If the reader has spent anytime on the conservative side of the political Internet that person can not have missed references to, or articles by, Rod Dreher and his Benedict Option idea. Dreher has written a book entitled The Benedict Option and he is pushing it and his idea in the same way that Edison pushed DC electric power for homes and factories.
The Benedict Option, to put it in broad strokes, is basically a cultural retreat by Christians from the wider world in order to prevent themselves from being persecuted by the secular world while maintaining the tenets of the Faith. In other words, it's a sort of mild monasticism or a neo-Amishism. And it's silly.
This writer admits that he has never read Dreher's book The Benedict Option, but in Dreher's writings since he's written the book have pretty much spilled the beans on what it's all about. But this writer read several other of Dreher's books and found them unimpressive because they are light weight spiritual biographies of the CBN sort with an Orthodox or Catholic twist. Some years ago he wrote a book entitled Crunchy Cons which dealt with how conservatives should be, well, a little more Granola munching in their philosophy and presentation to appeal to the Greens and liberals instead of being just business friendly and socially friendly polyester wearing freaks that they are. And for months after he wrote Crunchy Cons Dreher was using the term "crunchy con" in almost every article he wrote. One could not help but wonder if Dreher was trying to push his book instead of institute and idea.
And this writer feels the same way about the Benedict Option, or as Dreher now calls it, "The Ben Op."
The Ben Op is predicated upon the idea that Christianity and Christian culture is a fragile thing that has to be protected from the world in times of trouble. Much like an orchid. It must be put into a greenhouse during the summer to protect it from being over heated and in the winter to prevent it being frozen. But the truth of the matter is that Christianity, even in its earliest days, has been quietly vigorous. Christians from 40 A.D. until 400 A.D., in Europe, did not embrace any sort of monasticism. They lived their lives as Christians in a hostile world and showed by their patience and grace that the Faith was truer than the Roman religions, and in fact, the true Faith. They got out and about and showed what is true by their words and actions. They did not retreat from the world. They encountered the world and, to out it vulgarly, gave the Finger to the world by living what they were. To be a Christian is to give the Finger to the world with joyful enthusiasm.
And that is what we need. Christians who stand quietly to show what the world should be and not a whining bunch locked away into a potential fossil state shivering in fear from the world. The Christian encounters the world and takes it. The Ben Ops become weak Amish who are cute and silly to the world selling quilts made in China
The model for the modern Christian is not St. Benedict. It is the Waldensians and Hugenouts.
