Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84Plough Quarterly • Spring 2016 5 Evangelicals and Catholics Together “Howls of negativity” is how J. I. Packer described the reaction of some evangelicals to the launch of Evangelicals and Catholics Together (ECT) in 1994: critics saw it as “a sub- versive Roman Catholic power play.” In fact, ECT was founded by Charles Colson and Richard John Neuhaus as a way for Christians from across the Reformation divide to pro- claim the gospel together. Since the first ECT statement on Christian unity and mission, eight statements have followed. Some have addressed points of faith such as justification and scripture. Others have spoken to urgent matters of public concern, such as 2006’s pro-life declaration and 2012’s “In Defense of Religious Freedom.” Last year saw the publication of “The Two Shall Become One: Reclaiming Marriage,” ECT’s eloquent account of the biblical truth of marriage as the lifelong union of one man and one woman (excerpted in Plough’s Spring 2015 issue). All nine statements, with introductions and notes, are now available in a valuable volume, Evangelicals and Catholics Together at Twenty: Vital Statements on Contested Topics (ed. Timothy George and Thomas G. Guarino, Brazos, 2015). Here is essential reading for anyone concerned about how a divided church can give witness to Jesus together. Poet in This Issue Laurie Klein, whose poem “No One Wrings the Air Dry” appears on page 68, is an author and artist who lives in Washington State. Her first poetry collection, Where the Sky Opens: A Partial Cosmography, was published in 2015 (Cascade). Bearing Witness For centuries, Anabaptist commu- nities around the world have been shaped by stories of the martyrs as portrayed in books such as Martyrs Mirror and the ­ Hutterian Chronicle. These examples of steadfastness unto death still challenge us to faithfulness, repentance, and renewal. Today, Christian martyrdom is no longer just a distant historical phenomenon; thousands of Christians die for their faith each year, many of them members of Anabaptist congregations such as the Nige- rian Christians persecuted by Boko Haram. In the tradition of Martyrs Mirror, the Bearing Witness Stories Project has been collecting their stories at www.martyrstories.org and now in a new book, Bearing Witness: Stories of Martyr­ dom and Costly Discipleship (Plough, 2016). In the words of J. Nelson Kraybill, president of the Mennonite World Conference: “Christian martyrdom and costly discipleship are not confined to some legendary past. This book teaches us about nonviolent love in the face of opposition and challenge us to take risks for the gospel today.”  Family & Friends  A S S O R T E D N O T E S The martyrdom of Maria von Monjou, from Martyrs Mirror ECT founders Colson and Neuhaus Image from Martyrs Mirror (public domain)