Rod Dreher's The Benedict Option

The scratching of many quill pens can be heard throughout the room. The rustling of papers, the pausing to dip in ink, these are the sounds that mark this building. This the year 700 AD, and these are monks in a little monastery in Ireland. This particular order has stood for hundreds of years, faithfully and quietly living out the Gospel. They arose in the early hours of the morning to spend several hours reciting the Psalms, hymns and Scriptures together, paused, and then did so again. They have eaten a quiet, sober meal together, and then sought to go about their daily labors. Brother Mark has been at his task since, copying the precious manuscript of the Rule of Saint Benedict. It is nearing the evening meal, and if you had been at this work, you would

have been bored out your mind. The monks were forbidden from making idle talk as they worked, and thusly the room was at near silence, filled only with the pleasant sound of quill against paper. The setting sun sinks into the view of the room from the window, and the monks put away their things. This day may seem very tedious and dull compared to yours, but there is a major difference. In this short period of time, these simple monks did more for civilization than you likely ever have.
Fast forward to the life of a Christian in modern America. He wakes up to sound of his alarm clock beeping loudly by their ear. He clicks it off, and checks his phone for texts. He lies in bed some more, or drags himself up to prepare for their day. He watches youtube videos while he eats a sugar filled breakfast. He goes to work. Throughout the day he gossips among his coworkers. He is idle in his labors, pausing for long breaks to waste time. He returns to his home. He eats his dinner, and maybe sits among his family, or maybe eats alone. He again seeks to find more entertainment to consume. He pursues this venture late into the night, then goes to bed. Not once does read the Scriptures. Never does he turn his heart towards prayer. He does not seek to serve the people in his life, if he is forced to, he does so begrudgingly. If he is like many of the Christian men in America, he also looked at porn. This is the state of Christian living! Although there are obviously many Christians who are not living this ungodly, the fact is that this represents the majority of Christians. What should we do as a Church? Look how far we are from the core of Christianity, from the Gospel of Christ. We need to return to this benedictine Christianity. The Church must embrace this Benedict Option.
The Benedict option is a relatively new idea that is beginning to blossom into a robust position.

While many have joined in on the discussion, Rod Dreher remains the chief proponent. Thus, this paper will be (at least roughly) using his definition, which is as follows: “The Benedict Option — or “Ben Op” — is an umbrella term for Christians who accept MacIntyre’s critique of modernity, and who also recognize that forming Christians who live out Christianity according to Great Tradition requires embedding within communities and institutions dedicated to that formation.” To put it in a even more succinct form: “The Benedict option is the idea that christendom need’s return to it’s ancient roots, exemplified by Saint Benedict. It is common to characterize the Benedict option as a form withdrawal or retreat from cultural engagement. That is simply not the case. No proponent of the Benedict option is making this argument, it is merely a caricature. To build a type a Christianity that is build on benedictine roots, we must look to Rule of Benedict. In the remaining portion of the paper, the two thirds or so will look at the Rule, and the rest will explore how we can begin to apply the principles found within

it.
The Rule begins with an outlining of the purpose it is to serve. After concluding his description of the four kinds of monks, Benedict concludes “Let us proceed, with God’s help, to lay down a rule for the strongest kind of monks, the Cenobites.” It is worth pointing this out to illustrate what he is not doing. He is not seeking to establish a rule for all of Christendom, or even all monks. Rather he sought to build a monastic rule upon Christian principles, thus it is these underlying principles we are seeking to understand. Having established the audience and purpose of his rule, Benedict’s first task was to structure the leadership of the monastery in a Godly way. Thus he spends a great deal of time outlining the character of a good Abbot. This is the role Benedict saw for the Abbot: “For he is believed to hold the place of Christ in the monastery.” thusly, he expected Christ like behavior.
Than he moves to the heart of the Rule, his “instruments of good works.” It is by the adherence to this list of 72 things that Benedict believes the monastery will run. He prefaces this with what Christ called the two greatest commandments: Love God, love neighbor. Beyond that this list can be separated into three categories of principles. First, protection against sins of the body; second, protection against thought sins; and third, protection against sins of the heart. The sins of the body are what we might think of typical commands. Don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t murder. It is also worth noting some other things that he includes that might be less obvious, particularly to the modern reader. For example, number nineteen: To console the sorrowing.Number thirty-seven, to not be drowsy. Benedict shows the need for a really real form of Christian living. We get drowsy, we want to run from sad people because grief is uncomfortable. The Gospel answers these real, practical bodily problems.
He also highlights the need to protect against sin in our minds. He instructs us: “To attribute to God, and not to self, whatever good one sees in oneself.” We are to mold not only our bodies, but also our intellects after the image of Christ. “To keep death daily before one’s eyes.” This requires an active Godly focussing of our thoughts on the ultimately significant. And finally his commands deal with the heart. This is the hardest to rule over, and Benedict understands that. Therefore his rule is very detailed and blunt, cutting deeply into the heart of the hearer. “To desire eternal life with all the passion of the spirit.” “To love the juniors.” “To utter truth from heart and mouth.” These examples vary wildly, and yet they all enter into the practical dealings of our lives.
All that follows from the rule is centralized on these principles for living Godly lives. Benedict is building a framework that allows us to live as Christians ought in this world. This framework roughly can be divided into four main categories: Labor, rest, scholarship, and worship. Labor is intended to protect the idle from sin. The monks were to be productive and honest in their menial labors, whether they be farmers, craftsmen, or anything else. Rest and leisure were far from forbidden, and in many cases actively encouraged. There was also a deep focus on scholarship in the Benedictine communities. The monks could all, for the most part, read and write, and spent a large portion of their day devoted to that task. The final and most important sphere is that of worship. The monks were called to centralize their lives upon the daily practice of worshiping God in the evening and the morning. Benedict also had required them to stop and make specific prayers read certain scriptures throughout the day.
Benedict held labor in very high regard. He was firmly convinced that difficult work was central to living a holy life. However this a devotion to labor without any expectation of reward, or any kind of improvement to our earthly station. Indeed the monks were asked to model our morning pray “to labor and ask not for reward, save that of knowing I am doing your will.” The work was not intended to be unpleasant, nor was it viewed as a noble act of self denial, the work simply was for it’s own sake. “for then are they truly monks when they live by the labor of their hands,” The tasks required of the monks were extremely practical: “Let the brethren serve one another, and let no one be excused from the kitchen service except by reason of sickness or occupation in some important work. For this service brings increase of reward and of charity.” Notice how there is a practical element: everyone needs to work in the kitchen unless they cannot, followed by the broader heavenly picture: God will reward you for this and you will be training a disposition of charity.
Benedict also very intentionally gave clear time for rest and leisure. We obviously can find this principle established from the very beginnings of Scripture. “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.” The Rule is merely seeking to establish parameters for how this rest is to be practiced. This lie poignantly captures the attitude the monks are called to have among each other: “When they rise for the Work of God let them gently encourage one another, that the drowsy may have no excuse.” The monks have been given time for rest, than when they rise in the morning, they are called for this attitude, gentle encouragement. How often do we need gentle encouragement in the morning? Rest just as much as work is tempered with appropriate measures of encouragement.
The scholarly element is more assumed in the rule than it is explicitly stated. The monks are each called to work whatever craft or skill that they have been given, but it is assumed that most will be spending much of their time on scholarly pursuits. This can be seen by the prescribed manner they are called to practice Lent: “And in these days of Lent they shall each receive a book from the library, which they shall read straight through from the beginning.” The skill of reading was not common to the rest of the world at the time of the penning of this text, the likelihood of a lay person being able to read seems to be very low. Yet the monks are expected to be able to do so throughout The Rule. Look at a few more example of this expectation: “On Sundays, let all occupy themselves in reading.” “The meals of the brethren should not be without reading. Nor should the reader be anyone who happens to take up the book; but there should be a reader for the whole week, entering that office on Sunday.” For this text it is worth noting that all the brethren are expected to take a turn at this office of reader at some point, showing us the commonness of literacy. “And the time that remains after the Night Office should be spent in study by those brethren who need a better knowledge of the Psalter or the lessons.” These citations demonstrate quite clearly that there was to be a culture of study and reading throughout the daily lives of the monks
The final dimension of The Rule could rightly be described as the center that which all the other parts orbit around. Benedict clearly envisioned a monastic life that found its supreme fulfilment in devoted and disciplined worship of God. This worship was the end of every monks work, leisure, and study; whether he be the lowest brother, or the abbot himself, worship ruled him. The monks were to rise at roughly 2:00 am depending on the time of year for the purpose of worshiping God as a community. They recited the psalms that they had memorised together, sometimes as many as thirteen psalms were to be chanted together. The scriptures were to be read and explained on the context of the teaching of the historic Church, as well as the theology of the Church fathers. Further lessons from the teaching texts of the day were to be publicly read in what was called the night office. The morning office was set to present a contrast to the night office with a greater emphasis on the reading and recitation of scriptures. The monks were to know the book of Revelation by heart, at least with the practice of repetition every morning. Further throughout the day (five times to be exact) the monks also prayed wherever they were, according to the liturgy of The Rule.
These are the principles laid out before us within The Rule.