DAVID ADAMS takes a look at the Bruderhof’s website, Plough…
The website of Plough Publishing House – the publishing house of the Bruderhof Christian communities. First founded in a German village in 1920 by Protestant theologian Eberhard Arnold, his wife Emmy, and her sister Else von Hollander, the movement now has communities based in the US, UK, Germany, Australia, and Paraguay (the name Plough also refers to the Bruderhof’s quarterly magazine). While the website provides an online catalogue of their books written by such luminaries as German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Danish philosopher Soren Kirkegaard, Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky and Pope Francis, it’s the extensive archive of articles and book excerpts which can also be found on the site which attracts us here. These cover a range of different issues relevant to the Christian walk and can be searched under five broad themes – ‘faith’, ‘life’, ‘justice’, ‘community and ‘culture’ (each of which offers a series of further subject headings). Recent offerings, for example, include a look at what the command to ‘love your neighbour’ means in the light of terror groups like the so-called Islamic State, a meditation from Bonhoeffer on suffering and self-denial, and an article on Christianity within the political realm. You can also sign up to receive a daily prayer and Bible verse and the ‘Daily Dig’, a short daily email meditation (“think of it as caffeine for your conscience”).
