Of course, working in a cool, city church, I have heard about a new movement started by people my age or younger. It is called the new monasticism. Essentially, these people have decided to live among the poor, sharing their resources and try to live their lives with them.
You know, I have great sympathy for their aims. The poor should be cared for in the church and their should be a greater concern for their needs. But, here is my question, what does that concern look like? How do we do it? And in what attitude?
The attitude is what concerns me the most. Sometimes, I think that my generation has, in our reaction to the legalism some of us were raised with (dont, drink, smoke, or chew, etc), we have found a new brand of legalism, taking care of the poor. That is, if you aren't doing it in radical ways, you really don't care about the poor, or really love them in the way that they need. Or as one of the leaders of this movement put it so boldly, "middle class america does not care enough about poor people." To me, this essentially it means, "you are not a true follower of Jesus if you don't do things our way."
Here is the problem with all of this. It comes from a lack of understanding of how Jesus really ministered. Jesus reached out to EVERYONE, rich, poor, destitute, power, powerless. You don't believe me? Read the Gospels closely. Jesus did not pick and choose who he spoke to. He spoke with EVERYONE. And, a good cross section of people recieved his message. I mean, matthew was a tax collector, bascially the Ebeneezer Scrooges of their day. Paul continues that, speaking to high and low alike in his driven quest to preach the Gospel.
And further, the new monasticism movement misunderstands the cultural context of the time when they fawn over the passages in Acts about the church holding everything in common. Well, one of the big reasons they did that is because if they didn't most of them would be starving. It was an act of mercy for those folks. We live in a different time and place, so we have to find ways the same principle can be applied to where we are now. I don't think new monasticism is the way for this reason: Grace.
Guilt never motivated anyone. Grace does. Grace is always more powerful. And, in that, our movtivation is to change fellow sinners, no matter what class of society.
The new monasticism guild may look more like Jesus, but in the end, it isn't and therefore, it will not last. Grace comes to the rich and the poor whether we like it or not.
yes, I get and have gotten frustrated with the middle class attitudes at times. I have spoken out against them and made snide remarks about them, trying to motivate them. Guess what? Did not work in the least. No one was changed, even though some of them marginally tried to do better. That didn't last either.
Here is what Jesus did ask for. He asked for us to be poor in spirit, bankrupt is the force of the word. Recognizing our mutual desperate need for Grace. And then, having that Grace transform us so that we will love our neighbor, whether that is poor or rich, powerful or weak. Our work is to take care of them the way Jesus would have, loving them, being in their lives, ministering to those around us. In our quest to save the world, we lose it, because we totally ignore the horrible suffering going on in the people in our own lives.
I realize I sound like I am being harsh against the movement. I hope it does not come off that way. There is much about this new movement that is good, a good prophetic voice to a complacent church. But, even the prophetic voice speaks with Grace. I hope the movement learns that, as I am learning it my own life.
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3 comments:
Uh, the middle class in America doesn't care about the poor. I don't know anything about the New Monasticism people but the thing you quoted was a true statement, and may not have been meant as a think like us or your wrong. It may have been, though. I don't know them.
Regardless of all that, middle class America only pays attention to the poor when we have to fund programs for them or get annoyed when they try to live in our neighborhoods or come to our malls.
I know this because the middle class does care about animals and, as a result, there are harsher penalties for and more time and energy spent on animal abuse than on child abuse, and child abuse mostly effects the poor. I know this because I work in the neighborhoods of the poor in St. Louis and I see how our society ignores them. I have been in churches that claimed to "reach out" to the poor but were only willing to do what might result in those poor people coming to their church, and thus boosting attendance, which is sadly the true mission of much of the church today. I know this because our society spends billions on building to play games in and on new ways to entertain ourselves, both of which I enjoy as well, and we spend comparitively nothing on schools, health care for kids, and other efforts to help make life better for the poor in America.
So, the middle class, Christian and otherwise, does not care about poor people. If it did then things would change for those people and our society would change. We have it within our power to change the face of our society by changing how we see those in our world. Are they strangers or are they neighbors? Are they potential tithers or are they family? Are they important enough for us to take real action or are they just to be pitied, ignored, feared, or carried as a burden?
I don't know your church, but I do know you and I don't see you as hungry for power or success, but earnest and looking for the answers. Honestly, how many of the middle class people you know would give up their new car if it meant a family of four could have quality health care, plenty of healthy food, or a home that was not falling apart or full of bullet holes? Are we willing to make that trade?
I think the statement is partially true, just not all the way. I know plenty of middle class people who do give much, live frugal lifestyles and give away their money.
But, you are right, there needs to be a complete, radical shift when it comes to politics. There must be more concern for the poor in our priorities, not just tax cuts, etc. I am not sure what will shake middle class christians from sucking at the Republican teat. I think all churches should commit to preaching through the prophets for a year.
And, you are right, churches take in the poor to get numbers in their church. I have seen it first hand.
I think my whole point is how to motivate people to be concerned about the poor, not that the statement itself is wrong.
I think there should be national health care for kids at least. I am for the most part, a democrat on these issues, I just don't think guilt motivates people for very long. That is what the suburban churches use to motivate people to do their obligatory soup kitchen month. But, it brings about no real lasting change to their lifestyle, which as you pointed out, needs to be done.
Of course the statement is partially true. It was a generalization and there are always exceptions when it comes to humans.
I read a biography of Martin Luther King Jr. some time ago and it struck me that his approach was not to use guilt but to open eyes. Gandhi took much the same approach, believing that to open the eyes of the oppressor would change the oppression.
I'm not calling the middle class the oppressor, but the principle still works. If all of our eyes are opened to the reality of poverty in America, and the things that it produces, then we, as a society, will begin to work for change. Today, most of us really have no idea what it is like to live in poverty in America, which is a very specific kind of poverty. If more of us will truly see the reality of our neighbors then more of us will take action. And honestly, I don't really look to the church to lead that change. Change isn't really the Church's strength. Many Christians will be involved, no doubt, but the Church as a whole doesn't appear to be interested.
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