Urban monasticism

[methodius]

I recently wrote something in orthodoxy about urban monasticism and noted that there was an urban monks tribe for bringing together people who are interested in this phenomenon. In that post I was specifically interested in Orthodox Christian manifestations of the phenomenon, but I thought it might be useful to bring together some other other manifestations

Comments

[marketsquare]

The Protestant movements I'm aware of are mostly growing out of the parachurch, especially InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. (That's the US arm of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, whose South African arm is the Students' Christian Organization.)

There is a freedom to experiment in parachurch activities that people often find lacking in the church itself. But there is also, I think, more danger of simply running off your own way, willy-nilly. That's one reason I'm glad to be doing the Micah project in Boston next year. It's much better tied in to the local church and its resources, instead of being just a house like my place was this year.

Church and parachurch

[methodius]

Have you read Ralph Winter's articles on "Two redemptive structures"?

He's Presbyterian, I think, but regards monasteries and the monastic movement generally as part of the "parachurch", but says it was also more integrated into the local church than parachurch groups are in modern Protestantism.

If you haven't read it I'll try to give a summary.

Re: Church and parachurch

[marketsquare]

No, I haven't read those. Do you have a citation? I can look them up.

Re: Church and parachurch

[methodius]

His essayes were published in a book called Perspectives on the world Christian movement. Theological libraries will probably have a copy.

[methodius]

Thanks very much for the interesting comments and links

[martiancyclist]

I actually considered joining the Bruderhof for a good twelve hours, back when I was more protestant. (There's one about five days' bike from here.) Then I discovered that they, too, have had problems with authoritarianism -- namely, it seems there have been a few cases where the management has decided to make drastic changes, and unilaterally kicked people out, and also apparently if you leave, you won't be allowed to contact your family that's still in, and various problems like that. It looks like with them, too, obedience goes one way only. Of course, this is all based on the perspective of the disgruntled. Tis a pity -- they'd otherwise be a good example of family monasticism.

Methodius -- you talk about interesting things. I think I'll add you, if that's ok.

Family monasticism

[methodius]

There was a similar community in South Africa, called the KwaSizabantu Mission. It was fairly widely admired, until it degenerated with an excess of authoritarianism.

[douloijohanna]

I would *love* to participate in some sort of Orthodox, urban monastic, communal living environment. I've never really heard of one, though. Do you think it could only work centered around a monastery with the abbot/abbess as spiritual father/mother? Or could it also be centered around a parish with the priest serving as spiritual father?

[methodius]

It's not for me to say whether it would work or not. I'm no expert.

But I think it would have a better chance of success with a monastic as spiritual father, and a monastery nearby where people from the community could go for retreats etc.

I've just thought of another example of a kind of urbanmonasticism, described in a book called "Beloved sufferer" -- it was about a num who lived as a kind of secret urban hermit. Will have to think about it a bit more.

[dunmoose]

Good morning. I found your post via the "urban monks tribe". I call myself a "hermit with a roommate and a full time job". I'm not really an "urban monastic". Settle for suburban?

NextScribe, which was founded by a former hermit associated with Christ in the Desert, has started something it calls Prayerbuddy. By the looks of it, it is an attempt to used internet based technologies to link together urban monastics into small prayer communities. It might be something for you and your readers to look into.

suburban monasticism

[methodius]

Thanks very much for the comments.

Perhaps a hermit with a roommate and a full-time job fits in with markredmond's oblates. Aren't many of them like that?

I've been trying to contact an Anglican friend of mine who belongs to a thing called the Order of the Good Shepherd to find out how similar that is.

[methodius]

First, an aside, or a footnote -- since we started talking about this the number of LJ users listing urban monasticism among their interests has doubled.

I think, however, that most of those who speak of "urban monasticism" have something different in mind that simply trying to live desert monasticism in an urban environment. It can include that, but is usually more.

I knew some Dominicans who tried to do that in Johannesburg, though I'm not sure what eventually became of them.

But yes, it is important that there should be agreement and understanding about what is being done. And that is difficult if it has never been done before, and people are still feeling their way. It is then all to easy to be overwhelmed by the expectations of others, and drift into something that if far removed from the original vision, because the original vision never gets a chance to take concrete form.