New Monasticism: What It Has to Say to Today's Church [Paperback]

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2008

New Monasticism is a growing movement of committed Christians who are recovering the radical discipleship of monasticism and unearthing a fresh expression of Christianity in America. It's not centered in a traditional monastery--many New Monastics are married with children--but instead its members live radically, settling in abandoned sections of society, committing to community, sharing incomes, serving the poor, and practicing spiritual disciplines.

New Monasticism by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove offers an insider's perspective into the life of the New Monastics and shows how this movement is dependent on the church for stability, diversity, and structure. A must-read for New Monastics or those considering joining the movement, it will also appeal to pastors, leaders, those interested in the emerging church, and 20- and 30-somethings searching for new ways to be Christian.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's a vision so old it looks new, writes Wilson-Hartgrove, a 20-something North Carolina pastor who is part of New Monasticism.New Monastics, he says, are a loosely confederated group of Christians who choose to live in intentional communities, often in blighted areas.It's age-old monasticism, but with new twists: some practitioners are celibate singles, but many others are married with children; some communities hold all goods in common and pool their economic resources, while others retain individual ownership.The book's more coherent and invigorating second half explores the marks of New Monasticism, including geographic relocation, redistribution of wealth, ecumenism, peacemaking and submission to the church.These chapters, which offer a treasure trove of concrete examples and stories of real communities that practice these values, eclipse the book's unfocused first half, which mires down in broad descriptions of American Christianity's complex problems and an obligatory dose of monastic history.Readers who are serious about putting New Monastic ideas into practice may want to skip the first 75 pages in favor of life-changing practices like relational tithing (maintaining no more than one degree of separation between the giver of charity and its receiver).(May)
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From the Back Cover

"It's hard to be a Christian in America," writes Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, a leader in the new monasticism movement, a growing group of committed Christians who are living lives of radical discipleship and unearthing a fresh expression of Christianity. He takes readers inside new monasticism, tracing its roots through scripture and history and illuminating its impact on the contemporary church.

"It is my sincere hope that new monasticism will grow so strong and healthy and widespread that every follower of Jesus in every church has the opportunity, if not to actually live in a new monastic community, to at least have enough proximity and relationship to be influenced by it. This book can help that dream and prayer come true."--Brian McLaren, author of Everything Must Change

"This is the most informative work to date on its subject. Written in fluid, accessible prose and without pretense, it is also rich in personal and historical insights. The result is a book that is both beguiling and highly credible."--Phyllis Tickle, author of The Divine Hours

"This book demonstrates how embracing the lifestyle prescribed by Jesus is a realistic possibility in our present age. It also shows how countercultural Christianity can provide a needed critique of our self-centered, consumerist society."--Tony Campolo, Eastern University

"This book is a scavenger hunt into Christian history and the abandoned places of Empire where the Spirit is stirring today. It's like digging around in the dirt trying to find the pearl we buried, the pearl that is so beautiful it's worth giving up everything else in the world for."--Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistible Revolution

"Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove is bringing things both old and new out of the great Christian storehouse! New monasticism is discovering what is always rediscovered--and always bears great life for the gospel."--Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, Center for Action and Contemplation

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Brazos Press (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587432242
• ISBN-13: 978-1587432248
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.4 x 5.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #496,997 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove is a celebrated spiritual author and sought-after speaker. A native of North Carolina, he is a graduate of Eastern University and Duke Divinity School.

In 2003, Jonathan and his wife Leah founded the Rutba House, a house of hospitality where the formerly homeless are welcomed into a community that eats, prays, and shares life together. Jonathan directs the School for Conversion, an organization that has grown out of the life of Rutba House to pursue beloved community with kids in their neighborhood, through classes in North Carolina prisons, and in community-based education around the country. He is also an Associate Minister at the historically black St. Johns Missionary Baptist Church.

Jonathan is a co-complier of the celebrated Common Prayer: A Liturgy for Ordinary Radicals, and is the author of several books on Christian spirituality, including The Awakening of Hope, The Wisdom of Stability, and The New Monasticism.

An evangelical Christian who connects with the broad spiritual tradition and its monastic witnesses, Jonathan is a leader in the New Monasticism movement. He speaks often about emerging Christianity to churches and conferences across the denominational spectrum and has given lectures at dozens of universities, including Calvin College, Bethel University, Duke University, Swarthmore College, St. John's University, DePaul University, and Baylor University.

Connect with Jonathan at www.jonathanwilsonhartgrove.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Community Living August 5, 2009

By Julie L. Pogue

Format:Paperback

Monasticism conjures up images of monks quietly moving through dark monasteries, sequestered from the "real" world as they seek God's will through meditation, prayer and communal living.

Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove brings fresh perspective to the age-old concept of living in Christian community in "New Monasticism: What It Has to Say to Today's Church". Starting with a strong historical foundation, the author explores ancient concepts of community through an informative study of the early church at Antioch, as well as more contemporary figures in the monastic movement such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, St. Benedict, and Mother Teresa.

This book forced me to honestly examine the Bible's radical ideas and how its teachings should impact my choices as a 21st Century American. Wilson-Hartgrove begins with the convincing concept, beginning with Genesis and moving through Biblical history, that God's plan to save the world was not one person at a time, but through a people. From this premise, he boldly states, "If the Bible is a story about God's plan to save the world through a people, then my salvation and sanctification depend on finding my true home with God's people. Apart from the story of this people, I can't have a relationship with God. Without the church, there's no chance of becoming holy."

The focus of the book then shifts to an examination of the movement's current marks of distinction including: sharing economic resources; geographical proximity to other community members; peacemaking; and the active pursuit of "just reconciliation". While Wilson-Hartgrove shares intimate details of his own monastic experiences and gives an abundance of examples of practical community living from other groups, he wisely avoids prescribing a specific formula for an ascetic, communal-driven lifestyle. Instead, he challenges his readers to shift their own paradigms and allows them to imagine life from a Kingdom perspective. The author writes beautifully of his experiences with relocation, Earth's scarcity versus God's abundance, what it means to be a peacemaker in our war-ravaged culture, and how to live with others in a "culture of grace and truth."

This little gem covers a lot of ground, delving into the heart of Jesus' mission to live in relationship with others. When you pick up "New Monasticism", be prepared to have your old ways of thinking challenged and re-worked, for you may find yourself wondering how to become a more integral part of God's "peculiar people".

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A strategy so old that it seems new! September 29, 2009

By Jeremy Daniel Voss

Format:Paperback

"...almost everywhere I go these days, people agree that something is wrong in American Christianity."

This is the motivation for the book New Monasticism: What It Has to Say to Today's Church by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove. He points out many areas in which he believes the church is falling short of God's design and offers some possibilities for how to rethink our approach to these problems using monastic ideas, "a vision for society that is `so old it looked like new.'" The book was relatively short, only 140 pages, but it was filled with concepts and ideas that will challenge our ideas of church and community in North America and definitely for us here in the Bible belt.

In the first few chapters, Wilson-Heartgrove supplies us with a biblical perspective of God's community starting from the creation story in Genesis through the 1st century New Testament Church. He gives us the origins and history of monastic communities through the centuries including the new monastic movement he is a part of today.

In the remainder of the book, Wilson-Heartgrove shares with us the knowledge that can be gleaned from the practices and experiments of new monastic communities in the 20th and 21st centuries.

I struggled with this book. I had to keep reminding myself that this book has a message for the church today. Its purpose was not to suggest getting rid of churches in favor of communal living, but instead, what do these ventures in communal living have to say to churches about how they behave as a community? At times, it seemed the suggestion was to join a community where everything is shared or not. There was no in between. I'm sure that was not his intention, but it comes across at times that this is the only way things should be done.

Wilson-Heartgrove and his companions have been bold and courageous enough to experiment with their lives what they believe Christian community should be. I would recommend this book to develop and nurture a perspective of Christian community that may at times seem challenging and at other times frightening. I often found myself thinking "You are absolutely right!" and "Would I be able to do that?"

Wilson-Heartgrove would probably say, "No you can't do this...not alone!"

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed January 25, 2012

By Lynda Delo

Format:Paperback

I ordered this book with a lot of enthusiasm. Our society is awash in a sea of violence; statistically, the US has not only the highest rate of violent crime in the world by a pretty wide margin, but is arguably the most violent peace time society in the recorded history of the world. In addition, our financial system has become corrupt right down to its core, and about every form of social pathology one could name seems to be on the rise. Nothing could be more hoped for than the rise of a "New Monasticism" that would be in our day and age what St. Francis and his followers were in their day and age, or a wide spread evangelical and lay version of Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity. My enthusiasm for the book and the movement it represents (fairly?) faded rapidly as I read. Mostly, its just a warmed over presentation of the same old liberal Protestantism we've known for over a hundred years, with that same old smell of unctious self-righteousness drifting off the pages. For example, a lot is made of peace issues as a primary concern for Christians who are disciples of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, and rightly so!! However, the author's concern never seems to get beyond the war in Iraq and the death penalty. The reality of violent crime, spousal abuse, drug related gang wars, etc., that are pandemic here in America, especially in the low income neighborhoods that the author supposedly cares so much about, is passed over in silence....sort of like he's got his head in the sand. I work as a city police officer; I see it every night I go to work. The social services people can't change it, and neither can the police. It breaks my heart, I was looking for Christian alternatives. Unfortunately, I didn't find them here.