Resources about the Bruderhof
The Bruderhof is a church community of Christians who, inspired by the early church, share all money and possessions. The Bruderhof, which is comprised of families and singles, has been in existence since 1920, and today has community locations in the United States, England, Germany, Austria, South Korea, Australia, and Paraguay.
This page is a collection of media about the Bruderhof and its history, beliefs, and activities. The material is comprised of books, articles, and other media by historians, sociologists, and journalists as well as by members of the Bruderhof.
Featured resources…
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Community of Brothers
Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker movement, describes her 1955 visit to the Woodcrest Bruderhof in Rifton, NY.
Day, Dorothy. “Community of Brothers.” The Catholic Worker 22:5 (December 1955): 1, 7. .
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Holding Up a Mirror to the Christian World and Asking, “Why Not This?”
Foreword by Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, to Another Life is Possible, a book published to coincide with the Bruderhof’s centenary.
Williams, Rowan. Foreword to Another Life Is Possible: Insights from 100 Years of Life Together. Walden, NY: Plough, 2020.
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A Way in the Wilderness
Describes the early years of the relationship between Danthonia Bruderhof and their neighbors in New South Wales, Australia.
Voll, Norann. “A Way in the Wilderness: How Prayers for a Boy Brought Reconciliation to a Land.” “The Globe” 1 (2022). Special issue of Christianity Today.
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Communal Village
An informational short by British Pathé from 1959 about the Wheathill Bruderhof in Shropshire, England, showing community life, farming, and education.
Cite this: “Communal Village.” Produced by Pathé News (UK). Cinematic newsreel. February 11, 1959.
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The Dissolution of the Rhön Bruderhof in Germany
An eyewitness account of the Gestapo raid that ended the Bruderhof’s existence in Germany in 1937.
Meier, Hans. “The Dissolution of the Rhön Bruderhof in Germany.” Mennonite Historical Bulletin 46:3 (1980): 1–6.
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Life Among the Bruderhof
An interview with Clare Stober, now Creative Director of Plough Publishing, telling how and why she joined the Bruderhof.
Dault, David, host. “Life Among the Bruderhof: Clare Stober.” Things Not Seen: Conversations about Faith and Culture (podcast). September 20, 2020.
Table of Contents
BELIEFS
What Bruderhof members believe
The three documents listed below provide an authoritative overview of the beliefs of Bruderhof members. They should be read together with the other material linked in this section.
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Foundations of Our Faith & Calling
A public account of the Bruderhof’s faith and practice, published by the Bruderhof in 2012.
The Bruderhof. Foundations of Our Faith & Calling. Rifton, New York: Plough, 2012.
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Why We Live in Community
A brief manifesto calling for life in community as a response to the words of Jesus. Written in 1926 for the first Bruderhof community.
Get the book (Free download available)
Arnold, Eberhard. Why We Live in Community. Walden, New York: Plough, 2016.
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Confession of Faith
Written in prison from 1540–1542, this is Anabaptist elder Peter Riedemann’s account of the biblical basis of the understanding of Christian faith of the Radical Reformers.
Riedemann, Peter. Peter Riedemann’s Hutterite Confession of Faith. Edited and translated by John Friesen. Walden, New York: Plough, 2019.
More…
“Review Essay: Foundations of Our Faith and Calling” Anabaptist theologian Thomas Finger discusses the Bruderhof’s common statement of faith. Published in the Mennonite Quarterly Review, 87:4 (October 2013): 585–90.
On the thought and writings of Eberhard Arnold
Eberhard Arnold was a German pastor and theologian who, together with his wife Emmy and her sister Else von Hollander, founded the Bruderhof in Germany in 1920. As a public speaker, publisher, and author, he addressed social and political problems in the light of the gospel.
The complete writings of Eberhard Arnold are available on EberhardArnold.com, and an extensive bibliography can be found here. His most important printed works including Innerland: A Guide into the Heart and Soul of the Gospel, The Early Christians, Why We Live In Community, Salt and Light, and God’s Revolution, are published by Plough.
BELIEFS
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Beyond Pacifism
Seven theses on Christian nonviolence, selected from Eberhard Arnold’s talks and writings.
Arnold, Eberhard. “Beyond Pacifism: Seven Theses on Christian Nonviolence.” Plough Quarterly 27 (March 2021). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence/beyond-pacifism-seven-theses-on-christian-nonviolence.
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Eberhard Arnold and Karl Barth
A short overview of the interaction and dialogue between Eberhard Arnold and Karl Barth.
Baum, Markus and Nauerth, Thomas. “Eberhard Arnold and Karl Barth.” www.eberhardarnold.com.
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The Gathered Life
Excerpts from Eberhard Arnold’s talks and writings on living in community.
Reprinted with permission from Sojourners, (800) 714-7474, www.sojo.net
From the same issue: “In Pursuit of Jesus” – Bruderhof members share their memories of Eberhard Arnold.
Arnold, Eberhard. “The Gathered Life.” Sojourners (May 1984).
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Eberhard Arnold – A Biography and Introduction
Written to introduce a 2012 edition of Arnold’s God’s Revolution, this is an excellent overview of his life and thought.
Yoder, John Howard. “Eberhard Arnold – an introduction” in God’s Revolution, Plough (2012).
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Twentieth Century Apocalyptic
John Farina, editor of the acclaimed Sources of American Spirituality series, reviews Inner Land in light of its composition during the 1930s in Germany. Eberhard Arnold considered this book to be his most important work.
Farina, John. “Twentieth Century Apocalyptic.” Review of Inner Land, by Eberhard Arnold. The Plough 14 (1986): 18–21.
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Church as Brotherhood
Kirche als Bruderschaft examines the Anabaptist ecclesiology of Eberhard Arnold.
Stieglitz, Thomas von. "Kirche als Bruderschaft: Das hutterische Kirchenbild bei Eberhard Arnold aus heutiger katholischer Sicht." PhD diss., Paderborn, 1991.
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About Eberhard Arnold and the Bruderhofs
Prominent German pacifist theologian Helmut Gollwitzer’s account of the witness of Eberhard Arnold and the founding and early growth of the Bruderhof. (In German)
Gollwitzer, Helmut. “Einiges zu Eberhard Arnold und den Bruderhöfen.” Neue Wege: Beiträge zu Religion und Sozialismus 82:7–8 (1988): 232–37.
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Radical Reformation, Community, and Post-Christendom
Study of the influence of the Bruderhof and Anabaptism on post-Christendom thinking.
Randall, Ian. “Radical Reformation, Community, and Post-Christendom.” Post-Christendom Studies 7 (2022–2023): 33–60.
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The Communion of Saints and an Anabaptist Community: A Study of the Bruderhof
Describes some characteristics of the Bruderhof that make it distinctive amongst Anabaptist churches, including a sense of connection with the past. Focuses on talks by Eberhard Arnold.
Randall, Ian M. “The Communion of Saints and an Anabaptist Community: A Study of the Bruderhof.” Theological Reflections: Eastern European Journal of Theology 20:1 (2022): 59–72.
More…
“Who Was Eberhard Arnold?” Published November 20, 2015 on Plough.com
Margarete Susman reflects on the significance of Eberhard Arnold’s life and thought in a Swiss journal for religious socialism.
Saint Francis in Knickerbockers A recent assessment of Eberhard Arnold's legacy by theologian Marco Hofheinz, focusing on his reading of the Sermon on the Mount. (In German)
Additional Anabaptist resources
The Bruderhof is a church in the tradition of the Anabaptists of the Radical Reformation. These resources include the writings of sixteenth century Anabaptists as well as scholarship and other writings about the Bruderhof’s expression of Anabaptism in the twenty-first century.
BELIEFS
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The Chronicle of the Hutterian Brethren
Written in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, The Chronicle tells the story of this Anabaptist group from 1532 to 1665.
The Chronicle of the Hutterian Brethren. Volume 1. Edited and translated by the Hutterian Brethren [Bruderhof Communities]. Rifton, NY: Plough, 1987.
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Classics of the Radical Reformation
A series that includes the key writings of the radical reformers of the sixteenth century including Peter Riedemann’s Confession of Faith, writings of Pilgram Marpeck, Michael Sattler, Balthasar Hubmaier, and others.
See individual volumes for publication data.
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Apologia of 1577
In his Great Article Book, early Hutterite bishop Peter Walpot (1521-1528) explains Anabaptist tenets of faith; two translated articles have been published.
True Surrender and Christian Community of Goods – the full sharing of all money and possessions
The Christian and the Sword – nonviolence and the church’s relation to government
Walpot, Peter. True Surrender and Christian Community of Goods. Translated by Kathleen Hasenberg. Bromdon, England: Plough, 1957.
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Brothers Unite
Eberhard Arnold’s letters and diaries from his journey to the Hutterites of North America in 1930 and 1931.
Arnold, Eberhard. Brothers Unite: An Account of the Unity of Eberhard Arnold and the Rhön Bruderhof with the Hutterian Church. Rifton, NY: Plough, 1988.
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The Bruderhof and the Hutterites in Historical Context
A doctoral thesis on the relationship between the Bruderhof and the Hutterites up to 1995.
Barnett, Michael Cole. “The Bruderhof (Society of Brothers) and the Hutterites in Historical Context.” Ph.D. thesis, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, TX, 1995.
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The Sermon on the Mount and the Radical Reformation
Remarks on community in the spirit of the Sermon on the Mount and the Radical Reformation in connection with the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
Watch on YouTube and read a transcript
Zimmerman, Chris. "The Bruderhof: Community in the Spirit of the Sermon on the Mount and of the Radical Reformation." Speech at Stadthaus Wittenberg, November 3, 2017.
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The Church We Need Now
Considers the Anabaptist witness in light of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
Mommsen, Peter. “The Church We Need Now: Why the Anabaptist Vision Matters.” Plough Quarterly 14 (Autumn 2017). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/anabaptists/the-church-we-need-now.
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The Bruderhof and the State
Written to mark the Bruderhof’s centenary, a lawyer who is a member reflects on how a Christian community interacts with government according to Anabaptist principles.
Huleatt, John. “The Bruderhof and the State.” Plough Quarterly 24 (March 2020). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/intentional-community/the-bruderhof-and-the-state.
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By Water: The Felix Manz Story
The son of a priest and a prostitute, Felix Manz was the first Anabaptist martyr. His story is told here in the style of a graphic novel.
Landsel, Jason. By Water: The Felix Manz Story. Walden, NY: Plough, 2023.
More…
Brotherly Faithfulness: Epistles from a Time of Persecution Letters of Hutterite founder Jakob Hutter, published in 1979 by Plough.
Community of Goods entry from Gameo, the Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia.
Ecumenical dialogue with the Catholic Church
During the Reformation, Anabaptist churches were persecuted by the Catholic Church, with thousands of Anabaptist martyrs dying for their faith. In a series of dialogues and ecumenical ventures since the 1990s, a relationship of fraternal love has been formed between the Bruderhof and members of the Catholic church.
BELIEFS
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Disciples Together
Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, and Bruderhof elder Johann Christoph Arnold, met in Rome in 1995 to discuss the history of Catholic-Anabaptist relations and a vision for the future.
Ratzinger, Joseph Cardinal, and Johann Christoph Arnold. “Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger and the Bruderhof: A Conversation.” Partial transcript of conversation on June 24, 1995, in Rome.
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Educating for the Kingdom: An Address to High School Students and Staff
Remarks of Gerhard Cardinal Müller to the Bruderhof’s Mount Academy.
Read also Plough Quarterly’s interview with Cardinal Müller “Being Obedient to Christ” and see a short video of his visit to Woodcrest Bruderhof.
Müller, Gerhard Cardinal. “Educating for the Kingdom: An Address to High School Students and Staff.” Plough Quarterly (September 22, 2017). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/education/educating-for-the-kingdom.
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Catholic-Bruderhof Talks Begin Officially
A report on Catholic-Bruderhof talks, with an emphasis on the two groups’ shared values.
“Catholic-Bruderhof Talks Begin Officially.” Pittsburgh Catholic, October 17, 1997, p. 3.
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A Call to Purity
A joint statement of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York and the Bruderhof Communities regarding a shared understanding of marriage.
Dolan, Timothy Cardinal and Johann Christoph Arnold. "A Call to Purity: A Joint Statement of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York and the Bruderhof Communities September 22, 2014." Plough Quarterly (September 2014). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/marriage/a-call-to-purity.
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Austria: Commemoration of the Anabaptist Persecution
Vatican announcement of reconciliation conference of Bruderhof and Archdiocese of Vienna on November 21, 2021 explaining the history of Catholic persecution of Anabaptists and establishment of new Bruderhof communities in Austria.
“Österreich: Historisches Gedenken an Täuferverfolgung.” Vatican News, November 19, 2021. https://www.vaticannews.va/de/kirche/news/2021-11/taeufer-wien-stephansdom-reform-kirche-schoenborn-verfolgung.html.
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Ecumenical Gathering Remembering the Coptic Martyrs
Remarks by Cardinal Schönborn commemorating the Coptic martyrs in Libya and welcoming the Bruderhof community into Austria.
“Ökumenischer Empfang im Gedenken an koptische Märtyrer.” Vatican News, October 22, 2020. https://www.vaticannews.va/de/kirche/news/2020-01/oesterreich-oekumene-empfang-schoenborn-geburtstag-maertyrer.html.
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Die Bruderliebe soll bleiben
Historian Thomas Nauerth describes the joint prayer service with the Archdiocese of Vienna and the Bruderhof.
Nauerth, Thomas. “Die Bruderliebe soll bleiben.” Die Brücke (January 2022): 34–35.
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Let Brotherly Love Remain
Remarks made by Christoph Cardinal Schönborn, Bruderhof senior pastor Heinrich Arnold, historian Eduard Geissler, and Bruderhof member Cari Boller at a gathering in Vienna in November 2021 to commemorate the martyrs of the Radical Reformation.
Schönborn, Christoph Cardinal, Heinrich Arnold, Eduard Geissler, and Cari Boller. “Let Brotherly Love Remain.” Plough Quarterly 31 (March 2022). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/church-community/let-brotherly-love-remain.
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Disciples Together: Archbishop Dolan visits the Bruderhof, stresses shared Christianity
Notes on the relationship between the Archdiocese of New York and the Bruderhof, following a visit of Cardinal Dolan in August 2010. Read online
See also the videos from August 2012, July 2015, and October 2020.
And read Catholic New York’s report of 1997 visit of John Cardinal O’Connell to Woodcrest.
McDonnell, Claudia. “Disciples Together: Archbishop Dolan Visits the Bruderhof, Stresses Shared Christianity.” Plough (website). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/discipleship/disciples-together. Originally published in Catholic New York, August 27, 2010.
Theological reflections
Resources giving further detail on the beliefs and practices of the Bruderhof.
BELIEFS
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Christians and War, Community of Goods
Book reviews on topics such as Christians participating in war, and the Christian community of goods.
Kathleen Hasenberg and Llewelyn Harris. "Christians and War, Community of Goods" Christian Living, December 1957.
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Ontological Obedience
Examines Bonhoeffer’s hermeneutics of nonviolence in light of the Bruderhof community.
Bezner, Steven. “Ontological Obedience: Examining Bonhoeffer’s Hermeneutics of Nonviolence in Light of the Bruderhof Community.” Paper presented to the "Bonhoeffer: Theology and Social Analysis" Group, AAR, Atlanta, GA, November 22–25, 2003.
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Discipleship as a Missionary Strategy
This essay examines the Bruderhof approach to mission and the education of children and youth in the community.
Yoder, John Howard. "Discipleship as a Missionary Strategy." In Radical Christian Discipleship. Edited by John C. Nugent et al. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 2012.
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Church Community is a Gift of the Holy Spirit
Ian Randall of the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide explores the Bruderhof's understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit in church community.
Randall, Ian M. “Church Community is a Gift of the Holy Spirit”: The Spirituality of the Bruderhof Community. Oxford, UK: Regent’s Park College, 2014.
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Why Community is Dangerous
Interview with theologian Stanley Hauerwas on the necessities and dangers of life in Christian community, with reference to the Bruderhof.
Hauerwas, Stanley. “Why Community is Dangerous.” Plough Quarterly 9 (May 2016). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/church-community/why-community-is-dangerous.
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Changing the Church in a Changing World
A Bruderhof member looks at alternatives to the cult of individualism.
Hibbs, Bernard. “Changing the Church in a Changing World.” Bruderhof (blog), January 22, 2018. https://www.bruderhof.com/changing-the-church-in-a-changing-world.
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A Life that Answers War: The Story of Conscientious Objection and the Bruderhof
Scott Button discusses the Bruderhof’s understanding of pacifism, a key tenet of Anabaptism, through the story of his grandfather.
Button, Scott. “A Life that Answers War: The Story of Conscientious Objection and the Bruderhof.” Plough Quarterly 27 (March 2021). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/nonviolence/a-life-that-answers-war.
HISTORY
Academic and journalistic books
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Against the Wind
A biography of Eberhard Arnold which doubles as a history of the first years of the Bruderhof. Originally published in German as Stein Des Anstoßes: Eberhard Arnold, 1883–1935 by Brendow Verlag, 1996.
Get the book (Free download available)
Baum, Markus. Against the Wind: Eberhard Arnold and the Bruderhof. Rifton, New York: Plough, 1998.
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Witness, Love, and Resistance: The Rhön Bruderhof 1933 – 1937
Zeugnis, Liebe und Widerstand: Der Rhönbruderhof 1933 – 1937 is German scholar Thomas Nauerth’s authoritative work on the Bruderhof’s experience in Nazi Germany. Forthcoming soon in English.
Nauerth, Thomas. Zeugnis, Liebe und Widerstand: Der Rhönbruderhof 1933–1937. Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh, 2018.
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An Embassy Besieged: The Story of a Christian Community in Nazi Germany
A chronological account of the Bruderhof’s confrontation with the Third Reich from 1933 to 1937, by the Bruderhof senior archivist.
Barth, Emmy. An Embassy Besieged: The Story of a Christian Community in Nazi Germany. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2010.
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The Ways and Power of Love
A chapter about the Bruderhof from the classic book by Pitirim A. Sorokin, then head of the Harvard Research Center in Creative Altruism.
Sorokin, Pitirim A. The Ways and Power of Love: Types and Techniques of Moral Transformation. Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 1954.
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A Christian Peace Experiment: The Bruderhof in England, 1933 - 1972
British historian Ian Randall puts the Cotswold Bruderhof in the context of the British peace movement in the years prior to World War II.
Randall, Ian M. A Christian Peace Experiment: The Bruderhof Community in England, 1933–1942. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2018.
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The Stranger in Our Midst: An Account of the Development of the Cotswold Bruderhof near Cirencester
Historian Peter Grace tells the story of how a community of Germans found a home in rural England in the years before World War II.
Grace, Peter. “The Stranger in Our Midst: An Account of the Development of the Cotswold Bruderhof near Cirencester.” Unpublished manuscript, 2007.
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The Utopians: Six Attempts to Build the Perfect Society
Scholar and historian Anna Neima includes a chapter on the Bruderhof, contextualizing its history among other communitarian experiments of the early twentieth century.
Neima, Anna. The Utopians: Six Attempts to Build the Perfect Society. New York: Picador, 2021.
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No Heavenly Delusion? A Comparative Study of Three Communal Movements
Analyzes three movements of communal living, the Kibbutz, the Bruderhof, and the Integrierte Gemeinde, all of which trace their origins to the German Youth Movement of the first part of the twentieth century.
Tyldesley, Michael. No Heavenly Delusion? A Comparative Study of Three Communal Movements. Liverpool University Press, 2003.
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Utopian England: Community Experiments
British social scientist Dennis Hardy places the Bruderhof in the context of religious and utopian communitarians in England.
Hardy, Dennis. Utopian England: Community Experiments, 1900–1945. New York: Routledge, 2000.
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Community for Life
An often humorous account of an extended visit to an American Bruderhof in the 1980s by a German theologian and publisher.
Eggers, Ulrich. Community for Life. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1988.
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Community in Paraguay
Bob and Shirley Wagoner traveled from the US to Paraguay in 1953 to visit the Bruderhof communities there. This book consists of their letters and reports home to their friends in the Church of the Brethren.
Wagoner, Bob and Shirley. Community in Paraguay: A Visit to the Bruderhof. Rifton, NY: Plough, 1991.
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The Witness of the Brothers
An overview of Bruderhof history by Israeli historian and sociologist Yaacov Oved.
Also by Yaacov Oved: Distant Brothers: The Story of the Relations between the Bruderhof and the Kibbutz
Oved, Yaacov. The Witness of the Brothers: A History of the Bruderhof. London: Routledge, 1996.
HISTORY
Books by Bruderhof members
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Homage to a Broken Man
A biography of a Bruderhof author and pastor that explores difficult themes related to discipleship and a calling to church community.
Mommsen, Peter. Homage to a Broken Man: The Life of J. Heinrich Arnold. Walden, NY: Plough, 2015.
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A Joyful Pilgrimage
A memoir by Emmy Arnold, co-founder of the Bruderhof and wife of Eberhard Arnold, describing the Bruderhof’s founding and early years in Germany in the 1920s.
Get the book (Free download available)
Arnold, Emmy. A Joyful Pilgrimage: My Life in Community. Walden, NY: Plough, 2015.
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Water at the Roots: Poems and Insights of a Visionary Farmer
A collection of poems and writings by Philip Britts, a Bruderhof pastor, poet, and farmer who travelled with the Bruderhof from his native England to Paraguay, where he died at the age of 31.
Britts, Philip. Water at the Roots: Poems and Insights of a Visionary Farmer. Edited by Jennifer Harries. Walden, NY: Plough, 2018.
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Anni: Letters and Writings of Annemarie Wächter
Correspondence and diaries of a young woman who left the life she knew to become a member of the Bruderhof.
Get the book (Free download available)
Wright, Marianne and Albertz, Erna, eds. Anni: Letters and Writings of Annemarie Wächter. Walden, NY: Plough, 2011.
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No Lasting Home
An account of the Bruderhof’s forced migration from Britain to Paraguay in 1940–41 as World War II began, and the triumphs and hardships of the first years of community life there.
Buy the book (Free download available)
Barth, Emmy. No Lasting Home: A Year in the Paraguayan Wilderness. Walden, New York: Plough, 2009.
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Outcast but Not Forsaken
The story of Maria Weiss, a Bruderhof member who spent decades in a South American leper colony from the 1940s to 1960s.
Burn, Maureen. Outcast but Not Forsaken: True Stories from a Paraguayan Leper Colony. Farmington, PA: Plough, 1986.
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My Search
In this memoir, Josef Ben-Eliezer, who was born into a Jewish family in Poland, describes how he survived the Holocaust, fought in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, and then joined the Bruderhof, where he long served as a pastor.
Ben-Eliezer, Josef. My Search. Rifton, New York: Plough, 2004.
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I Put My Sword Away: An Iraqi Soldier's Journey from Battlefield to Brotherhood
Memoirs of an Iraqi soldier who fled his native country as a pacifist and joined the Bruderhof.
Yousif, Yacoub. I Put My Sword Away: An Iraqi Soldier's Journey from Battlefield to Brotherhood. Walden, NY: Bruderhof Books, 2016.
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Another Life Is Possible
Another Life Is Possible: Insights from 100 Years of Life Together was published in 2020 to coincide with the centenary of the Bruderhof. Edited by Clare Stober, this book uses the stories of one hundred Bruderhof members to show how a shared life provides answers to isolation, materialism, and inequality. Images from British photojournalist Danny Burrows bring the stories to life.
See the foreword by Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury
The contents of the book are available online
Stober, Clare. Another Life Is Possible: Insights from 100 Years of Life Together. Walden, NY: Plough, 2020.
More…
Truth Is Eternal: Searching for Truth Bruderhof member Maureen Burn’s research into the thread of truth through Christian history. Written 1938.
The Last Inch: A History of the Macedonia Cooperative Community The story of an idealistic intentional community in Clarkesville, Georgia (1937–1958) which eventually merged with the Bruderhof, bringing its wooden-toy business Community Playthings. Master’s thesis by Trevor Wiser published 2008, California University of Pennsylvania.
HISTORY
Historical and sociological articles
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Correspondence with Bonhoeffer
Record relating to the Bruderhof’s relationship with Dietrich Bonhoeffer in the 1930s, including correspondence.
Further material in London, 1933-1935 (Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Vol. 13). Fortress Press, ed. Isabel Best.
Unpublished English translation of: “Bruderhof-Korrespondenz 1934.” In Victoria Barnett et al, ed. Dietrich Bonhoeffer Jahrbuch 2:2005/2006. 75–87. Gütersloh: Gütersloher Verlaghaus, 2005.
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Martin Buber and the Bruderhof Communities
On the relationship between the Bruderhof communities and Jewish philosopher Martin Buber in the 1920s .
Tyldesley, Mike. “Martin Buber and the Bruderhof Communities.” Journal of Jewish Studies 45:2 (1994): 258–272.
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Gustav Landauer and the Bruderhof Communities
The influence of the Jewish pacifist and anarchist Gustav Landauer on the Bruderhof movement.
Buy a copy (Free download available)
Tyldesley, Mike. “Gustav Landauer and the Bruderhof Communities.” Communal Societies 16 (1996): 23-41.
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The Salvation Army, Eberhard Arnold, and the Bruderhof
An account of the relationship between the Salvation Army and the Bruderhof and the influence of the Salvation Army on Bruderhof founder Eberhard Arnold.
Read online (subscription required)
Tomlin S. The Salvation Army, Eberhard Arnold and the Bruderhof. The Journal of Ecclesiastical History. Published online 2024:1-23. doi:10.1017/S0022046924000022
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Michael Horsch and the Rhön Bruderhof: From Friend to Hostile Witness to Historical Eyewitness
Examines the role of a leading Mennonite elder in the Bruderhof’s dissolution by the Nazi regime in 1937.
Nauerth, Thomas. “Michael Horsch and the Rhön Bruderhof, 1936–1937: From Friend to Hostile Witness to Historical Eyewitness.” Mennonite Quarterly Review 91:2 (2017): 213–246.
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The Wheathill Bruderhof, 1942-58
Reporting on the Wheathill Bruderhof in Shropshire, England in the 1940s by an American sociologist.
Read online (Subscription required)
Armytage, W. H. G. “The Wheathill Bruderhof, 1942-58.” American Journal of Economics and Sociology 18:3 (1959): 285–94.
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Why the Bruderhof is not a Cult
Comments from Bryan R. Wilson, Reader Emeritus in Sociology at the University of Oxford and Fellow of All Souls College.
Read online (Subscription required)
Wilson, Bryan R. “Why the Bruderhof is not a Cult.” Unpublished manuscript, April 2001.
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A Communal Publishing House
Antje Vollmer, who was the vice president of Germany’ parliament from 1994 to 2005, reflects on the history of Plough Publishing House, which she researched for her doctoral thesis.
“A Communal Publishing House.” Plough Quarterly (Autumn 2020).
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Hans Meier's story
Hans Meier, a Swiss pacifist and religious socialist, joined the Bruderhof in 1932 and was one of three members imprisoned (and later released) by the Nazis. Hans helped lead the community until his death in 1992.
The Practical, Visible Witness of Discipleship is a biographical essay on Hans Meier by Dejan Adams.
Watch an interview with Hans Meier about his journey to the Bruderhof and escape from the Nazis. Recorded for the US Holocaust Museum oral history collection, November 1990.
The Dissolution of the Rhön Bruderhof is Hans Meier’s eyewitness account of the Gestapo raid that ended the Bruderhof’s existence in Germany in 1937. Published 1980 in the Mennonite Historical Bulletin.
Hans Meier Tells His Story To A Friend. In this letter, written in 1978, Hans Meier recounts his story and his life's experiences, and the history of the Bruderhof during the years about which he writes.
Adam, Dejan. “‘The Practical, Visible Witness of Discipleship’: The Life and Convictions of Hans Meier (1902–1992).” In Counter-Cultural Communities: Baptistic Life in Twentieth-Century Europe. Edited by Keith G. Jones and Ian M. Randall. 285–342. Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2008.
More…
“Communal Village” An informational short by British Pathé from 1959 about the Wheathill Bruderhof in Shropshire, England, showing community life, farming, and education.
“The German Response to the Dissolution of the Rhoen-Bruderhof” by James Lichti in Mennonite Life, June 1991.
“Kirchenkampf unter internationaler Beobachtung” (‘The Church Struggle under International Observation’) by Thomas Nauerth documents the final days of the Bruderhof’s existence in Nazi Germany as seen through the eyes of two North American Anabaptists. Published 2014 in Kirchliche Zeitgeschichte. (German only. Access requires subscription.)
“The Communities of Tolstoyans” Journalist and writer Henry Lasserre discusses the Bruderhof in the context of Tolstoyans communities, and the significance of the cooperative community movement. Published 1944 by the Rural Cooperative Community Council.
The New Bruderhof in Germany A Mennonite scholar describes the first Bruderhof in Germany ten years after its founding. Bender, Harold S. “The New Hutterite Bruderhof in Germany.” Christian Monitor (Mennonite Publishing House, PA) 1 (1931): 18.
“Relocation of the German Bruderhof to England, South America, and North America" by Donald Durnbaugh published in 1991 in Communal Societies.
“Hospital in the Backwoods” Informational brochure on the history, operation, and needs of the Bruderhof’s hospital in Paraguay. Published by Woodcrest Service Committee, Farmington, PA 1958.
“Staying True, Staying the Course: Christian Community in Today’s World” Distinguished civil rights activist John M. Perkins reflects on his decades-long connection with the Bruderhof.
Journalistic coverage from the Bruderhof’s history
HISTORY
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My Day
Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, whose Hyde Park home is not far from the Woodcrest Bruderhof in Rifton, NY, describes a meeting with Bruderhof members in 1940, and her 1958 visit to Woodcrest, in her regular New York Post column.
Read about meeting with Guy Johnson and Hans Meier
Read about her visit to Woodcrest and next day’s follow-up column and two more mentions here and here.
Roosevelt, Eleanor. “My Day.” The New York Post, September 24, 1940 and November 7 and 8, 1958.
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Community of Brothers
Dorothy Day, founder of the Catholic Worker movement, describes her 1955 visit to the Woodcrest Bruderhof in Rifton, NY.
Day, Dorothy. “Community of Brothers.” The Catholic Worker 22:5 (December 1955): 1, 7. .
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Home News – Communal Life on a Farm
An account of the daily life, work, and school on the Cotswold Bruderhof in the late 1930s.
Whitwell, John. “Home News – Communal Life on a Farm.“ The Times, September 6, 1938.
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They Seek for a City
Describes the Bruderhof’s wartime journey to Paraguay from England and the foundation of the Primavera Bruderhof community.
Newbery, J. W. E. “They Seek for a City.“ The United Church Observer, November 15, 1941.
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Brotherhood Makes Utopia in Paraguay
An overview of the Bruderhof communities in Paraguay and their basis on the Sermon on the Mount and the Early Church.
“Brotherhood Makes Utopia in Paraguay.” Lockport Union-Sun & Journal, June 13, 1949.
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Fundraising for Hospital in Paraguay
Newspaper clippings from a 1952 fundraising trip from Paraguay to the US by Bruderhof member Hardy Arnold.
Dole, Kenneth. “Paraguay Hutterite Seeks Funds to Equip Hospital.” Washington Post, March 1, 1952.
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Final Stages of His Excellency President Morinigo’s Journey
A briefing of the Paraguayan President Morinigo’s visit to the Bruderhof on October 24, 1945. English translation notes.
“Final Stages of His Excellency President Morinigo’s Journey.” El Paraguayo, October 24, 1945.
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Inside the Bruderhof
A visitor to the Woodcrest community asks the question, “Outdated idea or the best hope for the church’s future?
Larson, Peter. “Inside the Bruderhof.” Prism: America’s Alternative Evangelical Voice 10:6 (November–December 2003): 22–25.
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Life among the Bruderhof: The Way an Anabaptist Movement Embodies the Benedict Option
Author Rod Dreher’s account of his 2017 visit to Fox Hill Bruderhof in Walden, NY.
This 2017 New Yorker profile of Rod Dreher concludes with a description of his visit to the Bruderhof in 2017. Read also “With the Bruderhof,” a review of Another Life is Possible and and responses from Dreher’s readers.
Dreher, Rod. “Life among the Bruderhof.” The American Conservative, March 20, 2017. https://www.theamericanconservative.com/life-among-the-bruderhof/.
More…
“Paraguay Group Is Progressing: Bruderhof Colony Now Has 62 families; Hospital Serves Area” by Harold Butcher gives an account of the three communities in Paraguay and their support for local families through providing medical services. Published January 1942 in Conscientious Objector.
“Religious Settlers Building New Homes in Paraguay Progress Despite Hardships” Harold Butcher’s report of the progress, after one year, of the Primavera Community. The report includes reference to the death of seven children and the construction of new buildings. Published January 7, 1943 in the Mennonite Weekly Review.
“Relief Notes: Observation from Paraguay” Describes the Primavera Bruderhof and requests clothing donations for the children there. Published January 7, 1943 in the Mennonite Weekly Review.
“The New Bruderhof in Paraguay” A brief account of the Bruderhof’s relocation to Paraguay. Published May 1, 1942 in The War Resister.
“Communal Life Being Practiced at Primavera” Describes the day-to-day life of the communities in Paraguay. Published December 8, 1953 in the Boston Globe.
“Intentional Community” Report on the talks given by Bruderhof members Herman Arnold and Alan Stevenson about their journeys as war refugees from Europe to South America at a lectures series which include Dorothy Day, Jack English, and Eileen Egan. Published May 1, 1949 in The Catholic Worker.
“A visit to the U.S. by Heini Arnold and Will Marchant” A notice regarding two Bruderhof members visiting the United States from Paraguay. Published January 27, 1951 in the Friends Intelligencer.
“South America-Sociedad de Hermanos Primavera” A letter from Hector Black, a fellow Catholic Worker, to Dorothy Day, giving a report of his visit to the Society of Brothers (Bruderhof) in Paraguay. Published October 1953 in The Catholic Worker.
“Hospital Heroes Seek Aid” Bruderhof Hospital in Paraguay seeks aid in the operation of medical services for the neighboring locals. Published May 22, 1958 in Buenos Aires Herald.
“The Christavashram: A Quest For Community” K. K. Chandy, founder of an intentional community in Kerala, India, discusses the Christian quest for community with reference to the Bruderhof. Published by Christavasharam in 1983.
Memoirs and personal narratives by Bruderhof members
HISTORY
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Community is Born
Bruderhof co-founder Emmy Arnold tells the story of the Bruderhof’s founding.
Arnold, Emmy. “Community is Born.” Plough Quarterly (June 2020). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/intentional-community/community-is-born.
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The Fate of a Christian Experiment
A report of how Bruderhof refugees from Nazi Germany established community in Wiltshire, England in the 1930s.
Arnold, E. C. H. “The Fate of a Christian Experiment.” The Spectator (London), June 11, 1937.
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The School that Escaped to the Alps
Faced with a Nazi takeover, the first Bruderhof school took refuge in Liechtenstein.
Wright, Marianne. “The School that Escaped to the Alps.” Plough Quarterly, December 2024.
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A Stone for Friedel
The story of the Friedel Sondheimer, a disabled man from a Jewish family who joined the Rhön Bruderhof in 1930.
Zimmerman, Chris. "A Stone for Friedel." January 2014.
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Kathleen Hasenberg's Letters to Her Mother
Lively and detailed correspondence from a Bruderhof member living in Germany to her mother in England, 1934-1938.
Hasenberg, Kathleen. Letters from Kathleen Hamilton (Now Hasenberg) to Her Mother, 1934–1938. Farmington, PA: Plough, 1992.
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Community in Britain
This anthology of essays compiled by members of the Cotswold Bruderhof gives a detailed portrait of Britain’s diverse movements for peace and community in the 1930s.
Cotswold Bruderhof, eds. Community in Britain. England: Community Service Committee, 1938.
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Kindle Our Hearts
David Mow tells of his parents’ introduction and eventual move to the Bruderhof from the Church of the Brethren as well as subsequent moves of several other Brethren families who would eventually call the Bruderhof home for life.
Mow, David. “Kindle Our Hearts: Some Brethren Found New Light with a Mid-Century Migration to the Bruderhof.” Messenger Magazine, June 8, 2020, 6–11.
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Making Music for Community: An American Composer’s Journey to the Bruderhof
The story of Marlys Swinger, a composer and musician who made notable contributions to Bruderhof music and singing.
Swinger, Maureen. “Making Music for Community: An American Composer’s Journey to the Bruderhof.” Plough Quarterly 18 (November 2018). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/music/making-music-for-community.
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A Bruderhof Journey
Tom and Sue Quinta tell about their journey to the Bruderhof and their lives as members.
Black Roberts, Susannah and Peter Mommsen, hosts. “Christian Internationalism with John Milbank, and a Bruderhof Journey.” PloughCast 38 (podcast), October 4, 2022. https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/commitment/christian-internationalism-with-john-milbank-and-a-bruderhof-journey.
More…
The Children Who Escaped the Nazis – A summary of the Kindertransport effort to rescue Jewish children from Nazis during World War II; includes an interview with Bruderhof member Lotte Keiderling by 8th grader Kyla Page, describing her experience as a child of the Kindertransport program.
The Bruderhof’s Bernard Hibbs: Living in community – Megan Cornwell on the Premier On Demand podcast.
“‘Unerwünscht’: One of the Lesser Known Confrontations with the National Socialist State, 1933–37” An account of the Bruderhof’s experience in Nazi Germany by Bruderhof archivist Marjorie Hindley.
“Christians Cooperating: Commune in the Jungle” Bruderhof member Bill Patrick describes the community life and work of the Bruderhof in Paraguay. Published 1948 in The Catholic Worker.
“Our Garden Must Be God’s Garden” An account of the founding of the Bruderhof in 1920. By Bruderhof member Charles Moore, published in Christian History in 2016.
LIFE
Daily life in community
Accounts by journalists and visitors of visits to Bruderhof communities in different countries.
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Sight-Seeing: My Week with the Bruderhof
Describes a visit to the Danthonia community in New South Wales, Australia.
Von Kalm, Nils. “Sight-Seeing: My week with the Bruderhof.” Sight Magazine, February 3, 2022. https://www.sightmagazine.com.au/columns/sight-seeing/23569-sight-seeing-my-week-with-the-bruderhof.
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Answers from the Bruderhof
Reflections on a visit to Darvell community in East Sussex, England.
Davies, Edward. "Answers from the Bruderhof." Catholic Herald, January 26, 2021. https://catholicherald.co.uk/answers-from-the-bruderhof/
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Finally! A Religious Story That Is Not about Escape
Review of the BBC’s Inside the Bruderhof program.
Harrington, Mary. “Finally! A Religious Story That Is Not about Escape.” UnHerd, August 19, 2020. https://unherd.com/thepost/why-inside-the-bruderhof-breaks-the-liberal-mould/.
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Twenty-Five People under One Roof: A Community Shares Everything, Even a Bank Account
About the Gushof community in Austria, and their farm-to-table organic garden. In German.
Schnitzhofer, Verena and Monika Fees. “25 Menschen unter einem Dach: Biohof-Gemeinschaft teilt alles – selbst das Konto.” Focus.de, December 7, 2021. https://www.focus.de/perspektiven/nachhaltigkeit/ein-konto-fuer-alle-diese-biohof-bewohner-teilen-sich-fast-alles_id_40768707.html.
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Spectrum: An Exclusive Look inside the Bruderhof Communes in Kent and East Sussex
A photo essay published in connection with the BBC’s Inside the Bruderhof program.
Read online (Subscription required)
Burrows, Danny. “Spectrum: An Exclusive Look inside the Bruderhof Communes in Kent and East Sussex.” The Sunday Times, July 21, 2019. https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/spectrum-an-exclusive-look-inside-the-bruderhof-communes-in-kent-and-east-sussex-3b0db5hts.
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In Search of the Good Life
Reflections on a visit to the Bruderhof.
Read online (Subscription required)
Lethbridge, Lucy. “In Search of the Good Life.” The Tablet, July 20, 2019. https://www.thetablet.co.uk/features/2/16389/in-search-of-the-good-life-a-day-with-the-radical-bruderhof.
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Le téléphone intelligent débarque chez les anabaptistes de Fox Hill
Benjamin Boivin visits the Fox Hill Bruderhof to learn how members use technology.
Boivin, Benjamin. "Le téléphone intelligent débarque chez les anabaptistes de Fox Hill." LaVerbe, Decmber 11, 2024.
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I Just Spent 24 Hours in a Town That Pools All Their Possessions
Description of a short visit to the Darvell Bruderhof.
Brock, Jared A. “I Just Spent 24 Hours in a Town That Pools All Their Possessions.” Surviving Tomorrow, March 2023.
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Radical Discipleship Lived in Our Midst
Cardinal Timothy Dolan on life on the Bruderhof, and a reflection on his friendship with late Bruderhof elder J. Christoph Arnold.
Dolan, Cardinal Timothy. “Radical Discipleship Lived in Our Midst.” Catholic New York, April 2017. https://www.cny.org/stories/radical-discipleship-lived-in-our-midst,15453.
More…
“Between the Years, Religious Group Takes Time to Pray” by Ari Goldman in the New York Times.
“Le téléphone intelligent débarque chez les anabaptistes de Fox Hill” by Benjamin Boivin in LaVerbe (French).
“Inside the secret Home Counties commune that preaches celibacy and hard labour to Gen Z” by Hatty Willmoth in the Independent.
“A visit to the Platte Clove Bruderhof community” by Jesse Angelino in Porcupine Soup.
“The Stuff of Life” Pastor and author Joyce Hollyday describes her visit to the Bruderhof in Sojourners.
“Community of Pacifists” Action Resources for Quaker Peace and Service, published March 1986.
“Life Together: The Bruderhof Community; A Living Witness to God's Kingdom” Barbara R. Thompson in The Other Side, July 1986.
“Soul Proprietors” Isabelle Anscombe in Telegraph Sunday Magazine, January 1988.
“Kindred Spirits: What Could Be More Radical Than Loving Thy Neighbor As Thyself?” Elizabeth Royte in Life Magazine, published December 1996.
Excerpt from The Naked Anabaptist by Murray Stuart, published by Herald Press in January 2010. The Hutterian Bruderhof referred to is the Darvell community.
“Forgiveness Lived” by Sarah Mundell in Living City Magazine, February 2012.
“Living Simply” Describes a visit to the Spring Valley Bruderhof in Pennsylvania. By Bette McDevitt in The New People, a publication of the Thomas Merton Center. June 1, 2017.
“48 Hours with the Bruderhof” Megan Cornwell and Danny Burrows, in Premier Christianity Magazine, July 20, 2019.
"The radical Christian community just outside London where technology is rejected and no one has a paid job” by Will Janes in MyLondon September 8, 2021.
“‘Just don't call it a cult’: the strangely alluring world of the Bruderhof” Sam Wollaston in The Guardian July 23, 2019.
“The Darvell marvel has brought joy to a Covid Christmas” by Charles Moore in The Spectator, December 2020. See also Spectator’s Notes from July 2018 (scroll down).
“The Beards of Christ and Kropotkin” A brief history of how Comunidad del Sur, an anarchist group, and the Bruderhof, a faith-based group, lived in community and shared common ground during the 1950s in South America. By Mariana Abreu; translated from Spanish by Coretta Thompson. Published January 29, 2021 in Brecha.
“Together (A) Part: Inside the Bruderhof” Photo essay by Danny Burrows showing the Darvell Bruderhof in East Sussex. Published July 2020 in The Guardian.
Accounts by Bruderhof members
Insider accounts of daily life as a Bruderhof member.
LIFE
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A Way in the Wilderness
Describes the early years of the relationship between Danthonia Bruderhof and their neighbors in New South Wales, Australia.
Voll, Norann. “A Way in the Wilderness: How Prayers for a Boy Brought Reconciliation to a Land.” “The Globe” 1 (2022). Special issue of Christianity Today.
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The Supreme Adventure of Communal Living
An insider account of the reality of communal living.
Also by Dori: “Shelve the Gossip”
Moody, Dori. “The Supreme Adventure of Communal Living.” Bruderhof (blog), February 20, 2020. https://www.bruderhof.com/the-supreme-adventure-of-communal-living.
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Elder Care on the Bruderhof
Dances with the Daffodils: Intergenerational Care on the Bruderhof Carmen Hinkey reflects on caring for her bed-ridden mother-in-law.
Homecare in the Golden Years Coretta Thomson’s tribute to her grandmother.
Building for the Lord a granddaughter’s tribute to Paul Mason.
Hinkey, Carmen. “Dances with Daffodils: Intergenerational Care on the Bruderhof.” Plough Quarterly (January 2021). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/life/aging/dances-with-the-daffodils.
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Vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience
Vivian Warren reflects on what it’s like to live out the vows that Bruderhof members take.
What Does a Vow of Poverty Mean?
Chastity: Finding Blessings in Singleness
Warren, Vivian. “What Does a Vow of Poverty Mean?” Bruderhof (blog), January 5, 2022. https://www.bruderhof.com/what-does-a-vow-of-poverty-mean.
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Pursuing Happiness: Down Syndrome, Richard Dawkins, and Human Joy
Bruderhof member Erna Albertz introduces Iris, her sister with Down Syndrome, and tells about the special place in community life for someone like her.
Albertz, Erna. “Pursuing Happiness: Down Syndrome, Richard Dawkins, and Human Joy.” Plough Quarterly 10 (March 2019). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/culture-of-life/pursuing-happiness.
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The Bruderhof in Austria: An Anabaptist Homecoming
An account of the establishment of a Bruderhof community in Austria, with reflections on the Anabaptist history and legacy.
See also this short video “Why the Bruderhof started new communities in Austria”
Zimmerman, Andrew. “The Bruderhof in Austria: An Anabaptist Homecoming.” The European Conservative, August 2022. https://europeanconservative.com/articles/essay/the-bruderhof-in-austriaan-anabaptist-homecoming/.
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A Candid Look at Bruderhof Life
Notes on life in community, plus a frequently asked question, by Bruderhof member Esther Keiderling.
Can I bring my pet to the Bruderhof?
Keiderling, Esther. “Hosting a Hootenanny.” Plough Quarterly 31 (August 2022). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/music/hosting-a-hootenanny.
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Stable Condition
An unlikely house at the Fox Hill Bruderhof extends a welcome to singles and families.
Swinger, Maureen. “Stable Condition.” Plough Quarterly 32 (July 2022). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/intentional-community/stable-condition.
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Lessons from the Pandemic Lockdown
Lessons for community life from the pandemic lockdown as experienced in Australia.
Wiser, Bill. “Lessons from the Pandemic Lockdown at the Danthonia Bruderhof, New South Wales.” GEN-US (blog), October 5, 2020. https://www.gen-us.net/lessons-from-the-pandemic-lockdown-at-the-danthonia-bruderhof-new-south-wales/.
More…
“Charles E. Moore on How to Live in Community” An interview with Gabriella Wilke of the Dorothy Day Guild.
“Precious Friend – What’s Your Victory Song?” Maureen Swinger on her daughter’s friend Rob. Published June 2020 in Plough Quarterly.
“Do People or Things Come First? Stewardship in Church Community” By Coretta Thomson, published June 2021 on bruderhof.com.
“Doing Bach Badly” Maureen Swinger describes a choir practice at the Fox Hill Bruderhof. Published March 2022 in Plough Quarterly.
Healthcare on the Bruderhof
LIFE
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Money-Free Medicine
An interview with two doctors, Monika Mommsen and Milton Zimmerman, about their experience practicing on the Bruderhof.
Mommsen, Monika and Milton Zimmerman. “Money-Free Medicine.” Plough Quarterly 17 (August 2018). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/service/money-free-medicine.
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Patient Perspective
Dorly Albertz offers an insight into being a patient on the Bruderhof.
Albertz, Dorly. “Patient Perspective.” Plough Quarterly 17 (August 2018). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/intentional-community/patient-perspective-dorly-albertz.
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Medical Care in Community
Family doctor Monika Mommsen explains medical care on the Bruderhof.
Mommsen, Monika. “Medical Care in Community.” Bruderhof (blog), August 30, 2021. https://www.bruderhof.com/medical-care-in-community.
More…
Read profiles of two Bruderhof doctors, Sharon Wipf and Art Wiser, included in Another Life is Possible, the book published for the Bruderhof’s centenary. For a patient perspective, read the story of Carole Neal.
LIFE
Livelihood
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Is Christian Business an Oxymoron?
Interview with Bruderhof business director John Rhodes on the Bruderhof’s businesses.
Rhodes, John. “Is Christian Business an Oxymoron?” Plough Quarterly 21 (Summer 2019). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/church-community/is-christian-business-an-oxymoron.
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Anabaptist Technology: Lessons from a Communitarian Business
Bruderhof business director John Rhodes reflects on the uses and pitfalls of new technologies in a Christian communal life.
Rhodes, John. “Anabaptist Technology: Lessons from a Communitarian Business.” Plough Quarterly 15 (Winter 2018). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/faith/anabaptists/anabaptist-technology.
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Playthings Are Their Business
Tells how the Community Playthings business operates at the Darvell community.
Spencer, Diane. “Playthings Are Their Business.“ The Times Educational Supplement, November 24, 1972.
Education
Theory and practice of Bruderhof education
LIFE
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Alternatives ... Bruderhof Education: Outdoor School
Dr. Francis Wardle of the Children’s World Learning Centers writes on the importance of outdoor education in the context of Bruderhof schools.
See also “In Praise of Developmentally Appropriate Practice” by Dr. Francis Wardle published November 1999.
Wardle, Francis. “Alternatives… Bruderhof Education: Outdoor School.” Young Children 50:3 (March 1995): 68–73.
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Theory and Practice of Bruderhof Education
“Theorie und Praxis der Bruderhof-pädogogik” – the educational philosophy and practice of the Bruderhof.
Schmidt, Almut. "Theorie und Praxis der Bruderhofpädogogik: Die Pädagogik einer Lebensgemeinschaft." Master’s thesis, Heidelberg, Pädogogischen Hochschule, 1993.
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The Bruderhof Schools: Educating the Whole Child in Community
An overview of the history of Bruderhof education and educational practices.
By the same authors: Roots and Effects of Social Capital Formation: Analyzing Bruderhof Schools published February 2003 in Boston University Journal of Education.
Spielhagen, Frances R., and Bruce S. Cooper. “The Bruderhof Schools: Educating the Whole Child in Community.” Private School Monitor 24:1 (Fall 2002): 1–11.
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Children's Education in Community: The Basis of Bruderhof Education
A collection of the talks and writings by Eberhard Arnold on children’s education in Christian community.
Arnold, Eberhard. Children's Education in Community: The Basis of Bruderhof Education. Edited and translated by Winifred Hildel and Miriam Mathis. Walden, NY: Plough, 2017.
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Christian Community in Action: Bruderhof Schools
A thoughtful assessment of Bruderhof elementary education and pedagogical tradition based on extensive site-work.
Spielhagen, Frances R. and Bruce S. Cooper. “Christian Community in Action: Bruderhof Schools.” Journal of Research on Christian Education 16:1 (2007): 65–81.
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Bruderhof's School Programme Links Students with Leading Figures in Business and Charity
Describes how the Beech Grove Academy in Kent, UK, gives students opportunities to meet leaders in business and private sectors.
“Bruderhof's School Programme Links Students with Leading Figures in Business and Charity.” Christian Today, February 25, 2020. https://www.christiantoday.com/article/bruderhofs-school-programme-links-students-with-leading-figures-in-business-and-charity/134279.htm.
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Bruderhof School – A Former Student's Perspective
Buccaneer School On the exciting initiation of first graders into a Bruderhof school.
My Forest Education Second grade in a Bruderhof school. Published in Plough Quarterly, Summer 2021.
The Teacher Who Never Spoke The story of a man who taught in unexpected ways, told by his sister. Published in Plough Quarterly, Spring 2017.
Swinger, Maureen. “Buccaneer School.” Plough Quarterly 22 (September 2019). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/community/education/buccaneer-school.
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Communal Education
A report on Woodcrest Bruderhof school for the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).
Silverman, Ruth. “Communal Education: The Society of Brothers.” Young Children 35:5 (July 1980): 15–19.
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Reports on Bruderhof Schools by Ofsted
Official reports on the Bruderhof schools in England by Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills, Ofsted.
Darvell School in Robertsbridge, East Sussex
Beech Grove School in Nonington, Kent
Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted). Report on Darvell School, Robertsbridge. May 15, 2018. https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/27/114646.
Women in community
LIFE
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A Flexible Faith
An interview with Bruderhof member Clare Stober about her experiences living in community.
Kristian, Bonnie. “Q&A: Common Purse Community.” In A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What it Means to Follow Jesus Today. 22–25. Nashville, TN: FaithWords, 2018.
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Connecting through Generations at the Bruderhof
The stories of five Bruderhof women who are remembered in the names one couple chose for their daughters.
Wright, Marianne. “Connecting through Generations at the Bruderhof.” GEN-US (blog), February 6, 2020. https://www.gen-us.net/connecting-through-generations-at-the-bruderhof/.
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Bruderhof Women: A Testimony to Love
Describes the women of the Bruderhof and includes several interviews.
Nash, Connie. “Bruderhof Women: A Testimony to Love.” The Other Side, July 1986.
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Bruderhof: The Cult of Community
About the Danthonia community in New South Wales, Australia, through the eyes of two young mothers.
Read online (Subscription required)
Brown, Jenny. “Bruderhof: The Cult of Community.” Australian Women’s Weekly, October 2019.
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Women in Community
Bruderhof member Leslie Moore writes a letter to a friend answering questions about her life in community as a woman.
Moore, Leslie. “Women in Community.” Bruderhof (blog), July 26, 2021. https://www.bruderhof.com/women-in-community.
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The Challenge of True Brotherhood: These Anabaptist Christians are Less Concerned with Changing Society than Seeking the Lowest Place
Interviews with some Bruderhof women about their experiences in community.
Thompson, Barbara R. “The Challenge of True Brotherhood: These Anabaptist Christians are Less Concerned with Changing Society than Seeking the Lowest Place.” Christianity Today, March 15, 1985, 22–28.
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Have These Villagers Found Heaven on Earth?
Interviews with four Bruderhof families on how they experience life in community.
Sands, Sarah. “Have These Villagers Found Heaven on Earth?” Woman’s Weekly, January 1991, 6–7.
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A Life of Dedication
Interview with Maria Cavanna, a teenager in Darvell, giving her perspective of community life as teen child of Bruderhof members.
Pepper, Mark. “A Life of Dedication.” Radio Times, February 26, 1993.
More…
The Heart’s Necessities, No One Can Stem the Tide and The Secret Flower are the collected poems and short stories of Bruderhof member, teacher, and mother Jane Tyson Clement.
Regenerative agriculture
LIFE
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Beating the Big Dry
The story of the Danthonia Bruderhof’s restoration project by farm manager Johannes Meier.
Meier, Johannes. “Beating the Big Dry: How an Australian Cattle Farm is Fighting Drought by Reviving Ancient Landscapes.” Plough Quarterly 20 (Spring 2019). https://www.plough.com/en/topics/justice/environment/beating-the-big-dry.
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Grazing to Create Abundance
A profile of Danthonia farming methods in The Land.
Read online (Subscription required)
Brown, Jamie. “Grazing to Create Abundance” The Land .(April 2022). https://www.theland.com.au/story/7672584/grazing-to-create-abundance/?cs=4933.
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Introduction to Organic No-Till Farming
Video interview with Bruderhof farmer Jeff King.
Bruderhof (channel). “Introduction to Organic No-Till Farming.” YouTube, June 14, 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5WY3ke69VQ&ab_channel=Bruderhof.
Danthonia Bruderhof in New South Wales, Australia, has done a multi-year project restoring and drought-proofing its land
Rehydrating landscapes, one catchment at a time – Danthonia Bruderhof work with their neighbors to rehydrate the land.
Farm dogs and lawn camels by Amy Lewis. A Christian community in Australia cultivates the land with help from remarkable animals.
Cultivating community by Amy Lewis. God’s design and an ethos of interdependence shape a Christian community’s approach to working the land Down Under.
“Holding Water: Working with Nature to Drought-Proof Your Farm” and “Regenerative agriculture on our Australian farm: what we're learning from the land” – vlogs by the Duo Down Under with further insights on regenerative agriculture and land stewardship at Danthonia posted September 8, 2021.
“How We Began to Heal Our Farm Through Sustainable Agriculture” – video interview with Danthonia farm manager Johannes Meier, posted September 7, 2019.
“Working with the Earth” – interview with Danthonia farm manager Johannes Meier published in The Point Magazine on January 14, 2019.
“Love this Land” – 2017 video profile of an award-winning land management project by two Danthonia high school students.
“Restoring a Creek” – Photo essay published January 8, 2009 in Plough Quarterly.
“Visiting Danthonia community” – Description of a visit to Danthonia by Jason Hilder PhD, M.Nat.Res.Studies, B.App.Sc.(R.M.).
The Gutshof Bruderhof in Austria runs an organic market garden
“Community-Supported Agriculture in Austria’s Weinland” by community resident Andrew Zimmerman, June 9, 2021.
Bellvale Bruderhof in Orange County, NY, also grows vegetables using regenerative methods
“The Basics of Greenhouse Gardening” – an interview with Bruderhof farmer Jeff King, posted April 2017.
“Introduction to organic no-till farming” – interview with Bruderhof farmer Jeff King, posted June 14, 2017.
“Regenerative Agriculture: An Amish Farmer’s Quest to Heal the Land” interview of farmer John Kempf by Jeff King, published June 8, 2021 in Plough Quarterly.