The author is incorrect that the Catholics went wrong at the Reformation, as an inescapable part of the monastic tradition is unease with the excesses of Rome, and that goes back into the Dark Ages. Luther would correct this misconception as well. He knew from brutal experience that the corruption of Rome predated 1517.
In the same way, Benedictine monasticism, which brought Christianity to the Karolingian empire (along with others), was anything but a strategic retreat. It was a strategic advance where caves and monasteries served not as refuges, but rather as bases for action. You separate from the worst of the worldliness out there, but then make huge advances. Read Bede for a lot of details of this order.
Discussion
NewMohler Interviews Dreher
The Benedict Option: A Conversation with Rod Dreher
Tyler is a pastor in Olympia, WA and works in State government.
NewA few misunderstandings, I think
The author is incorrect that the Catholics went wrong at the Reformation, as an inescapable part of the monastic tradition is unease with the excesses of Rome, and that goes back into the Dark Ages. Luther would correct this misconception as well. He knew from brutal experience that the corruption of Rome predated 1517.
In the same way, Benedictine monasticism, which brought Christianity to the Karolingian empire (along with others), was anything but a strategic retreat. It was a strategic advance where caves and monasteries served not as refuges, but rather as bases for action. You separate from the worst of the worldliness out there, but then make huge advances. Read Bede for a lot of details of this order.
Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.