Have your heard the term, "new monasticism?" It is a movement that is gaining recognition from Christians all over the world and I am intrigued by the thought and biblical understanding behind it. I saw this question posed in a recent article, "How can you worship a homeless man on Sunday and ignore one on Monday?" Wow! If that doesn't give you pause, nothing will. Individuals involved in this new movement are simply following an old method. The New Testament Church was a perfect model yet the modern Church just doesn't live there. We help individuals with food banks, clothing banks, giving annd the like but then...we go home. Biblically, we are to be in and stay in community with those we help and then they may someday help us. Isn't that a thought? We definitely have something to consider here as Christians. Take a look at how New Monasticism describes itself:1) Relocation to the abandoned places of Empire.
2) Sharing economic resources with fellow community members and the needy among us.
3) Hospitality to the stranger
4) Lament for racial divisions within the church and our communities
combined with the active pursuit of a just reconciliation.
5) Humble submission to Christ’s body, the church.
6) Intentional formation in the way of Christ and the rule of the
community along the lines of the old novitiate.
7) Nurturing common life among members of intentional community.
8) Support for celibate singles alongside monogamous married couples and their children.
9) Geographical proximity to community members who share a common rule of life.
10) Care for the plot of God’s earth given to us along with support of our local economies.
11) Peacemaking in the midst of violence and conflict resolution within communities along the lines of Matthew 18.
12) Commitment to a disciplined contemplative life.
Sounds like Jesus to me. So why I am so afraid of it?
1 comments:
The combination Evangelical Christianity in decline, marginalized, and a possible economic upheaval that may severely limit personal mobility and discretionary spending may move us, corporately, closer to this vision.
It is a frightening vision when you look at all the wealth you will certainly risk, probably lose. Wealth gives us an illusion of power and security. But to be vulnerable, unnoticed, quiet and working hard with our hands is very alien to the American dream.
After a year of unemployment and relocation, where we almost lost our white collar life and did lose friends and a church we loved we see clearly that we loved the way of life more than the giver of life. May it never be again, and may a movement like your describing have wings.
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