11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
With Justice and Mercy, Simply and Clearly, Let Us Live out Our Christian Worldview, Jan 1 2011
By H. Laack - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Living More with Less (Paperback)
Writing in 1979, shortly before her untimely death, Doris Janzen Longacre "knew then what many people are just now discovering: living with less can bring more joy and contentment than living with a lot." Unfortunately, in the thirty years that have passed since the first edition of Live More With Less, most of our culture's trends have gone exactly against this philosophy. The go-go years of the 90s and early 00s led only to more and more consumption, larger houses, more clothes (did you know that census data shows Americans bought 75% more clothing in 2005 than in 1995?), and on and on.
With the changed economic climate of the past couple of years, perhaps there is no better time than now to read through and act upon the many good thoughts in this challenging book. Christians in North America especially should find much to ponder, pray about, and then act upon, both personally and as congregational groups.
This edition includes large sections of the 1980 text unchanged, but adds in a large number of essays and comments from Mennonites and others with suggestions for living "more with less" even, or especially, in the 21st century. Here you will find idea starters, suggestions, and examples of how many Christians around the world have been able to "live more with less" and have found great joy and fulfillment in the process.
Definitely something to be considered for anyone seeking to live out their Christian faith winsomely and wisely.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Escape the thorns that jab our souls and limit our life with God, Dec 10 2010
By Geni J. White - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Living More with Less (Paperback)
Living More with Less
30th anniversary edition
Doris Janzen Longacre
Revised and edited by Valerie Weaver-Zercher
© 2010 by Herald Press, Scottsdale, PA 15683
244 pp. plus notes, ppbk.
Rising from Mennonite culture and the Bible, the concepts in this book shows us many ways to escape the clutches of materialism and honor God in preserving His creation.
Doris Janzen Longacre wrote the first edition of this book thirty years ago, with a good response from readers. This edition has updated articles and ideas for a lifestyle that can escape the trap of materialism. Jesus called materialism thorns in our souls.
Part One introduces the legacy of Jantzen's writing and gives a retrospect for today.
Part two, The Life Standards, tells the theology behind living more with less and offers five life standards. Chapters discuss justice, making do, learning from the world community and the importance of nurturing people. One article talks about cherishing the natural order. Jantzen has written on `nonconforming freely'--enjoying the life of more with less.
Part Three, called Living Testimonies, discusses our use of money; our homes; home keeping with less; gardens, farms and markets; cooking and eating; clothes and bodies; transportation and travel; recreation; technology and media, and even churches and meetinghouses that embody the principle of living more with less.
A well-written and challenging book.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simplify life and help the world, Mar 28 2011
By Mary Hake - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Living More with Less (Paperback)
I remember Doris Janzen Longacre's original volume, published in 1980. At that time I was a young mother who had been raised by frugal parents, so the ideas in this book attracted me. But it's more than a treatise on how to live simply. The author sets forth five life standards by which we should abide. In today's world, the standards call us to heed their guidance more than ever before.
This new version is updated with many contributors' suggestions for living in harmony with our neighbors and creation. The original life standards of Do Justice, Learn from the World Community, Nurture People, Cherish the Natural Order, and Nonconform Freely are expanded and enriched. I think every person can and should find ideas to implement to make our world better. The book contains much information that will prove useful when thinking through changes in lifestyle.
Get a copy for your home and your church library and ask your public library to purchase it too. Living More with Less has the potential to help transform our daily lives, which will then affect the rest of humanity.