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 In his article "Benedict Option FAQ," Rod Dreher starts with a long quote from philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre’s book After Virtue (which I'll let you read for yourself), then Dreher writes - "The Benedict Option refers to Christians in the contemporary West who cease to identify the continuation of civility and moral community with the maintenance of American empire, and who therefore are keen to construct local forms of community as loci of Christian resistance against what the empire represents. Put less grandly, the Benedict Option — or "Ben Op" — is an umbrella term for Christians who accept MacIntyre’s critique of modernity, and who also recognize that forming Christians who live out Christianity according to Great Tradition requires embedding within communities and institutions dedicated to that formation." Now, as soon as you hear "St. Benedict" and see the picture of a guy in a monk's robe, you most likely immediately think Dreher is writing about retreating into a monastery. Wrong! Please re-read the last sentence above, starting with "Put less grandly," and you'll see what he's getting at: "communities and institutions dedicated to that formation." These communities and institutions are churches, schools and colleges, online discussion groups and classes, etc. where you - together with like-minded others - can strengthen your grasp on what's taking place in the world in relation to our received Christian tradition and Western cultural heritage. We need the strength of groups of people (not in monasteries, got it?) in order to stand firm and take public positions on our beliefs, to be able to share the faith with people who have a confused notion of what it's all about. If we try to do it as a "lone Ranger," we'll get just as confused as they are and be overwhelmed by the flood of mis- and dis-information coming at us. Get the whole story: read the full article & get our free weekly newsletter: subscribe below! |