History would write about these three men separately, but they were part of a single world. Father Paolo, Father Frans, and Father Jacques were constantly crossing paths, as were the young people who loved them.

What is Christianity’s answer when civilization is falling apart? The most effective way to resist evil starts with becoming quiet before God. But it doesn’t stop there.

Where, after all, have many of those who have been most effective in the world gotten their ability to carry on? What is the source of the stubborn grace with which these people have persisted in doing good?

My father, Johann Christoph Arnold, was many things: a pastor, an elder in the Bruderhof, a veteran of the fight for peace and reconciliation through forgiveness, a warrior in the struggle to live the gospel and love his neighbor.

Sin is not only easy to find, but it comes after you. We are prompted and guided to distraction, coaxed into desiring things we never thought we needed or needed to know.

Curiosity is a sin. But what about our inborn desire to understand things – is that all bad?

Nature is your church? Not so fast, says an Indian reservation priest. If there’s a spirituality of the land, it’s tougher than any religion you might be escaping.

“If you are not alarmed, you are failing to read the signs of the times.” A transcript of Rod Dreher’s remarks at the Plough event “Time for the Benedict Option?”.

“I’m not certain Rod is right about where we are at. But I don’t think it matters that much, because many of the things he calls for are useful and important.”A transcript of Ross Douthat’s remarks at the Plough event “Time for the Benedict Option?”.

“There is a danger in using fear as a motivator. This can lead people to seek Christian community for cultural security, which is just another kind of idol.”A transcript of Michael Wear’s remarks at the Plough event “Time for the Benedict Option?”.

“The original Benedict Option is Acts 2:42-47. We should be doing the things that are outlined there.” A transcript of Jacqueline Rivers’ remarks at the Plough event “Time for the Benedict Option?”.

“It seems to me that the howls of protest about ‘withdrawal’ … miss the point: The stronger the center, the more daring the outreach can be.” A transcript of Randall Gauger’s remarks at the Plough event “Time for the Benedict Option?”.

We deafen God day and night with our words, “Lord, thy will be done.” But then when God’s will does happen, we are furious and don’t like it a bit.

Charity is such a wise merchant that she earns profits everywhere where others lose, and she escapes the bonds that bind others.

Perhaps, in spite of everything, he does love me.

For we are not to speak our own words, or in our own wisdom or time; but the Spirit’s words, and in the Spirit’s wisdom and time.

We welcome letters to the editor. Here are some readers’ responses to articles that appeared in Plough’s Spring 2017 issue, Courage.

An American impressionist painter uses her artwork to tell the stories of heroism, loss, and strength of families who lost a loved one in active duty.

Combining humor with frustration over Poland’s political situation and global issues such as poverty, war, and racial division, Pawel Kuczynski uses visual metaphors to bring out uncomfortable truths.