Table of Contents/No. 92. Fall 1996

DEPARTMENTS

Letters
Publishers Note
Directory Update
Calendar
Classifieds
Reach

FEATURE FOCUS

Christian Communities, Then and Now

From the Guest Editor

What You Need to Know About Christian Communities
Joe V. Peterson  offers an engaging introduction to the lively and divergent beliefs, biblical interpretations, and Rspiritual giftsS (including paranormal experiences) that inform and inspire the broad spectrum--the very broad spectrum--of contemporary Christian communities.

"Come and See the Life We Share"

The first invitation to Christian community, and what Christian community can offer its members. By Wesley Granberg-Michaelsen.

A Shiloh Sister's Story

Jeanie Murphy's  mischievous account of finding refuge and family, and chafing under her "woman's place," in the largest Christian mega-commune of the '70s.

Southern Hospitality, "Cotton Patch" Style

Glimpses of daily life--faith, hopes, rewards, and challenges--in this 54-year-old interracial service community in Georgia. Stephanie Hirsch.

La Iglesia de los Extranjeros (The Church of the Sojourners)

An urban bilingual community learns to fulfill its divergent goals: serving Latino neighbors and creating harmonious relationships and community spirit. John F. Alexander.

The New Community: An Alternative Social Reality

Jim Wallis. Excerpted from Agenda for a Biblical People.

A Community of Counselor Pioneers

Rev. Lou Hillendahl  recounts the challenges and joys of building a community and retreat center in a Pacific Northwest forest "from the ground up."

"If You Have Love for One Another ..."

Jean Vanier, excerpted from Community and Growth.

No Place to Run, No Place to Hide

The discipline and rewards of the contemplative life at St. BenedictUs Farm, where lay Catholic members happily continue a 1500-year-old community tradition. John Kelly.

Selections from the Rule of St. Benedict

Monastics to Moravians: Twenty Centuries of Christian Community

Russ Eanes  observes that waves of new communities form whenever society changes rapidly at the same time its citizens long for spiritual renewal--as true today as in first-century Jerusalem!

Where Have All the (Seventies) Communities Gone?

David Janzen  laments the loss of many Christian communities over the last 20 years, and illuminates factors that led to their demise.

"Success" and "Failure" in Intentional Communities: The Problem of Evaluation

However, says Jon Wagner, communities that disband are not necessarily "failures." Excerpted from the Journal of the Communal Studies Association.

Authority and Submission in Christian Community

Julia Duin  believes that the practice of unquestioned obedience to human (usually, male) authority figures, while a sincere effort to advance members spiritually, has led to the disbanding--and sometimes downfall--of several renowned Christian communities.

"If You Can Possibly Avoid Doing It ..."

Graham Pulkingham, excerpted from Sojourners  magazine.

Responding to Sexual Misconduct in Christian Community

Keith Warner, OFM, offers a personal, thoughtful account of how two quite different communities handled, and failed to handle, the painful discovery of sexual abuse by community leaders.

The Prayer of St. Francis

The Rise and Fall of Shiloh

Joe V. Peterson  recounts the "miracle" ascent of the once-vast Shiloh communal network of the '70s and '80s, its leadership "holocaust," its poignant last years, and how vividly the Shiloh experience affected the tens of thousands of young people whose lives it touched.

COLUMNS

FELLOWSHIP NEWS--The Continuity of Elders' Wisdom

Earl Loftfield

MY TURN--Our Community's "Ode" of Respects and Responsibilities

Jan Bulman

PERIPATETIC COMMUNITARIAN--A Little Known History of the Bible

Geoph Kozeny

FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH--Two Former Christian Communitarians

Mike Cummings  and Harv Bishop

COHOUSING REPORT--Designing Community Buildings: What We Can Learn From Cohousers

Rob Sandelin

CHILDREN IN COMMUNITY--Educating Children in Historical Communities

Daniel Greenberg

FEDERATION UPDATE--20 Years of Egalitarian Community: What We've Done So Far...

Valerie Renwick

REVIEWS

Ellie Somner  reviews Fire, Salt, and Peace: Intentional Christian Communities Alive in North America; Community and Growth; Life Together; and Why We Live in Community. Also, Pilgrims of a Common Life; With Our Eyes; The Cotton Patch Evidence; and The Plough and the Pen.

Feedback

CREDITS

EDITOR
Diana Leafe Christian
GUEST EDITOR
Joe V. Peterson
REACH ADS
Patricia Greene
(Renaissance Community)
DIRECTORY UPDATE
Alex McGee
(Twin Oaks Community)
COPY EDITING
Todd Wyse
PROOFREADING
Sherri Schultz
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
Lansing Scott
(SeaChange Media Co-op)
COVER DESIGN
Paul DeLapa
ILLUSTRATIONS
Billie Miracle
(WomanShare)
CARTOONS
Jonathan Roth
PHOTOS
Mike Frazee
Lou Hillendahl
St. Benedict's Farm
Special thanks to Steve & Mary Jo Fuson,
Kurt Huxema, Art & Peggy Gish,
David Janzen, and Ron Taylor
BUSINESS MANAGER
Laird Sandhill
(Sandhill Farm)
DATABASE MANAGEMENT
Velma Kahn
(Abundant Dawn)
CIRCULATION MANAGER
Valerie Renwick
(Twin Oaks)
EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD
Betty Didcoct
(TIES)
Geoph Kozeny
(Community Catalyst Project)
Laird Sandhill
(Sandhill Farm)