In Post Christian America, Should Christians Retreat from Mission?

...Christians with a vested interest in global mission should say both “yes” and “no” to the prescriptions in The Benedict Option. To Dreher’s admonition to build a resilient ecclesial counter culture, we should give a wholehearted and full-throated “yes!” He’s right that on the whole, our churches, families, and Christian institutions have been weakened and corrupted by the acids of contemporary secularism, hedonism, and consumerism. We should, therefore, make every effort to strengthen them.

But to his admonition for us to take a few steps in a monastic direction in every dimension of our lives, we should say “not quite.” To retreat would inevitably undermine the outward thrust of the Christian life. This outward movement can be seen in two of the Bible’s great imperatives—the cultural mandate and the Great Commission. Read More

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Seven Core Convictions about Evangelism

If I were to choose a monastic model for a modern-day faith community, it would be that of the sixth century Celtic monks who evangelized Ireland, the British Isles, and Northern Europe, not that of Benedict of Nursia who retreated from the world first to a cave and then to a cloister. See George G. Hunter III's The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West...Again (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2000). Dan Kimball summarizes the Celtic model in The Emerging Church: Vintage Christianity for New Generations (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003).

• You first establish community with people or bring them into the fellowship of your community of faith.
• Within fellowship, you engage in conversation, ministry, prayer, and worship.
• In time, as they discover what you believe, you invite them to commit.

The typical Celtic monastery was a cluster of thatch-roofed huts and small wooden churches, surrounded by a low circular earthern wall (or berm). The purpose of the wall was not to serve as a barrier between the community and the world but as a symbol of the community's consecration to Christ. A tall wooden cross stood at the entrance to the community and every day the members of the community would gather at the foot of the cross to pray. They were often joined by the inhabitants of the  nearby villages with whom the monks were sharing the gospel. A iron hand bell, resembling a cow bell, was used to summon the members of the community and the inhabitants of the nearby villages to prayer.

The typical Celtic church accommodated up to 40 people. Rather than build larger churches, the Celtic monks would build more churches when the community outgrew its existing churches.

Both men and women lived in the same community. Some of the monks were celibate; others were married. While the Celtic Church had deacons, priests, and bishops, it was the abbots and abbesses of the Celtic monastic communities who were the leaders of the Celtic Church.