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A review by jbmorgan86
The Year of Small Things: Radical Faith for the Rest of Us by Sarah Arthur, Erin F. Wasinger
3.0
New Monasticism is a movement within Christianity that embraces communal living as expressed by the church in Acts 2 and within monastic communities throughout church history. It is most popularly expressed by Shane Claiborne. Essentially, New Monasticism has twelve core tenets (or "marks"):
1. Relocation to the "abandoned places of Empire" [at the margins of society]
2. Sharing economic resources with fellow community members and the needy among us
3. Hospitality to the stranger
4. Lament for racial divisions within the church and our communities combined with the active pursuit of a just reconciliation
5. Humble submission to Christ’s body, the Church
6. Intentional formation in the way of Christ and the rule of the community along the lines of the old novitiate
7. Nurturing common life among members of an intentional community
8. Support for celibate singles alongside monogamous married couples and their children
9. Geographical proximity to community members who share a common rule of life
10. Care for the plot of God’s earth given to us along with support of our local economies
11. Peacemaking in the midst of violence and conflict resolution within communities along the lines of Matthew 18
12. Commitment to a disciplined contemplative life
New Monasticism is a beautiful thing when one lives in a community that embraces these core principles . . . but what happens when one is relocated away from the "abandon places of the empire" and into the wealthy white suburbs? How does one live radically and give everything to the poor when one has children of their own to feed? How is one supposed to cultivate a life of contemplation with screaming children and constant social media notifications? These are some of the questions this book wrestles with.
The two co-authors, Sarah Arthur and Erin Wasinger, are mothers, wives, and Christians who feel called to the life of New Monasticism. However, like most people who have studied up on New Monasticism, they feel overwhelmed. Is it realistic to try to live out this kind of life with a family in the suburbs? Is one a "sell-out" if they live out a modified version? I wrestled with similar struggles when I graduated from seminary. My school was a bubble of intellectualism, tolerance, and peace. However, the "real world" was quite different. What do you mean you don't want to have a two hour conversation about the social justice imperatives in the book of Amos during lunch?!
However, I was largely unimpressed with the overall book. I can say that I "got something" out of every chapter, but I'm not necessarily convinced that living out the New Monastic lifestyle is the only way (and I'm not sure if that the authors would argue that either). At the end of the day, I feel much the same way that Rachel Held Evans felt in her article, "How to Follow Jesus without being Shane Claiborne." She states that she goes through the following cycle:
"Phase 1: My commitment to Jesus is primarily an intellectual one. He is an idea I believe in, not a person I follow.
Phase 2: I read through the Gospels again and realize that Jesus doesn’t want me to simply like him; he wants me to follow him.
Phase 3: I buy the latest Shane Claiborne book, read it in two days, and resolve that following Jesus means selling all my things, sleeping with the homeless, and starting a monastic community. I begin looking into the cost of apartments in inner-city Nashville.
Phase 4: I remember that I have a job, a mortgage, and a spouse (who hasn’t read Shane Claiborne).
Phase 5: Heavy with guilt and overwhelmed by the insurmountable nature of my own convictions, I give up and revert right back to Phase 1. Following Jesus, it seems, just isn’t realistic."
So what is the solution? One can take lessons from each of the twelve marks without cashing in your entire retirement fund or trading in your work suits for burlap. Evans picks five broad actions:
"Love the person in front of me
Care for my community
Live with a little less
Push just pass my comfort zone
Follow Jesus TODAY"
I think these goals are much more realistic and attainable.
*I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
1. Relocation to the "abandoned places of Empire" [at the margins of society]
2. Sharing economic resources with fellow community members and the needy among us
3. Hospitality to the stranger
4. Lament for racial divisions within the church and our communities combined with the active pursuit of a just reconciliation
5. Humble submission to Christ’s body, the Church
6. Intentional formation in the way of Christ and the rule of the community along the lines of the old novitiate
7. Nurturing common life among members of an intentional community
8. Support for celibate singles alongside monogamous married couples and their children
9. Geographical proximity to community members who share a common rule of life
10. Care for the plot of God’s earth given to us along with support of our local economies
11. Peacemaking in the midst of violence and conflict resolution within communities along the lines of Matthew 18
12. Commitment to a disciplined contemplative life
New Monasticism is a beautiful thing when one lives in a community that embraces these core principles . . . but what happens when one is relocated away from the "abandon places of the empire" and into the wealthy white suburbs? How does one live radically and give everything to the poor when one has children of their own to feed? How is one supposed to cultivate a life of contemplation with screaming children and constant social media notifications? These are some of the questions this book wrestles with.
The two co-authors, Sarah Arthur and Erin Wasinger, are mothers, wives, and Christians who feel called to the life of New Monasticism. However, like most people who have studied up on New Monasticism, they feel overwhelmed. Is it realistic to try to live out this kind of life with a family in the suburbs? Is one a "sell-out" if they live out a modified version? I wrestled with similar struggles when I graduated from seminary. My school was a bubble of intellectualism, tolerance, and peace. However, the "real world" was quite different. What do you mean you don't want to have a two hour conversation about the social justice imperatives in the book of Amos during lunch?!
However, I was largely unimpressed with the overall book. I can say that I "got something" out of every chapter, but I'm not necessarily convinced that living out the New Monastic lifestyle is the only way (and I'm not sure if that the authors would argue that either). At the end of the day, I feel much the same way that Rachel Held Evans felt in her article, "How to Follow Jesus without being Shane Claiborne." She states that she goes through the following cycle:
"Phase 1: My commitment to Jesus is primarily an intellectual one. He is an idea I believe in, not a person I follow.
Phase 2: I read through the Gospels again and realize that Jesus doesn’t want me to simply like him; he wants me to follow him.
Phase 3: I buy the latest Shane Claiborne book, read it in two days, and resolve that following Jesus means selling all my things, sleeping with the homeless, and starting a monastic community. I begin looking into the cost of apartments in inner-city Nashville.
Phase 4: I remember that I have a job, a mortgage, and a spouse (who hasn’t read Shane Claiborne).
Phase 5: Heavy with guilt and overwhelmed by the insurmountable nature of my own convictions, I give up and revert right back to Phase 1. Following Jesus, it seems, just isn’t realistic."
So what is the solution? One can take lessons from each of the twelve marks without cashing in your entire retirement fund or trading in your work suits for burlap. Evans picks five broad actions:
"Love the person in front of me
Care for my community
Live with a little less
Push just pass my comfort zone
Follow Jesus TODAY"
I think these goals are much more realistic and attainable.
*I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.