Pace e Bene Blog

Dear church: “get yo' monk on with your Anabaptist self”

January 19th, 2009 - by Jarrod McKenna

It’s being called “New Monasticism”, “The Anabaptist Conspirators”, “The Emerging Peace Church Movement”, “The Anabaptist Impulse”, “Submergent” and “The Common Root”. What is it? Well some like Tom Sine are suggesting it’s not just a faddish recovery of things lying dormant in the evangelical shadow-side of things shunned, rather a movement of the Holy Spirit. A movement of people seeking more authentic and transformative communal lives that witness to God’s new world of justice, peace and joy breaking into history in Jesus. And in the gentle strength of meekness they care calling to ‘the church at large’ to recover the deep histories of Christ-like communal witness that lay dormant in church history. (aka “get yo’ monk on with your Anabaptist self”)

While for some Anabaptist and Monasticism might sound like pomo-mish-mash of interesting stuff not on the radar of the average pew sitter. Yet those that know their church history will remember that early on in the show the Anabaptists were being accused by the likes of Martin Luther of “monkery”. (ha! Luther, mouth of a sailor.. but funny guy). Even more intriguing to me is Thomas Finger’s investigation of the similarities of Eastern Orthodox spirituality and theology of “divinisation” and it’s similarities to Anabaptist understandings of discipleship that differ to Western Christendom.

This weekend we are off with others from the Peace Tree Community to share at the “Communities of the Kingdom: New Monasticism and Anabaptism” conference thanks to the generosity of some very kind Quaker mates who are blessing our little family.

Thought I share two exciting articles that our friends Tom Sine and Mark Hurst have written on how the Spirit is birthing communities across the world:

The Anabaptist Conspirators http://www.themennonite.org/issues/11-11/articles/Joining_the_Anabaptist_conspirators

Anabaptism: The Beginning of New Monasticism http://www.csu.edu.au/special/accc/worddocs/Papers%20&%20Publications/AAMS%20missions%20conference/Hurst.pdf

As Mark Hurst summarises:

“Both Anabaptism and new monasticism are about faithfully following Jesus –

privately and publicly. Discipleship is a political act calling Christians to be engaged with

public issues like poverty, climate change, economic disparities, and warfare.

Both of these movements realise community is needed for Christians to be faithful disciples. Lone Rangers need not apply. Hospitality is a major mark of these communities.

Both movements call for disciplined discipleship – seen in documents like the Schleitheim Confession and the Twelve Marks of New Monasticism. Accountability is important.
Both movements are counter-cultural. Following Jesus calls Christians to be alternative, attractive, and articulate. This stance takes them to the margins of society and often the margins of the church.
Both movements take seriously the Sermon on the Mount with particular emphasis on being peacemakers.”

These wonderful embodied practises are the gifts to the church at large…

“Dear Church: Get yo monk on with your Anabaptist self”.