Monasticism: Part IV "Light of the World."

We are the light of the world;
may our light shine before all,
that they may see the good that we do,
and give glory to God. -“We are the Light of the World” an old hymn

There is one thing that remains to be talked about in this blog. It is a question many have asked since I began this short series: how is monasticism able to evangelize the world? How does it help fulfill the great commission? Clearly, it seems the emphasis it places on the community of believers, the difficulty to join that community, and the disciplined practices for ethical behavior does not sound like what we know as evangelism at all. This is a very good question. My answer is this: although it may not seem obvious, I believe much of monastic spirituality is essential. Monasticism creates a community worth joining in the first place.

It is best to outline the problem. Often times, the term “Christian” has been dragged through the mud because of what those in the world associate with it. The unsaved have an idea of what a Christian is, and they don’t like it. They’ve seen too much hypocrisy, judgmentalism, and phoniness. One can imagine what the world sees. Imagine them saying things like this:

Those Christians… they always think they’re better than those who aren’t.
Those Christians… they supported prop 8 because they hate homosexuals.
Those Christians… they always talk about marriage and family, but their divorce rate says otherwise.
Those Christians… are always preaching and waving signs when nobody wants to hear it.

I do not need to add to this list anymore. It can go on. Clearly, this kind of behavior hurts efforts to evangelize.

There is a solution that some have posed. We should call ourselves “Christ-Followers” (or something else) instead of calling ourselves Christians. While I am not a stickler about names, I think it is worth noting that simply changing a nomenclature and not changing the actual behavior is not very helpful. It is an attempt to talk ones way out of a reputation that we have behaved ourselves into.

Now imagine a different solution. Let’s imagine that the church in the United States took its energy, its money, and its time out of a lot of the more “public” endeavors. Let’s say we dropped the prop 8 campaign, we cut back street evangelism, worried less about altar calls, and had less outreach over all. Instead, let’s way we put all that effort into to concentrating on our own community. Imagine putting all those resources into helping every Christian confess their own sins, pray more deeply, examine themselves more thoroughly, and then help them develop virtues until they didn’t need rules anymore. Maybe there would be less new people coming in for awhile and maybe even some would leave, but those who stayed reached some of the same level of goodness the monks did.

In this scenario, the world might look at Christians and say things like this:

Those Christians… I never see them get angry.
Those Christians… they go out of their way to help each other so spontaneously.
Those Christians… they never have a lot of stuff, but never seem to worry about money.
Those Christians… they are always the first to admit when they make mistakes.

The point I am trying to make is twofold. First, if our behavior is what puts the world off, than we ought to spend some serious, serious, time reforming that behavior. This takes time, energy, and a deep inward look at ourselves before we rush out to evangelize. Secondly, we should form a community that those outside of the world look at and actually want to be a part of. Instead of doing evangelism as if we’re recruiting for a multi-level marketing agency, why not instead form a community that is so free of the vices that bother humanity that those outside will take notice, look in, and think, “I want to be part of that.”

Please understand, my point here is not to belittle the efforts of those who do more direct methods of evangelism. What I am saying is monasticism provides an indirect –but absolutely necessary- facet to the gem of Christian life. Bringing people into the community is important, but it is a pointless exercise if this community offers little. The community we create must be one which is so good that people will be attracted to it. It will be then only then that we can be light of the world and the city on the hill.

This the end of my monasticism blogs. Hey why not check out that book Doc Ok wrote?

Monasticism part III "How good we can become"

Of all the reasons why I like monasticism, I believe their ethical vision is what attracts me to it the most. If monasticism teaches us anything, it teaches us how good we can be. This was done by conscious and persistent attention to one’s own sins, and a deep desire for perfection. It motivated monks to behave in such a way that we find it difficult to fathom. Their approach, which is broadly termed ‘virtue ethics,’ contrasts with a lot of rule-based ethics that is sometimes taught in Christian circles.

It is not hard to think of the kinds of “rules” that we Christians –all the while talking about salvation through grace alone- often preach. A few might be rules such as these:

”Always give 10% of your paycheck, before taxes, as a tithe.”
“Don’t smoke, drink, or chew or go with girls who do.”
“Occasionally having wine or beer is okay, but if you’re really serious you know that drinking is bad.”
“Tame your tongue by not using the following curse words…”
“Pray and read your bible everyday.”

Many other rules could abound. Some are needed, some not so much. Yet all these “rules” have a common failing: they assume correction action without emphasis on forming correct character. It is if the entire Christian life can be summarized into an exhaustive set of “biblical commands” in which we memorize and then rigidly and impersonally apply to every situation in life. I cannot speak for every Christian out there, but this approach is simply exhausting.

The virtue ethics approach seeks to reform character and then assumes that good actions flow from that. Rather than finding a list rules, it goes deeper and seeks to change the needs, desires, and emotions that cause us to sin and create the list of rules. It begins with the seven deadly sins, recognizing them, and then resisting them. Though there is a “rule” to getting started on this path, St. Benedict rightly considered it only the beginning of perfection.

One great benefits of virtue ethics is that it gives us good habits (the virtues) to aim at in addition to sins to avoid. This is best explained by example. Instead of saying “always tithe 10%” the virtue ethics approach says, “resist the demon of greed. Be free of your enslavement and bondage to material possessions, so that you might have the virtue of generosity.” Instead of saying, “tame your tongue” it says, “pray that the Lord would give you patience in all things. Resist both anger and sadness. From there, you’re heart and your speech will always be pure.” The goal is never to memorize rules, but rather develop the right habits and desires so that rules are simply no longer needed.

Another benefit is that there is such a thing as unity to the virtues. This is not so easily seen with a rules based approach. Let’s say, for instance, that I find myself unable to tithe. Better put, for some reason I cannot be generous. Perhaps
I think back to my week, and I think about the last two times I ate out at a nice bristo. Perhaps I really didn’t want to eat some boring food at home, so I went out and purchased something far more costly.

What is happening here is that because I am not willing to avoid gluttony and strive for temperance by restraining what I eat, I suddenly find myself with less money (a consequence of greed as well) and now I “can’t” be generous enough to tithe. Is there something wrong, intrinsically, about restaurants? Not necessarily, but there is something intrinsically wrong with allowing my desire of tasty food to trump my desire to be generous.

Some may wonder exactly how far this can go. After all, we all admit that we sin and will always be tempted and such –at least until heaven. This is true to a large extent, but I think there is one story of two monks who spent years resisting anger that speaks for itself:

One tells of two old men who had lived together many years and never fought. One said to the other, “let’s have an argument like other people do.” But the other said, “I don’t know how to have an argument.” So the first told him, “Look, I’ll put a brick between us. Then I’ll say, ‘That’s mine.’ Then you say, ‘No it’s mine.’” So the first monk put the brick between them and started the argument: “That’s mine.” The second played his part: “no it’s mine.” The first immediately relented: “Okay it’s yours. Take it.” So the two gave up, unable to argue.”

(From Desert Christians: An Introduction to the Literature of Early Monasticism)

This little story –perhaps a parable- is both humorous and incredible in a very literal sense. I suggest though, that Christians think about stories such as these and be inspired. The monastic life, and its approach and practices of virtue ethics, should show us how good we can become.

Thanks for reading.

Monasticism: Part II "Welcoming but Challenging"

Welcome to Part II of the monasticism blogs.

The previous blog was about how Monasticism emphasized communal nature of Christian life over the individual “personal Jesus.” This emphasis on the internal Christian community did not mean that they ignored those outside their cloister. Rather, this community could be described a certain way: welcoming, but challenging.

The Monks of Saint Benedict were not the kind of monks who thought that interacting with outsiders was taboo. In fact, the idea of welcoming a stranger was as important as anything else. Any stranger could knock on an abby door, ask for a place to stay, and be welcomed. One could say that the stranger might be “welcomed warmly” but this does not do the monks justice. The instructions for hospitality clearly went above and beyond:

All guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ, for he himself will say: I was a stranger and you welcomed me (Matt 25:35). Proper honor must be shown to all, especially to those who share our faith (Gal 6:10) and to pilgrims…All humility should be shown in addressing a guest on arrival or departure. By a bow of the head or by a complete prostration of the body, Christ is to be adored because he is indeed welcomed in them. After guests have been received, the should be invited to pray; then the superior or appointed brother will sit with them.

The idea of welcoming strangers as if they were Christ himself is such a strong notion. Yet here, it seems so imminently scriptural.

Yet actually becoming one of the monks was significantly challenging. If someone hoped to join the monastery, they first had to show a great degree of persistence –even to get though the front door! Additionally, after persistently knocking on the door, those joining were not initiated right away. There was a long on-going process –a kind of vetting- in which a new member would go through before becoming a full monk. This lasted an entire year. The cautiousness in accepting a new member is summed up in this sentence from the rule: “Do not grant newcomers to monastic life an easy entry, but as the Apostle says, ‘Test the spirits to see if they are from God (1 John 4:1)’”

This could be summed up in what is meant by “welcoming, but challenging.” Strangers are welcomed as Christ himself. They were lavishly loved and cared for*. Yet those who wish to join must have patience. This is because the Christian life can be hard. It takes time to grow into.

That’s for part III.

Thanks for reading.


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*I should say that I and my family experienced something like this. Many years ago, while vacationing in Italy, my Dad had our family stay at convent. He’s cousin was a nun there. They were some of the most hospitable and caring people I have ever seen.

Monasticism: Part I "The City of God"

It was sometime ago that a friend reminded me that I should write a blog explaining why I like Monastic spirituality so much. I realized that it was a hard thing to sum up. Yet, I feel that I should do so. This, I think, demands a short series of blogs. This is part one of four.

The first place I must start is the close attention the monasticism pays to the communal nature of Christian life –or “living the Gospel” as it is often put. Additionally there is a specific way that monasticism believes that the Christian way of life should relate to the secular culture. Both of these are connected.

Christians in the modern and American day and age are used to thinking about their individual relationship with God. It is very rare, as some African Christians point out, for western Christians to talk about a communal relationship with God.

The rule of St. Benedict is an exception to this. The rule assumes that those in the monastery mutually mediate their relationship with God with one another. The monks prayed together. They worked together. They arose at the same time. They even ate together. Nothing was even owned by individuals, since those who entered into the monastery vowed to have all things in common. Throughout the rule there is a strong theme of “how do I help the other” rather than “how do I get in touch with God all by myself.” This idea of mutual service and mutual worship came before the emphasis on individual piety. It closely reflects the how the Church was at the beginning of Acts, in which believers shared all things in common and no one was in need.

The spirit of monasticism also emphasized a withdrawing from the world in order to create this community. This does not mean that monks did not care about the world, they sincerely did -but rather they believed that the only way to live out the Christian life was to depart from secular society. It was an attempt to create an alternative culture rather than reform the dominant one. It was only through this kind of asceticism and purity that the secular world could ever see what the Kingdom of God was.

Now the natural question to this is how does monasticism fulfill the great commission? Surely, Christians can’t simply completely withdraw from secular life. This is partially true. How monasticism hoped to spread the Gospel must wait for part four. For now it is enough to say that their way of spreading the Gospel is indirect, but still vital to what we know as evangelism today. Secondly, how one spreads the Gospel depends largely on how one views Gospel. This again must wait.

For now it enough to say this: monasticism viewed the Gospel as a way of life. In order for this way of life to being, one must form closely knit community. In order to create this community and live out the Gospel fully, monasticism had to say “no” to the surrounding culture and form an alternative. Part II will describe what the community looked like.

Thanks for reading.

Book Review: Monk Habits for Everyday People

At long last, I finally purchased and quickly read through Monk Habits for Everyday People: Benedictine Spirituality of Protestants A review of the book is overdue. I hope those of you MOSAIC types, as well the folk at Colorado, are reading this right now.

I can’t pretend to be objective in writing this review. Dennis Okholm (the author) was one of my professors at APU. I took a class on monasticism while this book was in the process of being published. That monasticism class was probably the most important theology class I took at APU. Learning how people could get together, withdraw from the so-called real world, and live out the Kingdom of God remain guiding principles in life to this day. Naturally, it is not something that is easily summed up and explained. After all, we went through at least three books for that class.

Monk Habits is a smaller and fruitful introduction to the Christian values of Benedictine monks. It begins with Doc Ok’s personal interest in monasticism. The “good evangelical boy” first began exploring and visiting Benedictine monasteries in the 80s. Because of his background as a Presbyterian minister, Doc Ok is able to explain the habits and customs of monks in ways that Protestants can understand and certainly learn from. This approach challenges many of our habits in Evangelicalism. Instead of finding the newest and latest work on Christian spirituality, Doc Ok points us to an old tradition. We need not re-invent the wheel for every generation.

Many object that monks withdraw to much from the world. It seems that monastic spirituality –even for those outside the cloisters- is irrelevant to the real world where the heavy lifting of evangelism is done. A careful reading of this book will help Christians see that this is not a problem. First, it reminds the reader that serious evangelism –one in which people truly change for the long term- often happens slowly. The habits and the virtues taught in this book help Christians grow closer to God. This likewise makes us better evangelists if we’re veteran Christians, and stick to the faith if we are new.

Secondly, this book gives a hint of what the “real world” is supposed to look like in the first place. The world culture we do evangelism in is the fake world. The way people treat each other and the habits that they do in that world are not what God originally intended. The monastic world, in which people actually forget how to have an argument, is the true world. The work of monks in cloisters inspires Christians outside of it to form alternative cultures to the prevailing one. It challenges us to live such good lives in our churches that those outside will be drawn to those communities.

So get the book now. Monasticism had a profound effect on my life. I’m sure it will for anyone else.