12 Marks of a New Monasticism

The following is a handout that I created for a meeting about intentional community. Essentially, it is a book review, with some quotes. I chose some quotes that challenged me. It is rather lengthy; I apologize.

Considerations for Intentional Communities: 12 Marks of New Monasticism
(From School(s) for Conversion: 12 Marks of a New Monasticism)

The following points were developed as intentional communities came together and shared their joint experiences, motivations, successes, and failures. They realized that the vast majority of these communities shared some commonalities.

Jonathan Wilson, a contributor to the above book, reminds readers of one of the key mindsets needed for an intentional community:

“To think eschatologically, Christians must recognize that the end of things cannot simply be inferred from their existence or their nature. That is, thinking eschatologically makes us realize that God’s actions are required for the goal or purpose of things to be realized. Living eschatologically, then, means that we must not line our living up with “the way things are” in this age. The way of discipleship to Jesus Christ is not the best strategy for “making life work” or “getting along in this world” as those phrases would be commonly understood. Rather, the way of Jesus is living by that which is seen by the eyes of faith and sustained by the presence of hope; living eschatologically is making present that which is yet to come.”

The Rutba House, a New Monastic community in Durham, NC, decided to compile essays from different people in different communities, each expounding on a different trait. You can read more about these traits and New Monasticism in the above book, or at www.newmonasticism.org. As The Rutba House states in the introduction:

“Moved by God’s Spirit in this time called Aermica to assemble at St. John’s Baptist Church in Durham, NC, we wish to acknowledge a movement of radical rebirth, grounded in God’s love and drawing on the rich tradition of Christian practices that have long formed disciples in the simple Way of Christ. This contemporary school for conversion, which we have called a “new monasticism,” is producing a grassroots ecumenism and a prophetic witness within the North American church which is diverse in form, but characterized by the following marks:”

1. Relocation to the abandoned places of Empire.

“An abandoned place is one that has no attraction for the “world of what’s happening now,” and therefore is left alone by the political, economic, and social powers that be. Deserts and wastelands are abandoned places. So are inner cities, some of the loneliest places on earth. The attration of the desert is its naturalness, openness, and unconventional beauty. It is like a blank canvas to an artist. The blank canvas or wall mirrors an interior state as well… the blankness is an invitation to renewed spiritual and environmental creativity and transformation. It is also a refuse from the filled and arranged and familiar canvas that society provides.”

2. Sharing economic resources with fellow community members and the needy among us.

“People do not get crucified for charity. People are crucified for disrupting the status quo, for calling forth a new world. People are not crucified for helping poor people. People are crucified for joining them.”

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.

“Racialized divisions in America have become, in Wendell Berry’s phrase, a ‘hidden wound,’ marked not by open hostility but by normalization with racialized, divided, accepted patterns of life concerning who “our people” are… essentially black and white churches… and different communal ways of being did not drop like meteors from the sky. The ground on which hwe live is not innocent; it only seems so because of forgetfulness… lament thus becomes a practice and task of remembering and grieving well, through which Christiansdo not forget and continue naming the truth about the past. To the extent that communities of Christians are able to do this, lament is not only a cry of grief – ‘Oh, God, we see and feel the pain of our divides, our brokenness!’ – but a declaration of hope – ‘This is not the way God intends things to be! Christ brings new life!’… One challenge is to remain deeply unsatisfied with a monologue with ‘people like us.’ This dissatisfaction will seek authentic dialogical enounter toward a far more transformative conversation and diversity of holy friendships. For example, to call for dialogue around a new monasticism only rings bells for people with a certain kind of tradition, or network, or education. It assumes there’s something attractive about renewing something called ‘monasticism,’ but does nothing for (and may repel) others for whom it might evoke a vague image of a thin, robed, white guy chanting inside distant, dark walls with other thin, robed, white guys, far removed from the streets, the world’s pain…”

5. Humble submission to Christ’s body, the church.

“The only alternative to the twin evils of individualism and spiritual pride is a ‘humble submission to Christ’s body, the church.’ Despite their faults – and they are many – every Christian congregation and every Christian denomination nevertheless has within it Christ’s living presence. It is not easy for radically committed persons to see themselves as part of these very imperfect structures and to participate in them as accountable members. But unless we do our efforts will come to nothing, for Christ has chosen to be present to us in the church, and unless we accept his presence there we will find him nowhere.”

6. Intentional formation in the way of Christ and the rule of the community along the lines of the old novitiate.

“The Simple Way in Philadelphia has found it useful to describe the way into community commitment by means of an “Onion.” These are the lays of the onion moving from the outer to the innermost core: Visitors, Guests, Nomads and Novices, Partners… The Onion’s layers do not necessarily represent increasing maturity. Rather, each layer has ‘different commitments, expectations, and accountability.’ It takes time to experience each layer before the seeker can know if this is God’s calling.”

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.

Two Poems To Ponder

My time at the Truth Voice Conference in Springfield, Ohio, and at the Emergent Theological/Philosophical Conversation in Philadelphia has left my head spinning, my heart racing, and my faith stretched. There is far too much to share in brief posts on a blog. However, there are two poems that have come to mind that explore some of my thoughts.

The first is Harlem, by Langston Hughes:

What happens to a dream deferred?

Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore-
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over-
like a syrupy sweet?

Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.

Or does it explode?

The second poem plays with the concept of Truth. It is by Emily Dickenson:

Tell all the Truth but tell it slant-
Success in circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise
As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind-

Some Definitions

I have realized lately that when talking about my recent thoughts and understandings, there is not a common understanding of the meaning (definition or use) of certain words or phrases. Since all communication is subjective and symbolic, common association and meaning in the word (symbol) is inherent to effective communication. I've realized that several of my friends engaged in this discussion of "opting out of the American Dream" use terms differently, and thus conflict and misunderstanding develop.

Thus, I thought I would define some words in terms of how I use them. This exercise is mostly for my own sake, so that I can establish common grounds with people I'm having discussion with.

1. The American Dream.

Wikipedia defines it like this:

The American Dream is a subjective term usually implying a successful and satisfying life. Perceptions of the American dream are usually framed in terms of American capitalism, its associated purported meritocracy, and the freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Bill of Rights. The term is not easily defined, and has subjective meaning to many who claim it. The term is used by many modern Americans to signify success in life as a result of hard work (as in, "living [or pursuing] the American Dream").

To put it in my own words, the American Dream is a socioeconomic construct that informs us that freedom (defined as Americans define it... freedom of speech, press, religion, etc) and capitalism combine to allow hard working individuals to attain a better life (as defined by your socioeconomic status) for yourself and your children. Implicit in that construct is a value system that esteems individuality, material wealth, status, and security obtained by individual hard work.

Wikipedia mentions some criticism this way:

However, there are also those who think that the American dream is not even a good ideal to try to live up to:

• Consumerism and economic materialism: Its emphasis on material possessions as a way of finding happiness is seen by critics as being somewhat superficial or meaningless.
• Social justice: The American Dream has been criticized as promoting an ethic of selfishness and promoting social inequality.

I think that that sums up the critique I have of the American Dream.

2. Community.

I will try to use it as it is commonly understood in most circles; a community is a collection of people bound together in some fashion, whether it be geographic (like a neighborhood), a belief system, or a profession. For example, I'm part of the broader "medical community." Or, a "community church" is a church claiming to be more connected to a locality than to a denomination.

3. Intentional Community.

When I use this term, I'm referring to a group of people who have chosen to be in relationship to one another, with certain benefits and responsibilities. For example, a biologic family is not intentional community (at least not initially) because you can't choose your family. Or, just living in a neighborhood is not intentional community, because you can't choose your neighbors, nor are do you make commitments to one another.

4. Communal Community.

I recognize the inherent redundancy, but in using this term I'm building on the common usages of the terms "commune" and "communal"; in other words, a communal community is a group of people who actual share a living space or common spaces. Roommates are a form of communal community.

5. Intimate Community.

To me, this term represents a group of people who are very emotionally and socially intimate. This could refer to a family, or to any of the above other types of community.

6. Holistic Community.

I had trouble finding a phrase to describe an emotionally intimate, purposefully committed group of people who share a common living space. Holistic is the best term I could come up with, as it refers to a community that is intimate, intentional, and communal.

Perhaps defining these things will help me in my own deliberation/meditations. For example, I'm really wanting an intimate community that is also intentional. I am definitely willing to have that in a communal setting. But that is not the only way. Several of us could move into the same neighborhood with the intention of being committed to each other and being Christ in the community. We could spend a lot of time together, but still have separate houses. It may not be holistic community, but it would be intimate and intentional.

May God grant me the wisdom to understand his will for me, and grant me intimacy with him and others, and give me the strength to do it intentionally. Amen.

Opting out of the "American Dream"

If I were to say, "I'm considering opting out of the American Dream," I would likely be confronted with several questions. The most common would likely be, "Why?" One friend asked, "What is the American Dream?" My first question would be "Is it even possible to opt out of the American Dream?"

This jumble of questions and thoughts was spurred by the previously mentioned speaker, Shane Claiborne. To make sense of the idea of opting out of the American Dream, I think that all of the above questions have to be wrestled with.

The most basic starting point is defining the American Dream. And that, of course, is hard to do. Most would broadly define it as wanting a better life for yourself and your children. To that extent, I actually think that that is not an American Dream, but the Dream of Jesus. It is the particular way in which Americans seek that dream that is so disheartening.

Some define it with a tableau: A nice house with two cars in a two-car garage, a white picket fence with a nice yard, kind neighbors, good schools, sidewalks, and street lights. A two parent home with 2 or 3 (the statistical 2.5) children. This tableau, while nice and attractive, betrays a lot of prejudice and selfishness. How? Well, for example, the ever-prominent fence in the tableau indicates that division and separation (segregation?) are valued. The proverb that "good fences make for good neighbors" only makes sense when you have a strong sense of private (selfish?) property and value isolation. (As a contrast, in Norway, where I spent a summer, there are only fences to keep livestock/animals in check, and there are no trespassing laws; while people "own" the property, the society acknowledges that the use of that property -for hiking or camping, let's say- should be shared by all.) It says, what is mine is mine and not yours, and don't think of using it. And the fact that the tableau has a family that is barely recognizable in America anymore, inherently excludes singles, the divorced and widowed, and the growing complexity of relationships that share life together.

Another way of explaining the American Dream is functional. Looking back through history, and tracing the development of the suburbs (wherein the above American Dream tableau resides), one can see that the pursuit of the American Dream is a process of getting more (private) land, building bigger (extravagant?) houses, and leaving areas of poverty and hurt to start fresh. Essentially, as my best friend put it, the American Dream functionally says, "To hell with you and all your poverty, hurts, pollution, and decay, I'm outta here." It is the exact opposite pursuit from that of a life practicing resurrection.

I'm sure people who are striving for or are proud of having "achieved" the American Dream would ever overtly state those things. As someone who is currently engaged in that pursuit, I can attest to that. But it seems clear to me to be implicit in the American Dream.

So, as to "Why opt out of the American Dream?" There are many more reasons, such as sense of community, and economics, but if I were to sum it up for me right now, I would say that I'm trying to opt out of the American Dream to practice resurrection and live in community with those around me in the Way of Jesus. What does/will that look like? I don't know, but I'm excited about it, and thankfully, I have several brothers and sisters in Jesus who are also trying to opt out of the American Dream.

The one remaining question left unanswered for me: Is it even possible? I am hopeful that I can, at least to some extent. There are groups of people trying to. The Christian Community Development Association is a resource for those who are interested in being intentional with community. I think their three keys are a good start for me to consider: Relocation, Redistribution, and Reconciliation.

May God have mercy on us all as we strive to incarnate His body. Amen.

Practicing Resurrection

On Sunday, April 1, 2007, I got to hear Shane Claiborne share some powerful thoughts about living the life of an ordinary radical at Wide Eyed Life. He is part of a faith community called The Simple Way in Philadelphia. I could go on and on about how he and his book (Irresistible Revolution: Living the Life of an Ordinary Radical) have influenced me. More accurately, he and his book have given validation and expression to where my faith journey has been going already.

One of several things that Shane mentioned that has really stuck with me is that he and his friends try to “practice resurrection.” What a word picture. One of the central tenets of Christianity is the concept of renewal, with a hope of resurrection. It is hard to understand and see, since we don’t see physically resurrected people walking about town (at least I don’t recognize any!). But, our faith can grow through the process of seeing other things resurrected. It gives us hope and helps us understand it a bit better. For example, when someone repairs and remodels an old house, people can see the resemblance to the original, and yet it is different, beautiful, new, and vibrant. Sometimes walls are town down and put elsewhere, but in general, the floor plan is the same; yet it is almost unrecognizable. Doesn’t that describe the common understanding of the “final” resurrection?

So what does it mean to “practice resurrection?” Well, for one thing, it means to be involved in a renewal project, whether it be a house, a neighborhood, an economy, or someone’s career or spiritual life. Shouldn’t Christ-followers be involved in the same activities that Jesus was involved in? From the beginning, Jesus was involved in creation. But Jesus incarnated to re-create (renew, resurrect) things around him. But practicing resurrection also develops and exercises our faith in the concept of resurrection. If we believe that an old, run-down house can be resurrected, and we work to make it happen, we begin to see how our own resurrection is both currently, and ultimately, taking place.

May God grant me the strength to live a life where I practice resurrection.