The notion and terminology of Protestant "new monasticism" was developed by Jonathan Wilson in his 1998 book called
Living Faithfully in a Fragmented World. Wilson was, in turn, building on ideas of theologian
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who said in 1935: "the restoration of the church will surely come only from a new type of monasticism which has nothing in common with the old but a complete lack of compromise in a life lived in accordance with the Sermon on the Mount in the discipleship of Christ." Wilson also built on ideas of philosopher
Alasdair MacIntyre. Noting the decline of local community that could sustain the moral life, MacIntyre ended his book
After Virtue, by voicing a longing for "another...
St. Benedict." By this, he meant someone in the present age to lead another renewal of
morality and
civility through community. Wilson identified with that longing in his own book, but outlined a vision to carry it forward within the Protestant Christian tradition. Calling the vision a "new monasticism", he proposed four characteristics that such a
monasticism would entail: (1) it will be "marked by a recovery of the
telos of this world" revealed in Jesus, and aimed at the healing of fragmentation, bringing the whole of life under the lordship of Christ; (2) it will be aimed at the "whole people of God" who live and work in all kinds of contexts, and not create a distinction between those with
sacred and
secular vocations; (3) it will be disciplined, not by a recovery of old
monastic rules, but by the joyful discipline achieved by a small group of
disciples practicing mutual exhortation, correction, and reconciliation; and (4) it will be "undergirded by deep theological reflection and commitment," by which the church may recover its life and witness in the world. The middle months of 2004 became a defining moment for the movement, when there was a gathering of a number of existing communities and academics in
Durham,
North Carolina, where they drew together something like a "rule of life," referred to as the "12 marks" of new monasticism. The gathering took place at a new monastic community called "Rutba House," of which some founding members were
Jonathan and Leah Wilson-Hartgrove. Not coincidentally, Leah Wilson-Hartgrove is the daughter of Jonathan Wilson whose writing has galvanized the movement. Building on the work of MacIntyre,
Rod Dreher published a book in 2017 called
The Benedict Option. In this he outlines a strategy for western Christians to survive the influence of a hostile society. He identifies order, prayer and work, stability, community, hospitality and balance as tools for living a Christian life. Dreher points to
intentional communities such as Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, the
Bruderhof, or the School for Conversion as examples of the Benedict Option being lived out today.
Common themes Values Most Protestant new monastic communities emphasize the following: • Thoughtful, prayerful, and
contemplative lives • Communal life (expressed in a variety of ways depending on the community) • A focus on hospitality • Practical engagement with the poor
"Twelve Marks" The "Twelve Marks" of new monasticism express the common thread of many new monastic communities. These "marks" are: • Relocation to the "abandoned places of Empire" [at the margins of society] • Sharing economic resources with fellow community members and the needy among us • Hospitality to the stranger • Lament for racial divisions within the church and our communities combined with the active pursuit of a just reconciliation • Humble submission to Christ's body, the Church • Intentional formation in the way of Christ and the rule of the community along the lines of the old
novitiate • Nurturing common life among members of an
intentional community • Support for celibate singles alongside monogamous married couples and their children • Geographical proximity to community members who share a common rule of life • Care for the plot of God's earth given to us along with support of our local economies • Peacemaking in the midst of violence and conflict resolution within communities along the lines of
Matthew 18 • Commitment to a disciplined
contemplative life Differences from traditional Christian monasticism The movement differs from other Christian monastic movements in many ways. • Traditional monastic vows of celibacy, poverty, and obedience are not normally taken, as with members of traditional monastic orders, such as the
Benedictines,
Cistercians,
Carthusians, and
Basilians. • Communities do not always live in a single place, but geographic proximity is emphasized by the movement. • The movement allows married couples. Most traditional forms of Christian religious life do not admit married couples. (Certain centuries-old Catholic, Lutheran and more recent Anglican groups, known as
"third," "secular," or "lay" orders, also admit married individuals who profess the spirituality of the order (including the
Franciscans and
Dominicans), but these are neither new nor monastic.) This, however, does not apply to much newer movements in the Catholic Church that accept married couples even into their core governance structures, of course. Check new communities such as
Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity, etc. Missionary married couples there profess spirituality of the community there too. Furthermore, members do not wear habits. • Not all new monastic orders have religious garb and those which do will not normally require members to wear
religious habits. This is somewhat similar to traditions among the long-established Catholic third orders, whose members may wear some form of the religious habit of the order with which they are associated. ==Other forms ==