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 8438 Plough Quarterly • Winter 2017 control, and money. In these kingdoms, you hit back if wronged, and if you had wealth, you secured it for yourself, not for your neighbor. “Not so with you,” Jesus told his disciples (Luke 22:24–30). God’s kingdom is drastically different (John 18:36). Citizens of his kingdom are inclusive; no one is left out or left behind. They govern themselves by means of the towel, the basin, and the cross. Among his adherents there is neither servant nor lord; all are broth- ers and sisters who make it their aim to serve the least. Jesus was more than political; he was radical. By refusing to engage in direct resistance, he bypassed the modus operandi of partisan politics altogether. He rejected means and methods deliberately calculated to manipulate public affairs, even if it was toward some noble end. Instead of using the threat of law, he invited people to pursue the good free- willingly. Jesus offered his followers a new kind of social existence in which the common good took priority. He brought about a new kind of body politic – the body of Christ – in which the good of all and the good of each coalesced into a life of unity and fellowship. The early chapters of Acts describe such a life. The miracle of Pentecost (Acts 2) was not primarily that people spoke in other tongues but rather that among them natural hierarchies and divisions were overcome. Jesus’ first fol- lowers shared all things in common and were of one heart, soul, and mind. Their lives were the evidence that the principalities and powers that divide humankind had indeed been defeated on the cross. The Missing Link Yoder’s words excited me. They also con- founded me. Where were the people who forsook politics to live out the justice of God’s reign? Countless churches did good works, yet their “social action” seemed to only go so far. Unwed mothers, though directed to crisis pregnancy centers, were later left to fend for themselves. Unemployed Christians still depended more on government assistance than on the church. The elderly were still shunted away in nursing homes, even by those com- mitted to a “focus on the family.” The rate of divorce in the church was (and still is) as high as anywhere else. And when it came to conflict or disagreement, power blocks and coercive majorities thrived inside the church just as they did in the secular world. One day the doors of our church were literally chained shut for our failure to comply with new denominational policies regarding women’s leadership. I didn’t know where to turn next. If what we read in the New Testament was true, if following Jesus meant adopting a distinct social ethic with others, then something had to give. I wanted to be a part of a community where Jesus was free to be ruler over every sphere of existence. My wife and I made a drastic change and joined the Bruderhof, a communal church or “embassy of the kingdom,” where we seek to submit our work, worship, food, housing, and education to the lordship of Christ. Needless to say, it’s an imperfect group. Yet here we have found a com- munity of families and singles, highly educated people and high school dropouts, people of all ages and nationalities – all determined to put their faith into practice in unity. Bruderhof life might look distinctive, but it’s not apolitical. It has a body politic all its own. Single mothers and their children, for instance, are not left to fend for themselves; they are con- nected with other families, receiving the same support as everyone else. The elderly are simi- larly cherished by family members and other caregivers in the community. They contribute to the community however they can, both practically and spiritually. For example, they