Living More With Less

Doris Janzen Longacre -

Long before "living simply" and "green" became popular, the late Doris Janzen Longacre wrote Living More with Less in 1980 as a practical guide for living in sustainable and healthy ways - with the objective of keeping poor people, God's creation, and each other in mind. Thirty years later, Living More with Less - 30th Anniversary Edition has been revised and updated as a way to celebrate and honor Longacre's legacy, and to pass on her vision for simple and sustainable living to a new generation.

Features and Strengths

Major Themes. The heart of Living More with Less can be summarized by with an overview of the three major sections of the book:

Part One introduces the legacy of Longacre's writing and gives perspective for today. Incidentally, Longacre died of cancer at age 39 before completing the manuscript of the 1st edition of the book.

 Part Two provides the theology behind living more with less, with discussions on what Longacre calls the "5 Life Standards":

  • Doing justice
  • Making do
  • Learning from the world community
  • The importance of nurturing people
  • Nonconforming freely

Part Three, which comprises nearly 2/3 of the book, provides a myriad of "living testimonies" - interesting insights and practical ideas from a wide range of ordinary people on how they view or live out the "Living More with Less" vision. To give you a sense of just how diverse and comprehensive Living More with Less goes with its subject matter, here is a list of topics covered in this section:

  • Money and Stewardship
  • Homes
  • Housekeeping
  • Gardens, Farms, and Markets
  • Cooking and Eating
  • Clothes and Bodies
  • Transportation and Travel
  • Recreation and Schedules
  • Celebrations and Life Passages
  • Technology and Media
  • Building Community

Guidance. Living More with Less understands that living out this vision will vary greatly from person to person - some may choose to live with less, while others do so out of necessity. Rather than prescribe how all Christians should live, this book provides a framework for living and making individual choices. 

Things To Be Aware Of

Almost all of the contributors to Living More with Less are from the Mennonite tradition, reflecting an Anabaptist perspective throughout in their writings. What makes this book unique is its rootedness in the Mennonite ideal that people should live simply and frugally - not because it's "cool" or to feel good, or to get ahead financially, but to intentionally engage with global poverty and take practical steps to address it. The book's royalties go to the Mennonite Central Committee, a global relief, development, and peace organization.

Available at Amazon.com