A rare look into the Exclusive Brethren

For centuries, some Christian communities have shut themselves off from the outside world; closed orders of monks and nuns, and the Amish living simply on the lands. But the Exclusive Brethren sect, officially known as the Plymouth Brethren, are especially strict about contact with outsiders, sometimes ostracising those who leave.

Pippa Bailey is assistant editor of the British magazine The New Statesman. She’s from a Brethren family, and she recently published a deep dive into the religion that shaped her ancestors – and sometimes brought great pain.