Monasticism Old and New

View Issue Contents

Free Subscription
Order Back Issues
Free Study Guides

Being a disciple of Christ requires a critical distancing from the culture that none of us can accomplish on our own. So, we hunger to relearn the historic practices of prayer and worship, service and hospitality, spiritual friendship and correction that can mold our hearts and minds in faithfulness, yet we harbor a lingering suspicion of mere tradition, uncritically appropriated. How shall we proceed?

"The restoration of the church will surely come from a sort of new monasticism," Dietrich Bonhoeffer predicted. Our contributors explore new forms of Christian community, sifting their continuity with classic monasticism and their transforming possibilities for our discipleship.

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove shows how monasticism offers a powerful critique of mainstream culture, and Ivan Kaufmann notes similarities between communities formed by evangelicals and monastics. Will Sampson explains why Bonhoeffer remains so attractive to Christians weary of the false dichotomy between right belief and right practice.

Matthew Mattingly (Saint Meinrad Archabbey), Celina Varela (Reba Place Fellowship), and Emily Rodgers (The Landing) profile their intentional Christian communities. Kyle Childress explores how local congregations might develop and follow a common rule of life.

Christian Reflection is an ideal resource for discipleship training in the church. Multiple copies are available for group study at $3.00 per copy.

The study guides and lesson plans integrate Bible study, prayer, and worship to explore how monastic communities, classic and new, offer transforming possibilities for our discipleship. The study guides can be used in a series or individually. You may download and reproduce them for personal or group use.