Volume XII, Issue XVa
Rod Dreher, [1.] in a new book is promoting what he calls The Benedictine Option as the direction the church should take today. The Benedictines, followers of the man who would become St. Benedict sought as the Roman Empire declined “How to live life as a whole. Not a life of worldly success so much as one of human success.” But are we living in the last days of Rome? Certainly philosophers such as Alasdair MacIntyre [2.] can draw parallels, suggesting that the creation of smaller communities is essential for the preservation of the Faith. New Monasticism has been around for a while. Its desire is to preserve the vitality of true Christian Faith in a culture that is hostile to it and somehow be an influence to those outside its walls toward the light of the Divine.
William Wilberforce has been the subject of a series of essays I have recently written... mainly around his own quotes; and I suggest that his world was actually not at all different from the world we live in today. Britain had become the greatest empire in the world and as such was also sinking into softness and depravity, Wilberforce himself was the son of a prosperous merchant and had no need to worry about providing for himself. He partied his way through school and entered a career in politics. He cared nothing for righting any wrongs or performing any great works. But the young Member of Parliament went on to find Faith and the rest is history.
Initially Wilberforce was inclined to withdraw from public life upon his conversion, but influenced by men like John Newton, he was compelled to see his position as one from which society could be influenced for the better. Then, as now, people of strong Faith were viewed as 'fanatics' and Wilberforce no doubt faced some derision as he gave up his card playing and social memberships. Instead he sought out a community of like-minded believers, even living in the Clapham community. Thus it can be said of Wilberforce that he sought the serious life of Faith that Dreher prescribes. William's own writings make no doubt of it:
The very tendency that we feel to hide our faith from the world's view confirms that we are more influenced by the world's opinions than we are by God's. I would hope that simply because our faith is secret, having vanished from our conversations, replaced by a pretended freedom of feeltng and conduct, that it still exists in our private hearts. I fear, though, that we are merely putting on a false show for others; while we weren't paying attention, our faith may have been quietly smothered. By complying with the world's habits, participating in the manners of this dissipated age, we have removed every external distinction between the Christian and the nonbeliever. We seldom find anyone who “is brave enough to be different for Christ, someone who is not ashamed of Christ.”
The life of William Wilberforce at once challenges the Christian to a deeper faith and to be an agent of good in the world of today. His zeal for the work springs from the work of the Spirit within. Today each of us might be asking the question young Wilberforce asked... “How do we live in the world without being a part of it?” Certainly all of us can be involved in the Reformation of Manners as he was... that is the infusion of Divine Wisdom into our cultural life. The rumble of Interstate 81 near my studio reminds me that the Abolition of Slavery is far from done as we seek to fight human trafficking. Some of us need to heed the voice of John Newton.
The Benedict Option
Good Strategy, Bad Posture
By Trevin Wax
For several years now, Rod Dreher, a writer and friend whose books I’ve enjoyed, has advocated “The Benedict Option” as a strategy for faithful Christians in a post-Christian world. This month, Dreher’s new book defines the term and lays out his strategy. (read more)
The Jeremiah Option
Parting Thoughts
As the decade of the 1970s drew to a close, I began a new chapter of my life… I found a wife! Funny enough, the 1970s had been a turbulent period and my bride-to-be had some good friends who felt the world was in such sorry shape that they said that they would not bring children into it. Instead the couple opted for a family unit of large white dogs. Who could argue that the times were not volatile as the inner cities burned and the Vietnam War came to a close? But we had also put men on the moon, and in the process had developed new technologies that gave us artificial joints and other advances in medicine. The 1970s were in retrospect the “Best of Times and the Worst of Times.” If a beautiful woman had not interrupted my life I would most certainly have headed for Alaska. The oil patch was booming and a young man could make a fortune and see wilderness and bears as a bonus!
I write this simply to say that we often see the distress of our own day and forget that of times past… even recent past. In the time of Jeremiah, the times were uncertain as well. Here is what he told the people: “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.” – Jeremiah 29:4-7
And so, at the end of a turbulent decade, I swerved into the spirit of this ancient truth. I have not regretted it one bit!
The 'Tree of Life,' Blue Ridge Parkway, Twenty Minute Cliff Overlook in Virginia. Photos by Bob Kirchman.
