“It is the one terrible heresy of the church, that it has always been presenting something else than obedience as faith in Christ.” —George MacDonald

There are still seats available at the venue! If you're in Austin, TX, we'd love to have you join us at Mozart's Coffee Roasters, overlooking Lake Austin, for an evening of discussion and conviviality. Sign up now! www.plough.com/en/events/20...

“I wanted to find the peace that passes understanding. And so I went, following trails blazed by artists, writers, Sufi mystics, and vast numbers of sport kayakers, deep into the canyons of the New Mexico high desert.” —Margaret Wardlaw

“In an age when many seem allergic to mystery, Rilke’s spiritual restraint feels radical. He teaches that faith is neither loud nor showy, that silence might better invite a visitation of the invisible.” @ysl.bsky.social

“Perhaps the most important lesson I have learned is that we, each one of us, is fragile, beautiful, glorious, and not so different from each other – no matter how different our appearances might be.” —Morf Morford

Thanks to everyone who joined us in Milwaukee this week for a Plough Reader Meetup!

“When you trick-or-treat, you play the goblin. But the ritual has its bass notes of fear for you as well. The dependency of children – having to ask for everything you want, without status of your own, in a social nexus whose rules and graces you probably have not mastered.” —Clare Coffey

“Instead of holding ourselves above the disciplined member, we need to repent with him and see where our own sin might have caused him to stumble. Our goal should never be punishment, but rather restoration.” —Johann Christoph Arnold

Earlier this month, Plough hosted a talk by Paul Kingsnorth on how to resist technological takeover. Watch the recording here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXPP...

“Weeds have something to tell us in their resistance to our plans – something that, if heard, will help us nurture and nourish our life in creation.” —Ragan Sutterfield

Readers in/near Austin, TX! Join us Nov 7 at The Loft at Mozart's Coffee Roasters, a beautiful venue on Lake Austin. Enjoy excellent company and refreshments. You don't have to be a Plough reader to attend - anyone is welcome! www.plough.com/en/events/20...

“I do think that the idea that grace perfects nature without abolishing it is very important and it’s perfectly illustrated in Christ that he’s no less human and natural for being God.” —Andrew Davison

Leah Libresco Sargeant joined R. R. Reno at First Things to talk about her recent book, *The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto*. Listen to their conversation here:

Indeed. I always take real-checkout over self-checkout. One of my little acts of resistance to the technocratic paradigm, in Pope Francis's term. Also, it lets my daughters laugh at me when the sign says "Under 50? Show ID" and they punch me right through. (I'm 48.)

“When I go to the store and choose the check-out aisle with the real live human, it’s my chance to act, against screens and isolation, and for people, community, and interdependence.” —Midge Goldberg

Years later, I’d learn just how brave my father was, and how a wave of chill or doubt could leave him caught in his own grim cocoon of thought. Jean L. Kreiling www.plough.com/en/topics/cu...

Reader Meetup in Chicago next Tuesday evening! Plough editor @alankoppschall.bsky.social will host the discussion. Don't miss out! www.plough.com/en/events/20...

“Each community is a chapter in the overarching and ongoing story of Christians on the way, each group seeking the presence and power of God in the shared life of community.” —Alden Bass

“Walls become firmer as more people despair of an end to the division. If we want to break down the walls, we need to first bring down the walls in our own hearts.” —Uk-Bae Lee

New PloughRead from Fleming Rutledge: “Preaching with Power” Listen here 📻: open.spotify.com/episode/6rUJ...

Read The Supernatural issue online: plough.com/en/subscript...

“His memoirs do not glorify but portray an intensely personal journey to the center of faith. ... This is a powerful book of lasting importance. I recommend it fully.” —Judith Robinson

“Hahn’s commitment to running a small vineyard using regenerative techniques makes him stand out among the crowd of dissatisfied corporate folk chucking the fast life to find peace on a farm.” —Ian Barth

“As I watched my father grieve, ‘The Pearl’ made sense to me as a synthesis of these two readings – as an elegy to a lover. It also further humanized the biblical parable for me. What is the kingdom of heaven if not love fully embodied in total devotion?” —Derek Furr

“In a time when faith is often equated with certainty – and doubt seen as betrayal – Weil offers a radically different model: one of reverent questioning, humble attention, and tireless love.” —Stefani Ruper

The Christmas issue of Plough is on Beauty. Which cover is most beautiful of all? Check out the three leading designs, then leave a comment about your favorite one. Cover 1: THE WINDOW Cover 2: SNOWSCAPE Cover 3: FOREST

Give a Plough Gift Subscription! 🎁 Before the busy holiday season arrives, take advantage of our lowest rate of just $15/year to give a Plough gift subscription to a special person. (Offer available in US and Canada only.) subscribe.plough.com/flex/PPH/YGL...

“The thing to remember is not to read so much or talk so much about God, but to talk to God. To practice the presence of God.” —Dorothy Day

“Trocmé’s memoir is a detailed account of one man’s response to the particular challenges he faced as his world fell into war. But it also speaks to how Christians in other times and places should respond to the challenges they face.” —Baptist News Global

“At the center of Christian faith, there is a table set by someone who did not screen the guests. He washed the feet of a betrayer, broke bread for a man about to deny him, and prayed forgiveness over men casting dice for his garments at the foot of the cross.” —Brandon McNeice

After a long hiatus, we’re happy to announce that our podcast is back! It’s now called “Another Life with Joy Clarkson”. Listen and subscribe here: www.plough.com/podcast

“Violence is most easily prevented by blaming someone else – an outsider or a stranger. This clears the air and brings peace. Girard calls it the mechanism of the scapegoat, after the practice described in Leviticus 16:10.” —Frank Mulder

“Acknowledging the reality of need means acknowledging that caregiving is not a niche occupation. Each of us will give and receive care throughout our lives, sometimes in paid positions, sometimes in unpaid ones.” —Leah Libresco Sargeant

“It is our ties to each other, the intimacy of our need that gives rise to our love.” —Leah Libresco Sargeant Thanks to everyone who attended the book launch of *The Dignity of Dependence* last week!

“A good life is not merely one indefinitely extended through meticulous attention to bodily wellness, but one spent in community and with joy.” —Malcolm Guite

Plough Reader Meetup in Cincinnati this Friday! Don't miss the chance to meet other readers in your area, discuss the latest issue, and generally enjoy good food and company. And you don't have to be a Plough reader to attend – anyone's welcome! plough.com/en/events/20...

“What a phenomenal book! The Plough does it again! I have 23 pages of notes dense with wisdom-rich quotes. …The extract and chapter lengths are long enough to be substantial, but short enough to communicate a clear, concise point.” —Lakshmi Piette Walker lakshmipiette.substack.com/p/book-revie...

“The criterion of a genuinely Christian spirituality is the experience of spiritual suffering. This is what it means to be marked with the sign of the Son of Man, that is, the cross.” —Benjamin Crosby

“Without the church, character cannot be developed, and faith, hope, and love cannot be formed. Without the church, Christian witness invariably gets co-opted by the political and economic ideologies of our age.” —Charles E. Moore renovare.org/articles/jes...

“Shūsaku Endō portrays grace in fleeting moments of luminosity: the fallen priest crossing himself when he thinks no one is looking, a flicker of true pity for the resented father, a recitation of the Beatitudes, a moment of acceptance and forgiveness.” —Joy Marie Clarkson

Last week Plough hosted a talk by Paul Kingsnorth on how to resist technological takeover. Watch the recording here:

“Vocation is not about being able to fulfill our desires, pursue our passions, or follow our bliss. Vocation is about being called by others to serve. This understanding offers a much bigger vision of vocation than mere self-fulfillment.” @karenswallowprior.bsky.social

Watch the video of Paul Kingsnorth speaking about his new book, Against the Machine: On the Unmaking of Humanity. Thanks to sponsor Abigail Adams Institute and thank you Sean D. Kelly and Jacqueline C. Rivers for your responses.

“As Wendell Berry lives into his tenth decade, he meditates on the way a simple story – one held in place and handed down from one generation to another – can shape our lives beyond all expectation.” —Jeffrey Bilbro

“We must never withdraw from the rushing stream of present-day life into a selfishness of soul that makes our love grow cold in the face of need and the countless paths of guilt connected with it.” —Eberhard Arnold

Paul Kingsnorth, Jacqueline Rivers and Sean D. Kelly speaking at Harvard University this evening. Watch now: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iOS...

“I don’t want courses or gurus or weekend retreats to fix me. I want old apple trees anointed by the touch of God. Trees that wrap themselves around me and trees that gasp the last of their life force into a lovely little apple, round and perfect, that I may eat.” —Tara Couture

"... paint the portrait or the porch. Try again after the miscarriage; love the children whose hands you wash and the children whose hands you never got to. Get the puppy. Live. Live. Live." Very beautiful short essay: www.plough.com/en/topics/li...

🎟🎟🎟 A few seats have opened up for the Paul Kingsnorth lecture at Harvard University tomorrow! Wednesday, Oct 1 at 6 p.m. 110 Thompson Room, Barker Center Purchase your ticket here: jotform.com/251945574979...

“If you find yourself confused, wavering, disillusioned, or just needing encouragement to remain faithful, Hauerwas’ understanding of the good news can make a real difference.” —Charles E. Moore