12 Marks of the new monasticism...
1) Relocation to the abandoned places of Empire.
2) Sharing economic resources with fellow community members and the needy among us.
3) Hospitality to the stranger
4) Lament for racial divisions within the church and our communities combined with the active pursuit of a just reconciliation.
5) Humble submission to Christ’s body, the church.
6) Intentional formation in the way of Christ and the rule of the community along the lines of the old novitiate.
7) Nurturing common life among members of intentional community.
8) Support for celibate singles alongside monogamous married couples and their children.
9) Geographical proximity to community members who share a common rule of life.
10) Care for the plot of God’s earth given to us along with support of our local economies.
11) Peacemaking in the midst of violence and conflict resolution within communities along the lines of Matthew 18.
12) Commitment to a disciplined contemplative life.
(Source simple way website)
We were quite inspired in our move by the work on Shane Claiborne, Jonathan Wilson Hartgrove, Scott Bessenecker, John Perkins and some friends locally who were beginning to experiment with these ideas... subsequently we have had the privilege of developing friendships with lots people in groups like UNOH, Servant Partners, Servant to Asia's poor, Innerchange, Word made flesh, Oasis, Message Trust, and even spent time with some Catholic nuns and discussed their vows and rule of life. There are many other folk who are practicing radical incarnational living in communities on the margins who also don't belong to these groups formally. We have also found many new resources subsequently that continue to impact us - including the books of Ash Barker and others. We have so much to learn and these folk are HUGE resources. Two transforming questions which we asked which have defined a lot of our journey have been: "what is the biggest challenge facing the world, our nation and our communities at the moment?" and "what does Christian witness look like into these issues?". When we look at the issues of consumerism, materialism, individualism, racism, abuse of power etc. and then ask how do we live in a radical kingdom way and become a sign of hope into the world, this then shapes what our testimony can look like.
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