Letters and phone calls from people interested in learning more about community inundate our office each week. We offer the following list of resources in the hope that it will be helpful to readers and save some wear on our phones and letter openers.
For those interested in joining or starting a community, reading about them is the best way to learn, apart from visiting. For those who are already part of a common life, the following resources describe a range of examples and experiences with which to compare your own developing life and highlight areas that may need attention and growth.
Space limitations make it impossible for us to mention all the available resources. Even though we may not agree completely with the contents of all the resources listed, we believe that we have selected the best for raising valuable issues. We encourage readers to send us information on others.
Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together. Harper and Row, 1954.
As pastoral advice to the unique community that grew up in an underground seminary in Germany during the Nazi years, Bonhoeffer's thought shows the importance of prayer, corporate worship, a shattering of idealistic visions about community, and mutual care and confession among those who are committed to political resistance and radical discipleship in the world. This book is a classic, an important reminder of both the fragility and gift of our shared life.
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