The Shadow-gloom and Weight of the Sacred

Last fall I was introduced to New Monasticism and, perhaps due to my slight infatuation with regular (old?) Monasticism, I really intrigued with this new (to me) Christian movement. As far as I can tell, a practitioner of New Monasticism is not identified as being a New Monk but as New Monastic, which is disappointing to me, however I do find some consolation in that someone new to New Monasticism would then be called the F.N.N.M.

There are "Twelve Marks" that identify New Monasticism and each of these statements resonated very strongly with me. I've long been a fan of theologians N.T. Wright and James D.G. Dunn and New Monasticism seemed to, in many regards, attempt to apply the works of these revisionist historians to the life of the present-day church. I read The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne last spring and recommend it to any person of faith who struggles to make their belief in God something that matters--in a good and helpful way--to the world at large.

The Irresistible Revolution reads a little like a memoir and a little like a critique of status quo church practice. Claiborne worked for a short while with Mother Teresa in India and he shares several stories from his experiences there which provide a glimpse into the woman that was Mother Teresa as well as how her tutelage impacted what Claiborne is currently doing today. The book is at its best when Claiborne is in "memoir mode"; it is less effective in "critique mode." I enjoy the stories and vision he shares in the memoir-esqe sections of the book, though one would appreciate greater insight into how he reached where he is at. That is, how did he move from where he was to where he is? We know where he was and we know where he is, we just don't really have a clear picture of how the transformation happened. This is something important to people, such as myself, who are interested in his story and in the New Monastic movement, but without any real sense of how to accomplish even the slightest step forward in that direction.

The critique he offers grows burdensome after a while. It's not that his critique is inaccurate, it just gets old. Claiborne would have down well to cut out some of the critique of church practices and include some of the absent aforementioned stories of transformation and growth. The problem with the critique sections if that, after a while, they just come off as pompous and begin to isolate the reader from the message Claiborne is trying to express. For example, he shares a story of he spoke at the megachurch Willowcreek, where he had previously completed an internship, and entered the building to see American flags prominently displayed. He was going to speak on the dangers of nationalism and identify God's kingdom with a kingdom of the world. He was nervous, but he spoke boldly. On another occasion, he was speaking to a youth group and was introduced as "the coolest Christian you'll ever meet." Annoyed by this introduction, Claiborne began by cutting off his dreadlocks. These stories become a bit of a motif: Claiborne is placed in an uncomfortable situation but he ultimately performs admirably and with conviction--staying true to his faith and convictions. It just gets a little old. OK, I get it. You're better than me.

The thing is, I suspect that Shane Claiborne is not pompous or self-righteous but has a genuine longing for Christians to love people more than they love their stuff, their county, et al. I suspect it's a mistake of the pen and not of the heart. It annoyed me, but I still think The Irresistible Revolution is a book worth reading and that Shane Claiborne is leading a commendable, exemplary life.