Bring Back Bruderhof
It’s a sad day for the faith blogosphere. The Bruderhof (”place of brothers”) is a group of Christian believers living in communities across the eastern US, England, Europe and Australia. I have been a devoted reader of their on-line Daily Dig, a thoughtful digest of philosophical, religious and ethical musings, which linked to their website which contained e-books, essays, feedback and more. I really admired the Bruderhof for their ethical and conscientious online presence, and their coura+ge to question their society, their government, and even their own policies in an honest and respectful way.
Yesterday subscribers to the Daily Dig received, without warning, our last Daily Dig:
“The work is more important than the talking and the writing about the work.” - Dorothy Day
“There have been enough words, enough sermons and books. What matters now is deeds.” - Emmy Arnold
Dear Reader:
We will no longer be publishing online, so this will be your last Daily Dig. This is only the beginning, not the end. We want to thank you for your friendship over the years, and look forward to meeting you face to face. Now the real contact can begin. We welcome you to drop by any of our communities any time to join us in our daily life and work.
Unlike all of the previous Daily Digs, it was lacking in its customary link to the Bruderhof website (usually a link to a relevant article in their collection based on the topic of the Dig). Surprised, I looked up the bruderhof website. Gone. Replaced with basic, land-based contact information, and no e-mail address.
I received a comment today from someone who started a website to Bring Back Bruderhof to the internet. If you out there have been moved by the presence of the bruderhof on the internet, take a second to visit this website to let them know. It is being run by an independent person who has stated that he will compile the comments left and send it to them by surface mail (apparently they aren’t answering e-mail anymore either) so the bruderhof can see what a presence they’ve had in our lives. Another thought would be for all of those of us who where touched by their work to send them a postcard from your area, telling them briefly how their work touched you, so they can see how wide their ministry was.
I am worried that this decision was made as a result of past troubles the bruderhof have had with former members and the media. I’ve noticed that wherever there are communities of people who live in true community, sharing everything and serving all, they are viewed as strange. I am sure that the Bruderhof as a community are not perfect, but the fruit of their ministry was a true, living and compassionate discipleship that inspired many. This is such a loss.