Sep

10

School(s) for Conversion: 12 Marks of a New Monasticism

monasticism / Neo-Monasticism / Reviews

School(s) for Conversion: 12 Marks of a New Monasticism
Edited by The Rutba House
Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2005
Review by Carl McColman

The Rutba House is an intentional Christian community located in Durham, NC; on the back of this book of essays, it is described as a “community of hospitality, peacemaking and discipleship.” It’s also a leading voice in an exciting development within the Christian community: “neo-monasticism.” According to the online essay A Brief History of New Monasticism, neo-monasticism can trace its roots back to a variety of sources, from the thought of Dietrich Bonhoeffer to the Taizé Community to the latter-day revivals of Celtic monasticism such as the Northumbria Community. Neo-monasticism is ecumenical, prophetic, rooted in tradition but radically open to the new ways in which the Holy Spirit is calling Christians to create countercultural expressions of communal life in Christ. Like so many other postmodern expressions of the faith, there’s no single “correct” form of neo-monasticism, but there are some recurrent themes. School(s) for Conversion is a collection of essays that seek to answer this question — What is neo-monasticism? — by considering a dozen of these qualities that seem again and again to show up among the many varied communities that are seeking to foster radical discipleship in today’s world.

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Sep

10

Quote for the Day

Quotations

Mother Teresa is often cited as an example from the 20th century of one who lived a Christ-like life. You don’t even have to be a Christian to see that she lived according to the Sermon on the Mount and the teachings of Jesus. Thousands of preachers hold her life up as an example for their congregations. Rarely, however, do I hear anyone explain the years of contemplation that Mother Teresa practiced in order to become the kind of person who could serve as Christ served. For most of us in our daily lives, the way of the cross still seems like a bad idea. Sure, it is a wonderful thing that Jesus died for us. Choosing to die for my enemies, though, is not something I’m hardwired to do. Mother Teresa learned to see the world differently. After years of adoring her crucified savior in contemplation, she became the kind of person who could love denying herself for her neighbor’s sake. She did not serve the poor because they made her feel guilty. She lived among the poorest of the poor as a humble servant because she could not imagine a better life. She had experienced a ‘change of mind.’ Mother Teresa had received the mind of Christ.

— Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove,
“Commitment to a Disciplined Contemplative Life” in
School(s) for Conversion: 12 Marks of a New Monasticism

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