Miracles Course Journal: Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood

2/25/19

Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood

Free eBook version
Published on Scribd.com - eBook in PDF format

Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood
House of Light digital edition

114 pages
11 x 8.5"

View on-line or download here.

Editor’s introduction

The one hundred four letters collected in this book were originally published from the late 1930’s through the mid 1940’s in a weekly magazine called the Churchman. The letters were published as anonymous contributions by various writers from across the country. It is a mistake to think that all of the letters were written by a single individual. They were not. Many varous writers contributed over several years. From the content and style of the letters it seems likely that these unknown authors were professional Protestant clergy, or at least deeply immersed in the more spiritual side of the Christian faith.

The language of these letters can sometimes seem a bit archaic to the modern ear, but it is also clear that the authors were lovers of language, extremely literate, and sincere spiritual thinkers. A modern reader might notice the unaccustomed emphasis sometimes placed on racial divisions and identification with one’s “race,” but that is simply a sign of those times, and the word was also used to mean the “human race.” Some incomplete effort has been made to clean up the more annoying uses of “thee”, “thine”, and “shalt,” but enough remain so as to leave no doubt that these letters come to us from an earlier generation. Subsequent revisions to the ebook will reflect additional modernization efforts by the editor.

There letters were originally collected in book form by the editorial efforts of Mary Strong, about whom not much is known. First published in 1948 by Harper & Row, the book was reprinted in 1991 and it is still currently available for purchase. This present digital edition draws upon the same source materials as did the printed book, but the letters have been re-compiled in a different order of my own selection.

Coming out of the dark days of the great depression of the 1930’s and the terrifying days of World War II, this collection appears as a mighty call to take heart in the ever present solace of spiritual truth, and to focus on spirit rather than the distressing news of the day. As a source of inspiration and practical spiritual insight in the best Christian tradition, these letters are as valuable today as they were during those turbulent times.

Letters of the Scattered Brotherhood

—oOo—

Tom Fox Louisville, Kentucky