When I first heard of the simple way, I was intrigued and eager to learn more. Since that time, I have had opportunity to participate in meetings, visit several of the New Monastic communities, read their writings, and make friends with leaders from new and older communities.

As a young man, I would hear stories, seemingly legends, about Clarence Jordan and Koinonia Farms. That group struggled to survive under pressure from the KKK and a culture of white supremacy. They ultimately bore a new form of fruit with the birth of Habitat for Humanity.

On one hand, there has always been a kind of romantic attraction for me to the idea of living in community. On the other hand, the outcome of such living as a witness to the gospel used to seem vague and even ambiguous. This new movement, rooted in older movements in the 20th century U. S. (Koinonia, Reba Place, Antioch House, CCDA) and in the long history of Christian monasticism, has found ways to articulate its purposes in a more public way. Moreover, its insistent public commitment to ministry among the poor has situated it clearly in the camp of the best of recent theological reflection on scripture and practice.

If you want to learn more about this movement and one of its leading public figures, The New Monasticism was featured on Speaking of Faith from American Public Media on May 10. It is a well-edited and captivating program.