The Bridge

Jimmy posted this on his site. I’m copying it for this one.

I keep coming back to the ideas espoused by the “movement” that is being called “The New Monasticism”. Since I heard about it a year or more ago, it seems like I keep coming across it. I’ve liked the idea of intentional Christian communities in terms of proximity of living, shared table, and common vision for a while. I’ve come to believe that the closest we get to what Christian community could be in our culture is during college…when we all live together. Then the American culture tends to be a downhill run of individuality and lonliness for most people. Here are the 12 Marks of the New Monasticism from the New Monasticism website :

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.

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.

This appeals to me so much that it drives me crazy at times. It’s appealing but requires so much. Here is another link to some documents relating to the New Monasticism.

Good things for us to consider in our infancy.