Monk Habits for Everyday People: Benedictine Spirituality for Protestants (Paperback)

~ Dennis Okholm (Author), Kathleen Norris (Foreword)
Key Phrases: Benedict's Rule, Jesus Christ, Michael Casey (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Readers might not think that poverty, chastity and obedience would be attractive to the common Protestant, but Okholm, a theology professor at Azusa Pacific University, will make them think twice. Although he is a Presbyterian, Okholm is comfortable with Catholicism and realistic about the benefits and burdens of both denominations. He finds in Benedictine monasticism a helpful path to holiness, and he avoids idealizing or romanticizing the monastic life. This is why his work succeeds as a guide for the common Christian. Okholm is wise to point out that St. Benedict's Rule, the text upon which his vision of monastic life is built, is both challenging and down-to-earth. The author invites readers to integrate some monastic practices into their daily lives and stresses that this does not involve cloistering themselves—these practices are both ordinary and sacred. He also provides an excellent example for Catholics and Protestants alike to dig deeply into the Christian tradition and find how both can spiritually benefit from the other. Okholm provides a Historical Afterword to address why Protestants initially rejected the monastic life. This is a fascinating and, considering its brevity, surprisingly detailed overview that readers should not pass up. (Dec.)
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Product Description

In their zeal for reform, early Protestant leaders tended to throw out Saint Benedict with the holy water. That is a mistake, writes Dennis Okholm, in Monk Habits for Everyday People. While on retreat in a Benedictine abbey, the author, a professor who was raised as a Pentecostal and a Baptist, observed how the meditative and ordered life of a monk lifted Jesus' teachings off the printed page and put them into daily practice. Vital aspects of devotion, humility, obedience, hospitality, and evangelism took on new clarity and meaning. Paralleling that experience, Okholm guides the reader on a focused and instructive journey that can revitalize the devotional life of any Christian who wants to slow down and dig deeper.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Brazos Press (December 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587431858
• ISBN-13: 978-1587431852
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #234,759 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Little Book That Leads Us Toward a Deep Spiritual Tradition We May Have Overlooked, April 6, 2008

By	David Crumm "Editor of www.ReadTheSpirit.com" (Canton, Michigan) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is a little book. If you exclude things like the Foreword, the Afterword and Notes, it's only 99 pages. But it packs a spiritual wallop.

Evangelical theologian and educator Dennis Okholm offers this spiritual memoir of his pilgrimage into monastic culture in an era when a chorus of evangelical voices are crying out for changes in their branch of the church. Various evangelical writers are arguing: The movement's become stale. It's been hijacked by political operatives. It's turned Christianity into an easy-bake recipe for prosperity. And, where many of these writers wind up trying to take us is back into centuries-old Christian traditions that once were considered exclusively "Catholic." And, when evangelicals said that word in the past, they often sneered.

Don't mistake Okholm's book for one of those angry evangelical books trying to shake up the movement from its foundations, but not offering much of a pathway through the resulting rubble. No, this is a thoughtful, careful, mature memoir from a man who set out through back roads to visit his first monastery in the spring of 1987. He admits that, at the time, he suspected monastic life was a tired old "relic of the Middle Ages."

Instead, he wound up exploring this world for two decades, finding elements of Christianity that were missing in the version of the faith that had been handed down to him.

Kathleen Norris wrote the Foreword to Okholm's book and Norris fans will understand right away that this is a strong vote of confidence in Okholm's voice. He's coming to this particular conversation, in the form of this book, in the same season that Tony Campolo and Mary Albert Darling - also evangelical scholars - are offering us, "The God of Intimacy and Action: Reconnecting Ancient Spiritual Practices, Evangelism and Justice."

Don't pick up this book thinking you'll grab a few tips for a richer life of prayer. There are deeper implications to this pilgrimage, Okholm argues. At one point, he writes to those of us with roots in the evangelical world, "We have become consumers of religion rather than cultivators of a spiritual life; we have spawned an entire industry of Christian kitsch and bookstores full of spiritual junk food that leaves us sated and flabby. As if we believed the infomercial that promises great abs if we just buy the right piece of equipment for $39.95, we think that the secret to being a spiritually fit Christian can be had by finding some secret technique or buying the most recent hot-selling inspirational devotional."

This is dangerous spiritual territory. This is a truly prophetic voice guiding us inward.

And, if you like where Okholm takes you, then you'll want to read "God of Intimacy and Action." If you like that voice, then you'll want to hear more from Norris and her "Cloister Walk," as well.

This isn't a stray drop of rain. It's a refreshing spiritual shower of compelling insights.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fresh, thoughtful, nourishing, January 19, 2008

By	Philomythus (So Cal USA) - See all my reviews

It's rare to find find a book that does so many things so well. It is interesting, personal, and engaging. It is thoughtful and well-written. And it is full to the brim with spiritual insights. Read a bit each day, sip it alongside your morning cup of coffee, savor each insight, and you'll find your life just gets better and better. A delight.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars St. Benedict for Protestant Lay and Leaders, February 7, 2009

By	Kevin L. Nenstiel "omnivore" (Kearney, Nebraska) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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This concise, dense, thoughtful book provides a good introduction to Benedictine spirituality for those of us raised on the prejudices of the Reformation. If you are a fan of the recent books on Christian community by writers like Shane Claiborne or Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, but you've been frustrated trying to actually make such a community, this book might set you on the right path.

Unlike many recent books on the New Monasticism, which are full of exhortations but little practical advice, Dennis Okholm mixes spirituality with insight into how communities are built and how they thrive. Utilizing Benedictine principles that have held houses together for centuries, like obedience, stability, and humility, he posits how Christians can grow together in service to the Lord and the world.

But Okholm's directives are not limited to monastic communities. He suggests how Benedictine spirituality can overcome the star-power trend he sees in many Protestant churches. He suggests that if more pastors held obedience, balance, and listening at the heart of their ministries, the dissent that strikes many congregations could be kept at bay, and the Gospel of Christ better served in our mission fields.

This book is slim, and can be read in a single night. But it's rich in content that can be used for prayer, study, group discussion, and private meditation. It also contains a long, detailed list of further reading, a checklist of ways to live the Benedictine life in the lay world, and a helpful afterword to reconcile stringent Protestant theology with Benedictine vows.

Accessible for both lay readers and seminarians. Laced with helpful examples of how Christ's word is lived in the world. I recommend this book for all who hope to grow as members of the Body of Christ.