I thought it might be a fun idea to give a bit of explanation regarding this "New Monasticism" (see blog below) as I understand it.
Again, everyone will walk this out differently. It is more a set of the heart than it is clothing or details of expression...... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Again, everyone will walk this out differently. It is more a set of the heart than it is clothing or details of expression...... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"New Monasticism" is a term I first ran across in a book entitled The New Friars.
For the sake of definition at this point "monk" is a term used initially in Catholicism to describe one who was a "religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work". In other words someone who had fully dedicated their life to Jesus through prayer, contemplation and manual labor and who lived in some sort of community where others were doing the same thing. This community was a "monastery". Originally the term "monk" was used only for men and they were celibate. Now it is used for men and women and they can be single or married. For a delightful Catholic example of this mix this see: www.littleportion.org/. For a Protestant example see: www.prayerfoundation.org/.
In the "old days" you had only Catholic monks. The monastery was pretty austere and they sang Gregorian Chant etc. The "New Monasticism" is a taking of this old concept and re-working it for a new generation that wants to throw off the spirit of this age and whole-heartedly pursue Jesus through prayer, fasting, contemplation and manual labor.
One example of this is the Taize Community in France. See: www.taize.fr/en
An second fascintating example is the "Boiler Room" Movement. See: www.24-7prayer.us/
A third example, where I have thrown in my lot, is the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. www.ihop.org/
Although we maintain the same ideas and "patterns" of the monastic idea we do not do Gregorian Chant but "Harp and Bowl" (here at the IHOP-KC anyway) which is same concept in praying the Scriptures through antiphonal singing but with a different style music for this generation. This is part of the reason why I see it is not as "Monasticism" but "New Monasticism". It is an unofficial designation but the category we fall into. Some of us refer to ourselves as "Carmelitos Evangelicos" or "Evangelical Carmelites". The Carmelite Order is an old order from Spain which many would be familiar with through John of the Cross. His poetry is stunning and portrays a man who was so unbelievably in love with Jesus.
Here is an official definition of "New Monasticism": New Monasticism, or Neomonasticism, is a modern day iteration of a long tradition of Christian monasticism which has recently developed within certain communities associated with Protestant Evangelicalism. New Monastic communities vary in their particular values. Some emphasize very specific marks,where others emphasize other principles. The most common occurring principle among New Monasticism is a seeking after a more thought-out, prayerful, contemplative, and peaceful life.
There are no books specifically on the New Monasticism to my knowledge but I would HIGHLY recommend The New Friars by Scott Besseneker. (http://www.amazon.com/New-Friars-Emerging-Movement-Serving/dp/0830836012)
Regarding "Protestant Monks".....
This concept I first ran across in people like Rich Mullins and Amy Carmichael.
Although there is no official "vow taking ceremony" in most evangelical circles there are many people I have run across throughout life who have felt this tug from Jesus to walk in the "ancient paths" of prayer, fasting, etc. The First Commandment being First sort of thing and they desire to make it more...official...so to speak.
In the old traditions of monasticism the monks abandoned everything the world put it's hope, focus, time and etc into and took vows, separating themselves from all of that and throwing their lives at the feet of Jesus with abandon. Like Mary of Bethany (or the harlot, depending on which Gospel you're reading) pouring the oil of worship on the feet of Jesus.
The monks of old, took vows before God, shaved their heads and became "consecrated" unto the Jesus. The traditional vows are of poverty, obedience and chastity. Different Orders have different variations on this. Some have a vow of simplicity and not complete poverty. Others add vows. But basically it is the same.
So, there are many Protestant who make their own vow ceremonies and take vows to Jesus of simplicity, obedience and chastity, defining the outworking of these things according to their life calling.
Chastity is pretty obvious in that if you are not married then you walk in abstinence, if you are married you do not go beyond that marriage bond.
Obedience can also be walked out in various ways. It would seem unwise, though, to vow complete obedience to people. Nowhere in Scripture does it say we are to abandon our heads, boundaries and what God is telling us to do to blindly follow what someone else says. We should vow to completely and fully obey the Lord no matter what the cost, for sure. Yet also to obey leaders, for this does have a measure of importance Biblically. And this is so even if it goes against what one wants to do at times, as long as it did not conflict with the person's own conscience or what God was asking them to do. For example, if a leader asks you to mop the floor and you would rather plant flowers... mop the floor! But if they ask you to preach on Sunday night and you feel that God does not want you to right then you probably shouldn't.
The third vow, of poverty/simplicty, is also walked out in various ways. A common example among Protestants and Catholics is only buying clothes at thrift stores or garage sales. One great thrift store here in KCMO is a Christian one and all the proceeds go to the homeless. Even furtinture is procured used or off the side of the road from the bulk trash piles.
Many people don't watch TV or play video games as a vow of "separation" for the sake of using the time for Jesus or for relationship with others. Not to mention that if you do not put garbage into the brain you do not have to get it back out...and lack of "yuck" leaves more room for Him!
So, those who do this sort of thing are still Protestant but having taken vows of monastic strain and choosing to live out a monastic lifestyle, as listed in the definition above, they may consider themselves a "Protestant Monk", if you will.
Really, thinking about it, this "monastic thing" is just Christianity 101 anyhow. If we sit down and honestly look at what God teaches us to do it is summed up in Monasticism. Love the Lord your God first. Do not become entangled in the things of the world. Do not store up treasure on earth but in heaven. Be involved in community. Love one another deeply from the heart. Remember the poor. It's Matthew 5, 6 and 7. It's the lifestyle of Jesus and we are supposed to "follow in His steps".
Many of the Orders of old began because the world had fallen into such degradation and the church was not doing much better. Those who longed to go back to the teaching of Scripture and lifestyle of Jesus passionately threw off the "sin that so easily entangles and every weight that hinders" and became what we now know as "monks". We are seeing this same trend today.
Granted there are certainly sharks in the Catholic monastic waters of old. One must be wise and stay within the parameters the Bible. For example, it is stupid and unhealthy to be in solitude all the time. Relationships are meant to lead us into wholeness, righteousness and love. Yet we cannot neglect time alone with Jesus either and be absorbed in others and/or in activity. We need to go deep in both places. We need both the Divine and the human, as a friend so succinctly puts it.
Needless to say this does not make any of us perfect!! Yet, we strive to grow and be more like Him every day. And we are not austere, all longfaced and boring either! We are not ascetics. I Mean, my goodness, Christians are the Beloved Bride of Christ!! We, as true hopefully with everyone who claims to love and follow Him, just want to get rid of all that "hinders and tangles our feet". We just want everything we do to be dedicated to Him. And that's not to say that other people are not dedicated to Him. It's just a matter of the calling on your life and how you feel led to walk that dedication out.
I guess I just want to belong to Jesus and love Him as mush as I possibly can on this side of eternity. Not because I have to earn His love but because He is so in love with me and I am so in love with Him. As a result of that reality, I want to abandon all in order to find Him more deeply...to be as close to His Heart as possible. And it's a journey. Intimacy takes time and work and knowledge. But it's a great journey!
On a final note as far as this topic. If you want a really really good book that looks at the Monastic lifestyle in general here's my all time favorite: Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict by Esther de Waal. (www.amazon.com/Seeking-God-Way-Benedict-Second/dp/0814613888)
Although there is no official "vow taking ceremony" in most evangelical circles there are many people I have run across throughout life who have felt this tug from Jesus to walk in the "ancient paths" of prayer, fasting, etc. The First Commandment being First sort of thing and they desire to make it more...official...so to speak.
In the old traditions of monasticism the monks abandoned everything the world put it's hope, focus, time and etc into and took vows, separating themselves from all of that and throwing their lives at the feet of Jesus with abandon. Like Mary of Bethany (or the harlot, depending on which Gospel you're reading) pouring the oil of worship on the feet of Jesus.
The monks of old, took vows before God, shaved their heads and became "consecrated" unto the Jesus. The traditional vows are of poverty, obedience and chastity. Different Orders have different variations on this. Some have a vow of simplicity and not complete poverty. Others add vows. But basically it is the same.
So, there are many Protestant who make their own vow ceremonies and take vows to Jesus of simplicity, obedience and chastity, defining the outworking of these things according to their life calling.
Chastity is pretty obvious in that if you are not married then you walk in abstinence, if you are married you do not go beyond that marriage bond.
Obedience can also be walked out in various ways. It would seem unwise, though, to vow complete obedience to people. Nowhere in Scripture does it say we are to abandon our heads, boundaries and what God is telling us to do to blindly follow what someone else says. We should vow to completely and fully obey the Lord no matter what the cost, for sure. Yet also to obey leaders, for this does have a measure of importance Biblically. And this is so even if it goes against what one wants to do at times, as long as it did not conflict with the person's own conscience or what God was asking them to do. For example, if a leader asks you to mop the floor and you would rather plant flowers... mop the floor! But if they ask you to preach on Sunday night and you feel that God does not want you to right then you probably shouldn't.
The third vow, of poverty/simplicty, is also walked out in various ways. A common example among Protestants and Catholics is only buying clothes at thrift stores or garage sales. One great thrift store here in KCMO is a Christian one and all the proceeds go to the homeless. Even furtinture is procured used or off the side of the road from the bulk trash piles.
Many people don't watch TV or play video games as a vow of "separation" for the sake of using the time for Jesus or for relationship with others. Not to mention that if you do not put garbage into the brain you do not have to get it back out...and lack of "yuck" leaves more room for Him!
So, those who do this sort of thing are still Protestant but having taken vows of monastic strain and choosing to live out a monastic lifestyle, as listed in the definition above, they may consider themselves a "Protestant Monk", if you will.
Really, thinking about it, this "monastic thing" is just Christianity 101 anyhow. If we sit down and honestly look at what God teaches us to do it is summed up in Monasticism. Love the Lord your God first. Do not become entangled in the things of the world. Do not store up treasure on earth but in heaven. Be involved in community. Love one another deeply from the heart. Remember the poor. It's Matthew 5, 6 and 7. It's the lifestyle of Jesus and we are supposed to "follow in His steps".
Many of the Orders of old began because the world had fallen into such degradation and the church was not doing much better. Those who longed to go back to the teaching of Scripture and lifestyle of Jesus passionately threw off the "sin that so easily entangles and every weight that hinders" and became what we now know as "monks". We are seeing this same trend today.
Granted there are certainly sharks in the Catholic monastic waters of old. One must be wise and stay within the parameters the Bible. For example, it is stupid and unhealthy to be in solitude all the time. Relationships are meant to lead us into wholeness, righteousness and love. Yet we cannot neglect time alone with Jesus either and be absorbed in others and/or in activity. We need to go deep in both places. We need both the Divine and the human, as a friend so succinctly puts it.
Needless to say this does not make any of us perfect!! Yet, we strive to grow and be more like Him every day. And we are not austere, all longfaced and boring either! We are not ascetics. I Mean, my goodness, Christians are the Beloved Bride of Christ!! We, as true hopefully with everyone who claims to love and follow Him, just want to get rid of all that "hinders and tangles our feet". We just want everything we do to be dedicated to Him. And that's not to say that other people are not dedicated to Him. It's just a matter of the calling on your life and how you feel led to walk that dedication out.
I guess I just want to belong to Jesus and love Him as mush as I possibly can on this side of eternity. Not because I have to earn His love but because He is so in love with me and I am so in love with Him. As a result of that reality, I want to abandon all in order to find Him more deeply...to be as close to His Heart as possible. And it's a journey. Intimacy takes time and work and knowledge. But it's a great journey!
On a final note as far as this topic. If you want a really really good book that looks at the Monastic lifestyle in general here's my all time favorite: Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict by Esther de Waal. (www.amazon.com/Seeking-God-Way-Benedict-Second/dp/0814613888)
