business/amish-technology.html?_r=0 Adam told to farm https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+3%3A17-19&version=NIV Howard's End by E.M. Forster https://www.amazon.com/Howards-End-Dover-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486424545 Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation? https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/ Laptops Are Great. But Not During a Lecture or a Meeting https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/22/business/laptops-not-during-lecture-or-meeting.html I58 – Refugee Relief on Lesvos i58greece.org/go/ Lesbos conditions worsen - http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/conditions-on-lesbos-worsen-for-refugees-and-residents-a-1180209.html Conditions at Moria camp at Lesbos http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/moria-camp-refugees-lesvos-detention-centre-self-harming-to-escape-poor-conditions-greece-egypt-a7947976.html Save the Children – Rohingya Crisis http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.9536117/k.9DB4/Rohingya_Crisis.htm Alfred Delp – The Shaking Reality of Advent https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/holidays/christmas-readings/the-shaking-reality-of-advent When the Time Was Fulfilled – free download https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/holidays/christmas-readings/when-the-time-was-fulfilled What Kind of Liberal Society Do We Want? https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/in-the-news/2037/11/28/what-kind-of-liberal-society-do-we-want-theos-annual-lecture-2017-full-text Soviet violinist Leonid Kogan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX3P8kZX91k Agatha Christie: An Autobiography https://www.amazon.com/Autobiography-Agatha-Christie/dp/0062204572 Please rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Our website is www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

Bernard, Marianne, and Peter discuss a study in which people were asked about the relevance of the Ten Commandments. Bernard interviews Prof. Ian Randall about his new book on the Bruderhof and its connection to pacifist movements during WWII in England. Then a conversation about St. Basil in which Peter suggests that his sermons on money and possessions must have left listeners red-faced. Also, Marianne remembers someone who devoted her life to improving the lot of children with disabilities by means of a ground-breaking approach. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: The Six Commandments? Christians feel four of the ten are no longer important http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/10/25/six-commandments-christians-feel-four-ten-no-longer-important/ Feeble Faith https://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2017/11/martin-luthers-genius-was-to-teach-us-that-feeble-faith-is-enough/ Peace Pledge Union http://www.ppu.org.uk/ppu/history1.html Vera Brittain Testament of Youth https://www.amazon.com/Testament-Youth-Penguin-Classics-Brittain/dp/0143039237 Queen Elizabeth wears skirts and headscarves http://www.bbc.com/news/in-pictures-42002426 i58 – Refugee Relief on Lesvos http://i58greece.org/go/ Fawlty Towers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fawlty_Towers Basil the Great http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02330b.htm St Basil's Sermon to the Rich https://bekkos.wordpress.com/st-basils-sermon-to-the-rich/ Linda Bidabe https://www.rifton.com/adaptive-mobility-blog/blog-posts/2017/november/linda-bidabe-move-curriculum-rifton No Ordinary Move by Linda Bidabe - https://www.amazon.com/No-Ordinary-Move-Linda-Bidabe/dp/0874869153 Please rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Our website is www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

Bernard, Marianne, and Peter discuss the flood of recent news vis-à-vis unwanted sexual advances and harassment of women by men in positions of power and how it points to a fundamental misunderstanding of masculinity. They respond to some listeners' questions regarding women's dress on the Bruderhof, address a listener's observation that a church today that lived like the first Christians would be considered a cult, and wrap up a conversation about David Bentley Hart's New York Times article on voluntary sharing in the Early Church. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: * Taize - www.taize.fr * David Bentley Hart on Christianity and communism - https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/04/opinion/sunday/christianity-communism.html * A response to Hart's article - https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2017/11/06/are-christians-really-supposed-be-communists-response-david-bentley-hart * Samuel Gregg in "Public Discourse" on capitalism and Christianity - http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2016/05/16979/ * "The Gospel in George MacDonald" - https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/literature/the-gospel-in-george-macdonald * "How to Hire Fake Friends and Family" - https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/11/paying-for-fake-friends-and-family/545060/ * "The Orchid Thief" by Susan Orlean - http://a.co/c7ckO0I * Emily Wilson's translation of Homer's "Odyssey" - https://www.amazon.com/Odyssey-Homer/dp/0393089053 Please rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Our website is www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

Bernard and Veery discuss if Christians should be communists and why millennials are criticizing capitalism. They also answer some questions from listeners and talk about why Hudson Taylor's approach to mission was revolutionary and can speak to us still today. Bernard asks listeners to write in and vote Peter off the show (he was experiencing technical difficulties and couldn't record) and also comment on the reduced length of the podcast. Marianne (who is traveling) and Peter will be back next week. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: Get Rid of Capitalism? Millenials Are Ready to Talk About It https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-06/get-rid-of-capitalism-millennials-are-ready-to-talk-about-it Are Christians Supposed to Be Communists? https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/04/opinion/sunday/christianity-communism.html Kids are living with their parents longer. It's a good thing. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/kids-are-living-with-their-parents-longer-its-a-good-thing/2017/07/07/e171d346-625b-11e7-a4f7-af34fc1d9d39_story.html?utm_term=.0c7cc13404c8 Everyone Belongs to God https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/discipleship/everyone-belongs-to-god Fare Forward http://farefwd.com/ If My Moon Was Your Sun https://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/aging/if-my-moon-was-your-sun Foundations of our Faith and Calling https://www.bruderhof.com/en/our-faith/foundations Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

On this episode: Bernard, Marianne, and Peter discuss whether the rise of identity politics is in part a result of family breakdown. Marianne contemplates whether Albert Einstein's thoughts on happiness are really worth One Million Dollars. They also respond to listener questions about individuality in community and their experience of Christian unity with people outside of the Bruderhof. Then a discussion of John Wesley including the telling of a terrible joke. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: *The Primal Scream of Identity Politics http://www.weeklystandard.com/the-primal-scream-of-identity-politics/article/2010234 * The Ghosts of the Tsunami https://longreads.com/2017/10/24/the-ghosts-of-the-tsunami/ *Einstein's theory of happiness https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/10/24/einstein-scribbled-his-theory-of-happiness-in-place-of-a-tip-it-just-sold-for-more-than-1-million/?utm_term=.22cbb3a0922e *Reformation Now! A Commemorative Concert at the Bruderhof https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAlEAUoca5I *The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt https://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Religion/dp/0307455777 Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

On this episode of the “Life Together” podcast: Bernard, Peter, and Marianne discuss artificial intelligence and whether or not they would want to be cared for by a robot nurse. Bernard is intrigued by the possibility of uploading his brain. We also answer a few questions from our listeners about our theology and our attitude to private property. Then, a few glimpses of life at the Bruderhof, including Bernard's enthusiasm for choral singing, and Peter's report of a conference about the pacifist martyrs of World War One. Then they discuss the evangelist Charles Finney and Peter draws attention to an interesting historical connection. There's more, including some great book recommendations. . . and don't miss the update on Peter's dog training! Here are some of the links and references from this episode: Rowan Williams – The Two Ways - https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/discipleship/the-two-ways-williams Robot to look after elderly - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5014079/15-000-robot-look-elderly-Southend-care-home.html The AI That Has Nothing to Learn From Humans - https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/10/alphago-zero-the-ai-that-taught-itself-go/543450/ People don't like automated restaurants - https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2017/10/24/this-robot-restaurant-was-supposed-to-be-the-future-of-dining-until-humanity-struck-back/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories-2_eatsa-1240p:homepage/story&utm_term=.55fdd3aa2335 Hans Christian Andersen – The Nightingale – http://hca.gilead.org.il/nighting.html Stuart Murray – The Naked Anabaptist - https://www.amazon.com/Naked-Anabaptist-Essentials-Radical-Anniversary/dp/0836199839 Joseph Rheinberger – The Star of Bethlehem - https://youtu.be/e3DjOgj9ePA Remembering Muted Voices - https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/remembering-muted-voices Duane Stoltzfus – The Martyrs of Alcatraz - https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/anabaptists/the-martyrs-of-alcatraz Charles Finney in CT - http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/people/evangelistsandapologists/charles-finney.html Sarah Ruden - Paul Among the People - http://a.co/alKQwqD The Ultimate Guide to Bird Dog Training - http://a.co/9xVGwKh Richard Sosis - The Adaptive Value of Religious Ritual - http://people.uncw.edu/bruce/hon%20210/pdfs/Religious%20ritual%20%20Sosis%202004.pdf CS Lewis – That Hideous Strength - http://a.co/fWytqaN Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

On this week's Life Together podcast Bernard, Marianne, and Peter start by discussing freedom in the context of relationships and church community. They move on to two listeners' questions: how the Bruderhof vow of poverty works and a question about the epidemic of homelessness in the United States. Then, a conversation on the great composers and the role of great music in worship. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: Love in the Time of Individualism by Julie Beck https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/09/love-in-the-time-of-individualism/540474/ Cheap Sex by Mark Regnerus https://global.oup.com/academic/product/cheap-sex-9780190673611?cc=us&lang=en& Jesus and Community by Gerhard Lohfink https://www.amazon.com/Jesus-Community-Gerhard-Lohfink/dp/0800618025 God's Revolution by Eberhard Arnold https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/discipleship/gods-revolution Anecdote re: The Trumpet Shall Sound by GF Handel https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/18/arts/music/in-handels-messiah-the-trumpet-as-divine-agent.html?_r=0 Benjamin Britten's War Requiem https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/music/a-requiem-for-world-war-i Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

This week, in the temporary absence of Bernard and Peter, Marianne is joined by Plough editors Veery Huleatt and Maureen Swinger. First there's an interview with Steve Gumaer of Partners Relief and Development on their work in Myanmar with the Rohingya which leads to a discussion about how to respond to the many natural and man-made tragedies around the globe. Then news from the Bruderhof including a meeting with a group that's bringing music into prisons, and an upcoming Nurturing Communities conference at the Spring Valley Bruderhof in Pennsylvania. Finally, a discussion on the influence of John Wycliffe and Jan Huss, early reformers whose courage for the gospel was a major influence on the Radical Reformation. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: Support Partners Relief and Development work in Myanmar https://www.partners.ngo/ Henry David Thoreau “Striking at the Root of Evil” http://www.bartleby.com/73/566.html Basis for membership in the Bruderhof https://www.bruderhof.com/en/our-faith/foundations/church-order/becoming-a-member Becca Stevens and Jane Tyson Clement https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/poetry/there-are-things-to-be-remembered Musicambia http://www.musicambia.org/ Patient Ferment of the Early Church by Alan Kreider (again!) https://www.amazon.com/Patient-Ferment-Early-Church-Christianity/dp/0801048494 Nurturing Communities Project http://www.nurturingcommunitiesprojectdotorg.wordpress.com/ Chaucer's Parson and the Lollards https://davidcalves.com/2010/04/06/chaucers-parson-a-lollard/ Dorothea Lange www.historyplace.com/unitedstates/lange/ Renegade: Martin Luther, the Graphic Biography www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/witness/renegade Martin Luther's Pentecost Hymn https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/holidays/pentecost/martin-luthers-pentecost-hymn The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro www.goodreads.com/book/show/28921.…mains_of_the_Day Käthe Kollwitz and the Women of War https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300219999/kathe-kollwitz-and-women-war Käthe Kollwitz Pieta https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence/kathe-kollwitzs-pieta Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

In this week's “Life Together” podcast, Marianne leads off a discussion of an article about joy: who needs it? We discuss some practical ways to have joy together. Next, Bernard clarifies how, as a moneyless pauper under a vow of poverty, he would go about procuring a particular book that he wants. Following updates on what's happening around various Bruderhof communities there is an interview with Sir Paul Coleridge on marriage and family. Finally, as we continue our discussion of our spiritual forerunners, we ponder the importance of Thomas a Kempis and Meister Eckhardt. Here are the articles, books, film, and music mentioned in this podcast: * “The Right Needs Joy” by Felix Miller - https://jacobitemag.com/2017/09/03/the-right-needs-joy/ * G.K. Chesterton's “Father Brown” books - http://a.co/ccz8y2C * “The Two Voices” by Tennyson - http://www.online-literature.com/tennyson/the-early-poems/65/ * “The Gospel in George MacDonald” - https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/literature/the-gospel-in-george-macdonald * “The Shepherd” of Hermas - http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/shepherd-lightfoot.html * “This Is My Father's World” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIBNWZmb6y8 * Marriage Foundation - http://marriagefoundation.org.uk/ * Interview with Robert P. George about marriage - https://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/marriage/marriage-can-we-have-justice-without-it * “Cheap Sex” by Mark Regnerus - https://www.amazon.com/Cheap-Sex-Transformation-Marriage-Monogamy/dp/0190673613 * “Forerunners” from “Foundations of our Faith and Calling” - http://www.bruderhof.com/en/our-faith/foundations/heritage/forerunners * G.K. Chesterton's “The Man Who Was Thursday” - http://a.co/5k6vq3i * Meister Eckhardt on Plough.com - https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/discipleship/on-inner-detachment * “Remarriage Is Adultery Unless. . .“ by David Pawson - http://a.co/hpRR9Xu * “God Bless the Grass” by Malvina Reynolds - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRxvaVhVN7A * “Milwaukee 53206” film - https://www.milwaukee53206.com/ * Bruderhof.com blog post about Derrick Jamison - http://www.bruderhof.com/en/voices-blog/justice/ninety-minutes-to-live Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at http://www.bruderhof.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

Welcome to the newly launched “Life Together” podcast, a podcast about faith, culture, community, and life at the Bruderhof, from the editors of Plough. We've changed the name from “Bruderhof Talkfest” but your hosts are still Bernard, Peter, and Marianne. Today, they explain the reason for the new title, and then, provoked by a tweet that Marianne saw, dive right into the topic of Old Testament v. the New Testament. Next up, a discussion of what's happening in different Bruderhof communities around the world, followed by an attempt to answer some questions from our listeners about how our communities have changed over time, about our use of the term “righteous pagans,” and about our clothing. Finally: the inspiration we derive from Nicholas Zinzendorf and the Moravian Brethren. Here are some of the books and articles discussed in this episode: - Dan Reid's tweet on the Old Testament: https://twitter.com/editordanreid/status/886940201997574146 - “Paradoxology” by Krish Kandiah: http://a.co/1If6J66 - The Orton Gillingham method of teaching reading: https://www.orton-gillingham.com/ - “Bruderhof Minute” vlog with clip of potato harvest: https://youtu.be/KfldMXTdFdM - How our community has changed over time: http://www.bruderhof.com/en/our-faith/foundations/life-in-community/life-in-community - Our view of divorce and remarriage: http://www.bruderhof.com/en/our-faith/foundations/church-actions/marriage - “The Gospel in George Macdonald”: https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/literature/the-gospel-in-george-macdonald - “Why I Love to Wear a Headcovering” by Norann Voll: http://www.bruderhof.com/en/voices-blog/following-jesus/why-i-love-to-wear-a-head-covering - The Moravian Covenant for Christian Living: http://www.moravian.org/the-moravian-church/moravian-covenant-for-christian-living/ - “The Patient Ferment of the Early Church” by Alan Kreider: http://a.co/hIuIJ5t - The Moravian Church “Losungen” or Daily “Watchword” Texts: http://www.moravian.org/faith-a-congregations/new-every-morning-a-history-of-the-daily-texts/ - “Twelve Ways Your Phone Is Changing You” by Tony Reinke: http://a.co/3OlPdXm - “World Without Mind” by Franklin Foer: http://a.co/bcBldBl - “Open House for Butterflies” by Ruth Krauss and Maurice Sendak: http://a.co/5tl0kuk Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at http://www.bruderhof.com Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

Peter and Marianne are MIA, with Bernard holding the fort until next week. He previews future topics for conversation, and recommends you read Ann Morrissey's reflection on the passing of Nabeel Qureshi, the author of the inspiring book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus. http://www.bruderhof.com/en/voices-blog/following-jesus/seeking-allah-finding-jesus Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

On this episode, we join "First Things" editor R. R. Reno, veteran civil rights activist John M. Perkins, Professor Robert P. George of Princeton University, and others at the Union League Club in New York City as they honor the life of Bruderhof pastor and Plough author Johann Christoph Arnold, who died earlier this year. (Recorded live on September 11, 2017.) 0:45 - Professor George's introduction 4:06 - Cardinal Timothy Dolan's remarks 11:22 - John Perkins's remarks 19:25 - R.R. Reno's remarks 28:52 - Stacy Rein's remarks 38:32 - Hashim Garrett's remarks 56:49 - Pat Regan's remarks 1:06:38 - Heinrich Arnold's remarks 1:17:20 - Q&A period Bernard, Peter, and Marianne will be back next week! Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

Further discussion of the Nashville Statement in response to a listener's questions about the much-debated Article 10: what does the statement leave out and whether the signers are consistent in applying all of Jesus' teachings in their lives. Peter objects to anyone being in the business of determining who is a “real Christian” and Bernard wonders whether it's o.k. to work with Christians who promote sin. There's also a discussion of the attempt at community living documented in the abandoned BBC Channel 4 programme "Eden: Paradise Lost" and why such attempts are doomed to "Lord of the Flies" type failure. Then: what makes George Fox an inspiration to members of the Bruderhof? What is a Quaker steeple-house? (This is part of a continuing discussion of the document "Foundations of our Faith and Calling," the Bruderhof's public account of its faith and practice). Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -Nashville Statement - https://cbmw.org/nashville-statement -A Statement from Christian Ethicists on Preventive War and the North Korea Crisis - https://catholicmoraltheology.com/a-statement-from-christian-ethicists-on-preventive-war-and-the-north-korea-crisis/ -'Ethicists for Peace Speak Out – So Should We' by Charles Moore - http://www.bruderhof.com/en/voices-blog/world/ethicists-for-peace-speak-out -Eden: Paradise Lost - http://www.channel4.com/programmes/eden-paradise-lost/on-demand/63315-009 -J.R.R. Tolkien reads The Hobbit - http://www.openculture.com/2012/12/listen_to_jrr_tolkien_read_a_lengthy_excerpt_from_ithe_hobbiti_1952.html -Beyond the Weir Bridge' by Hester Burton - https://www.amazon.com/Beyond-weir-bridge-Hester-Burton/dp/0690140525 -'All Out War' by Tim Shipman - https://www.amazon.com/All-Out-War-Britains-Political/dp/0008215154 -'Gorbachev: His Life and Times' by Prof. William Taubman - https://www.amazon.com/Gorbachev-Times-Prof-William-Taubman/dp/147115758X -Foundations of our Faith and Calling - http://www.bruderhof.com/foundations Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

Peter, Bernard, and Marianne respond to the Nashville Statement, discuss the challenge college students face in thinking for themselves, consider whether politics and religion should be discussed at the dinner table, and have a conversation about how the Beguines, Beghards, and other communal movements have inspired the Bruderhof (part of a continuing discussion of the document "Foundations of our Faith and Calling," the Bruderhof's public account of its faith and practice). Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -Nashville Statement - https://cbmw.org/nashville-statement -'Responding to the Nashville Statement' by J. Heinrich Arnold - http://www.bruderhof.com/en/voices-blog/world/responding-to-the-nashville-statement -'Some Thoughts and Advice for Our Students and All Students' - https://jmp.princeton.edu/announcements/some-thoughts-and-advice-our-students-and-all-students -'Ivy League Scholars Urge Students: 'Think for Yourself'' by Conor Friedersdorf - https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/08/ivy-league-scholars-urge-students-think-for-yourself/538317/ -'Religion and Politics at the Dinner Table' by Christopher W. Love - http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2017/08/19790/ -Foundations of our Faith and Calling - http://www.bruderhof.com/foundations -'Activist Mystics' by Michael Martin - https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/discipleship/activist-mystics 'God's Revolution' by Eberhard Arnold - https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/discipleship/gods-revolution Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

After Bernard tells about his recent visit to Taize in France, he, Marianne, and Peter talk about optimism and human progress; are we too gloomy about the state of our world? Bernard displays a surprising streak of optimism. Then, as part of a continuing discussion of the document "Foundations of our Faith and Calling," the Bruderhof's public account of its faith and practice, they discuss similarities and differences between the Bruderhof and monastic orders. Dostoevsky's The Brother's Karamazov is the unexpected trending title in this edition of the podcast. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -Taize - https://www.taize.fr/en -'Is the world really better than ever?' by Oliver Burkeman - https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/jul/28/is-the-world-really-better-than-ever-the-new-optimists -Event Honoring Johann Christoph Arnold - http://www.plough.com/en/events/2017/arnold-reconciliation-justice -The Gospel in Dostoyevsky - http://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/literature/gospel-in-dostoyevsky -Foundations of our Faith and Calling - http://www.bruderhof.com/foundations Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

First Bruderhof news. Then Bernard, Marianne, and Peter respond to recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia. Also, Bernard interviews a non-Christian visitor to the Bruderhof. Finally, as part of a continuing discussion of the document "Foundations of our Faith and Calling," the Bruderhof's public account of its faith and practice, they talk about why Christian creeds are necessary. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -'Genesis 1-11: A New Old Translation For Readers, Scholars, and Translators' by Samuel L. Bray and John F. Hobbins - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1942697376 -Credo from Schubert's Mass in G performed at the Mount Community - https://youtu.be/9rQWu8zzeMU?t=20m50s -Foundations of our Faith and Calling - http://www.bruderhof.com/foundations Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

Bernard, Marianne, and Peter discuss why IQ and SAT scores should not determine a person's worth and how our society's valuation of people's value is not in accordance with Christianity. Also, Peter declares war on meritocracy. Then, as part of a continuing discussion of the document "Foundations of our Faith and Calling," the Bruderhof's public account of its faith and practice, they contemplate what lessons we should and should not draw from the lives of the earliest Christians. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -'The War On Stupid People' by David H. Freedman - https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/07/the-war-on-stupid-people/485618/ -Recording of Heiner Koppschall http://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/music/wandrers-nachtlied -Foundations of our Faith and Calling - http://www.bruderhof.com/foundations -'The Patient Ferment of the Early Church' by Alan Kreider - https://www.amazon.com/Patient-Ferment-Early-Church-Christianity/dp/0801048494 Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

Peter, Marianne, and Bernard on how manual work is humanizing in a way that knowledge work is not. Includes an interview with Bruderhof member Daniel Hug about his path from academia to weeding leeks in a monastery. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -'Back to Work' by John Waters - https://www.firstthings.com/article/2017/08/back-to-work -'Shop Class as Soulcraft' by Matthew B. Crawford - http://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/shop-class-as-soulcraft -'H Is for Hawk' by Helen Macdonald - http://amzn.to/2edk9iD -Project Upland - http://www.projectupland.com/ -'All Out War: The Full Story of How Brexit Sank Britain's Political Class' by Tim Shipman - http://amzn.to/2huQd71 Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

Peter, Marianne, and Bernard talk about the humanities and how they are undervalued. Then: what do Acts 2 and 4 have to say to the church today? (Part of a continuing discussion of the document "Foundations of our Faith and Calling," the Bruderhof's public account of faith) Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -'Liberal Arts in the Data Age' by JM Olejarz - https://hbr.org/2017/07/liberal-arts-in-the-data-age -'On Reading Old Books' by CS Lewis - http://www.covpres.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/On-Reading-Old-Books.-CS-Lewis.pdf -'First Church of Intersectionality' by Elizabeth C. Corey - https://www.firstthings.com/article/2017/08/first-church-of-intersectionality -'The death of reading is threatening the soul' by Philip Yancey - https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/07/21/the-death-of-reading-is-threatening-the-soul/?utm_term=.49c7ea279770 -Seamus Heaney - Nobel Lecture - http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1995/heaney-lecture.html -Foundations of our Faith and Calling - http://www.bruderhof.com/foundations Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

Lots of excitement out there about the discovery of the so-called Moroccan jawbone (nyti.ms/2uf5nSi) which upset received wisdom on the history of humankind. Bernard, Marianne, and Peter discuss what science knows (and doesn't). Bernard reveals that he is secretly a flat-earther, and Charles Darwin is discussed admiringly. Bernard interviews Philip on being a Christian and being a scientist. Then, as part of a continuing discussion of the document "Foundations of our Faith and Calling," the Bruderhof's public account of faith, they talk about the Bruderhof's twenty year sojourn in Paraguay, South America. Also, moss piglets. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -'What Is Space' by Jorge Cham & Daniel Whiteson - http://nautil.us/issue/49/the-absurd/what-is-space -'This Is What We Don't Know About The Universe' - by Caleb A. Scharf - http://bit.ly/2uG8Zxc -'Saving Silence: Unlearning the Sin of Curiosity' by Nathaniel Peters - http://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/discipleship/saving-silence -'No Lasting Home' by Emmy Maendel - http://bit.ly/2ufiwuu -'Homage to a Broken Man' by Peter Mommsen - http://bit.ly/2lpeqsx -Foundations of our Faith and Calling - http://www.bruderhof.com/foundations -Lars Andersen: a new level of archery - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEG-ly9tQGk Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

In the political sphere norms and unwritten rules are being broken at an astonishing rate. This week Bernard, Marianne, and Peter consider what norms are important in Christian community and how to recognize when they become outdated and should be discarded. Then also continue discussing a section from the document "Foundations of our Faith and Calling," the Bruderhof's public account of faith about the Bruderhof's heritage. Bernard also interviews George Verwer, founder of OM International, a Christian missionary organization (https://www.om.org/md/en) Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -'How Do We Contend With Trump's Defiance of ‘Norms'? by Emily Bazelon - http://nyti.ms/2ta7Sl9 -'The Uninhabitable Earth' by David Wallace-Wells - http://nym.ag/2uZO3it -'Everyone Belongs to God' by Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt - http://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/discipleship/everyone-belongs-to-god -Foundations of our Faith and Calling - http://www.bruderhof.com/foundations Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

This week Marianne, Bernard, and Peter discuss an article that appeared in the Huffington Post: "I Don't Know How To Explain To You That You Should Care About Other People" by Kayla Chadwick. Then they consider a paragraph on forerunners from the document "Foundations of our Faith and Calling," the Bruderhof's public account of faith. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -'I Don't Know How To Explain To You That You Should Care About Other People' by Kayla Chadwick - http://bit.ly/2tjab9x -'The Welfare State We're In' by James Bartholomew - http://amzn.to/2tWaBDI -'The Patient Ferment of the Early Church' by Alan Kreider - http://amzn.to/2suwHJ9 -Check out https://twitter.com/Chris_arnade -'Eyeless in Gaza' by Aldous Huxley - http://amzn.to/2sRtTVw -Foundations of our Faith and Calling - http://www.bruderhof.com/foundations Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

June is wedding month. Marianne, Bernard, and Peter discuss simple weddings and their charms. Then they consider a paragraph on heritage from the document "Foundations of our Faith and Calling", the Bruderhof's public account of faith. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -Foundations of our Faith and Calling - http://www.bruderhof.com/en/our-faith/foundations -Darkness Over Germany by Amy Buller - https://www.amazon.com/Darkness-Over-Germany-Warning-History/dp/1911350196 -Sheriff of Babylon Vol. 1: Bang. Bang. Bang. by Tom King - http://amzn.to/2tCf9vk -Milosz: A Biography by Andrzej Franaszek - https://www.amazon.com/Milosz-Biography-Andrzej-Franaszek/dp/0674495047 Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

Marianne, Bernard and Peter respond to questions and criticism of the last episode "Why I Live Without Money". Then they begin discussing the document "Foundations of our Faith and Calling", the Bruderhof's public account of faith. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: 'Foundations of our Faith and Calling' - http://www.bruderhof.com/en/our-faith/foundations Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

Marianne, Bernard and Peter ask each other why they live without money and reflect on the conversation surrounding the United States' withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -Review of "All Things in Common" by Roman A. Montero - http://bit.ly/2rwOyAP -Gospel in George MacDonald - http://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/literature/the-gospel-in-george-macdonald -Bob Dylan's Nobel Prize Lecture - https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2016/dylan-lecture.html -Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Leonard Bernstein - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IInG5nY_wrU Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

This week Bernard and Peter welcome Marianne Wright to the Talkfest. Marianne lives at the Spring Valley Bruderhof in southwestern Pennsylvania. In this week's episode, Peter, Marianne, and Bernard respond to a common criticism of the Bruderhof, namely our working relationships with groups (both religious and non-religious) whose beliefs are different than our own. They also discuss some recent writing about the unintended effects social media is having on our world. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: Twitter and Teargas by Zeynep Tufekci - http://amzn.to/2rMLr9m ‘The Internet Is Broken': @ev Is Trying to Salvage It - http://nyti.ms/2rt6UUo Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

Peter and Bernard respond to a listener's question about their views on home schooling. Bernard interviews Pastor Edward from Syria about what the suffering his congregation experiences is teaching them. Then Peter and Bernard discuss whether money really is a spiritual blessing from God. Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

Peter and Bernard on why religious liberty is important. Includes an interview with Simon McCrossan who is Head of Public Policy for the Evangelical Alliance in the UK. They also discuss some disturbing statistics having to do with adverse health effects on caretakers of sick or aging family members and what the Christian answer to this modern need is. Here are some of the links and references from this episode:: *"My Mother's Quiet Burden Was My Father's Fading Mind" by Jay Newton-Small: http://slate.me/2rvVefI **The Bruderhof on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebruderhof - please comment and share our podcast and other posts. Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

In this week's episode of Bruderhof Talkfest, Peter and Bernard respond to a question from a listener and discuss how the church can remain relevant in society without selling out to trends. They then listen to an interview Bernard did with Rowan Williams, a former Archbishop of Canterbury, and talk about how believers worship. And of course, as you've come to expect, there is a lot of talk about their pets. Here are some of websites mentioned in the podcast: * The Bruderhof on Facebook: www.facebook.com/thebruderhof - please comment and share our podcast and other posts. * Rowan Williams and Christian Aid UK: https://www.christianaid.org.uk/ * “Darkness over Germany” by E. Amy Buller: http://arcadiabooks.co.uk/books/Darkness%20Over%20Germany%3A%20A%20Warning%20From%20History * “The Reckless Way of Love” by Dorothy Day: http://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/witness/reckless-way-of-love Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

After a few weeks off, the Talkfest returns! Bernard and Peter try to podcast without Norann. Somehow they managed... In this episode, they remember Pastor Johann Christoph Arnold, discuss the “March for Science” and how science fits with religion, and then touch on the topic of loneliness, including an interview segment with Emma McCrossan (https://twitter.com/EmsMcCrossan). Here are some links that were discussed in the show: Heinrich Arnold's reflection on his father Johann Christoph Arnold: http://www.bruderhof.com/en/voices-blog/life-in-community/in-remembrance-johann-christoph-arnold Pastor Rick Warren's reflection on Arnold: https://www.facebook.com/pastorrickwarren/photos/a.414149010902.210939.34845120902/10155084436620903 Cardinal Timothy Dolan's reflection on Arnold: http://www.cny.org/stories/radical-discipleship-lived-in-our-midst,15453 Arnold's book "Why Forgive": http://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/forgiveness/why-forgive Dhruv Khullar on social isolation: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/22/upshot/how-social-isolation-is-killing-us.html Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

Norann, Bernard, and Peter bat around a recent article by Wilfred M. McClay, "The Strange Persistence of Guilt" and a related column by New York Times columnist David Brooks. Also, what will they be doing and what will they be listening to during Holy Week. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -The Strange Persistence of Guilt by David Brooks: http://nyti.ms/2oK1iDZ -The Strange Persistence of Guilt by Wilfred M. McClay: http://bit.ly/2nMgKxR Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

In this week's episode, Peter, Norann, and Bernard discuss a recent article from Plough Quarterly titled "The Teacher Who Never Spoke," about Plough editor Maureen Swinger's disabled brother Duane. This man, who could never walk or talk, coached dozens of his peers into manhood. Later our hosts talk about C.S. Lewis and George MacDonald. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: - "The Teacher Who Never Spoke" by Maureen Swinger is at http://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/parenting/special-needs-children/the-teacher-who-never-spoke - "The Gospel in George MacDonald" is at http://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/literature/the-gospel-in-george-macdonald Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

The Bruderhof and the Benedict Option. Rod Dreher's new book "The Benedict Option" is on the New York Times bestseller list. After last week's panel discussion with Rod and others at the Union League Club in New York, Peter, Bernard, and Norann share their thoughts on Rod's proposals. Also, spring is here and what are you doing about it? Here are some of the links and references from this episode: - Surrender Melbourne 2017 Conference: http://surrender.org.au/conference/ - "Life Among The Bruderhof" blog post by Rod Dreher: http://bit.ly/2mXYoqc - "Fighting Drought With Trees" by Chris Voll: http://bit.ly/2nel6vO - "Jesus Is Coming – Plant a Tree" by N.T. Wright: http://bit.ly/2lKk61R Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

This week's episode features the complete recording of a remarkable discussion that took place on Thursday, March 16, in New York City. In an event sponsored by Plough, First Things, and The American Conservative magazines, Rod Dreher, author of "The Benedict Option," discussed his strategy for building up communities of faith that are robust enough to flourish in a hostile culture. After Rod spoke, there followed a series of responses and questions from Ross Douthat (NY Times), Jacqueline Rivers (Seymour Institute), Michael Wear (Public Square Strategies), and Randall Gauger (Bruderhof). It was all moderated by Peter Mommsen. Background information on the speakers featured in this episode: -Rod Dreher's blog: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/ -Ross Douthat's columns: https://www.nytimes.com/column/ross-douthat -Michael Wear's website: http://michaelwear.com/ -Seymour Institute: https://www.seymourinstitute.com/ -Randall Gauger's occasional blog posts: http://www.bruderhof.com/en/voices-blog/our-authors/randall-gauger Notable segments: 2:13 - RR Reno's introductory remarks 5:03 - Rod Dreher's presentation 32:28 - Peter Mommsen introduces the panel 36:15 - Ross Douthat's remarks 43:50 - Michael Wear's remarks 58:38 - Dreher's response to Douthat & Wear 1:05:53 - Jacqueline Rivers's remarks 1:16:50 - Randall Gauger's remarks 1:28:58 - Dreher's response to Rivers & Gauger 1:37:28 - final Q&A between Dreher & panelists Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

In "Protected or Prepared? Rescuing Childhood from the Classroom," Norann, Bernard, and Peter say that an overemphasis on academics is ruining childhood. They discuss an alternative approach, and the influence of German pedagogue Friedrich Fröbel on Bruderhof education. Also, a conversation on how they're preparing for Easter this year. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -"The New Preschool Is Crushing Kids" by Erika Christakis: http://theatln.tc/2l7WAyN -"A Child's Right to Play" by Johann Christoph Arnold: http://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/education/a-childs-right-to-play -For more on how we educate our children at the Bruderhof: http://www.bruderhof.com/en/life-in-community/education -Bach's "St. Matthew Passion: An Appreciation" by Chris Zimmerman: http://www.bruderhof.com/en/voices-blog/world/bachs-st-matthew-passion-an-appreciation -A free download of "The Crucified Is My Love" by Johann Ernst von Holst is available here: http://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/devotional-reading/crucified-is-my-love Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

In this episode, Norann, Peter, and Bernard first discuss Christian formation and conversion, and how moralistic therapeutic deism (MTD) weakens the Christian witness. John Stott's and CS Lewis's ideas are featured, as well as a showdown between evangelism vs. community: can you have one without the other? (Don't miss Peter's impassioned thoughts on this at 31 minute in!) This book is referenced in this episode: "Everyone Belongs to God" by CF Blumhardt: http://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/discipleship/everyone-belongs-to-god Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

What Makes A Church Grow? Do churches grow when their belief systems evolve with the times, or by holding to theologically conservative positions? Or is it more about conviction? Norann, Peter, and Bernard discuss. And then a conversation on raising girls and models of true womanhood. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -Wary of Modern Society, Some Christians Choose a Life Apart: http://on.wsj.com/2kAvArf -Liberal churches are dying. But conservative churches are thriving: http://wapo.st/2lhelaE -Event: Time for the Benedict Option?: http://www.plough.com/en/events/2017/benedict-option -The Case Against Contemporary Feminism: http://bit.ly/2ksBNDS Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Find out more about the Bruderhof: Website: www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

Why Would a Middle Class Family Join The Bruderhof? How do we counter the negativity and pessimism that are so prevalent in today's discourse? Where are the voices imagining a different reality and taking steps to realize it? Norann Voll, Peter Mommsen, and Bernard Hibbs discuss. Then an interview with Bernard's father David Hibbs about why he and his wife Fiona gave up their comfortable middle class life, sold everything, and joined the Bruderhof. Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

Episode 11: Should Boys Learn to Cry? It's a truism that our world is more polarized than it has been for decades. How do we resolve the tensions that inevitably arise between friends, families, or neighbors? Norann, Peter, and Bernard talk about their experiences with conflict in community. And then, what to make of concerns about “toxic masculinity” in our culture? A discussion about models of true manhood. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -Time For the Benedict Option? An event at the Union League Club in NYC: http://www.plough.com/en/events/2017/benedict-option -The Bruderhof's "Foundations of Our Faith and Calling" has a section on direct address: http://www.bruderhof.com/en/our-faith/foundations/church-order/no-law-but-love -“Boys Will Be Boys, and Eventually Should Be Men” by Matt Labash: http://tws.io/2knu1sB -“Dear Feministis, ‘Male Vulnerability' Isn't a Virtue” by David French: http://bit.ly/2kP0Zpq -"Homage to a Broken Man" by Peter Mommsen is about the life of his grandfather J. Heinrich Arnold: http://bit.ly/2lpeqsx Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

If You Can't Love Everyone, You Can't Love God. That includes refugees, the unborn, and criminals on death row. In this episode, Bruderhof members Norann Voll, Peter Mommsen, and Bernard Hibbs talk about how to apply a consistent ethic of life. They also discuss the importance of disconnecting from the noise of news and politics, and exchange strategies for remaining centered. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -Leroy Barber writes about his recent experience protesting the death penalty outside the Supreme Court and getting arrested for it: http://bit.ly/2k8AkB2 -4.1 Miles is a documentary short film about a coast guard captain on a small Greek island who is suddenly charged with saving thousands of refugees from drowning at sea. It was nominated for a 2017 Academy Award: http://nyti.ms/2juLwWu -Norann read part of the "Letter to Diognetus" which can be found in "The Early Christians In Their Own Words" (ed. Eberhard Arnold). Free download available here: http://bit.ly/2l3b27x -Bernard reflected on a visit to Little Gate Farm, a charity that exists to support adults and children with Learning Disabilities: http://littlegatecarefarm.co.uk/ -Peter referred to "Celebration of Discipline" by Richard Foster (http://amzn.to/2aQ3d3w) and "Destroyer of the Gods: Early Christian Distinctiveness in the Roman World" by Larry W. Hurtado (http://amzn.to/2kp9ULo) Rate us and leave us a comment on Itunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thebruderhof Facebook: facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/bruderhofcommunities Contact: contact@bruderhof.com

Talkfest Episode 9: Is This A Time To Retreat? Why are some people withdrawing from mainstream society into “intentional communities”? Is that a good thing? Also, what are the hands and feet of Christian hospitality? Bruderhof members Norann Voll, Peter Mommsen, and Bernard Hibbs discuss. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -Emma Green's article “Seeking an Escape From Trump's America” was published in The Atlantic: http://theatln.tc/2jzahSP -For an interesting perspective on Christian hospitality check out "The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert" by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield: http://amzn.to/2jSueVb -Bernard was intrigued by "The Strange Death of Moral Britain" by Christie Davies: http://amzn.to/2j5VG4R Rate us and leave us a comment on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts. Check out the Bruderhof's website at www.bruderhof.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/TheBruderhof Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheBruderhof Instagram: www.instagram.com/BruderhofCommunities Email: contact@bruderhof.com

Why is Martin Luther King Jr looked up to as an icon and inspirational figure today when at the time of his death he was marginalized? Also, as we reflect on the passing of Detective Steven McDonald; how can his message of forgiveness be applied in each of our lives? Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -Letter From a Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/letter-birmingham-jail -Steven McDonald, a close friend of the Bruderhof who died this week shared his powerful story of forgiveness in “Why Forgive”: http://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/forgiveness/why-forgive -The Prayer of St Francis read by Steven McDonald https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBnehWB2ebY

Bruderhof members Norann Voll, Peter Mommsen, and Bernard Hibbs explore what living out peace and justice means and how to talk with non-believers about their faith. Also some New Year's resolutions. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: -Norann quoted Eberhard Arnold's book “Innerland”. Free download here: http://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/bible-studies/innerland -Adam Curtis on Why Self-Expression Is Tearing Society Apart: http://www.artspace.com/magazine/interviews_features/qa/adam-curtis-hypernormalisation-interview-54468 -HyperNormalisation 2016: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-fny99f8amM -Steven McDonald, a close friend of the Bruderhof who died this week shared his powerful story of forgiveness in “Why Forgive”: http://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/forgiveness/why-forgive

In Episode 6, Norann Voll, Peter Mommsen, and Bernard Hibbs discuss the effect 2016 has had on children and how this should influence how we celebrate Christmas. They also share their favorite - and least favorite - parts of the season. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: - A Turkish broadcaster began to cry on the air because doctors are forced to operate on children in Aleppo without anesthesia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1K2bD-spL0 - Bernard wrote down his reflections after visiting a refugee camp in Lesvos, Greece in October 2015: http://www.bruderhof.com/en/voices-blog/2015/october/i-hope-god-is-here - "You Carried Me," a new book by Melissa Ohden, is the story of what happens when an abortion survivor finds and forgives her birth mother, who never knew her daughter was alive. Available January 9, 2017. http://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/relationships/you-carried-me

In Episode 5, Norann Voll, Peter Mommsen, and Bernard Hibbs talk about the Dylann Roof trial and whether the death penalty is ever justified, and why reading aloud is an important form of community. Here are some of the links and references from this episode: • Bernard quotes Hippolytus from "The Early Christians In Their Own Words" compiled and edited by Eberhard Arnold. http://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/early-christians/early-christians • Peter quotes Athenagoras of Athens from "A Plea for the Christians." http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/athenagoras-plea.html • "The Fear of 13" is a 2015 documentary about Nick Yarris who spent 21 years on death row in Pennsylvania but was released in 2004 when DNA evidence proved him innocent. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5083702/ • Dale Recinella answers questions about his work on death row in America magazine http://www.americamagazine.org/content/all-things/finding-god-death-row-10-questions-chaplain-dale-recinella • "Willibald's Trip to Heaven" by Reimmichl and "The Chess Player" by Ger Koopman can be downloaded for free. http://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/short-stories/christmas-stories/willibalds-trip-to-heaven. http://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/short-stories/christmas-stories/chess-player • Top ten Christmas stories to read to your kids http://www.bruderhof.com/en/voices-blog/2016/december/top-ten-christmas-stories-to-read-to-your-kids

Norann Voll, Peter Mommsen, and Bernard Hibbs on the divide in evangelical Christianity today, the 50th anniversary of the film release of "A Man For All Seasons," and the 500th anniversary of Thomas More's "Utopia."