In the Christian community circles that I move in there is an increasing interest in monasticism as a way for us to engage in incarnational community work.

Now lets be clear about our terms. ‘Monasticism’ (from Greek μοναχός, monachos, derived from Greek monos, alone) ‘is the religious practice in which one renounces worldly pursuits in order to fully devote one’s life to spiritual work’.[i] A ‘monastic’ is a religious person living a ‘cloistered’ – or communal – life under religious vows – such as poverty, celibacy and obedience – ‘sequestered’ – or separated – from the world.[ii]

Monasticism is a spiritual tradition that can be found in many different religions – including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity. It is a tradition to which people have turned as a way of developing total dedication to spiritual priorities.[iii]

Monasticism was a spiritual tradition that emerged as ‘an ongoing reform movement in about the middle of the 4th century’. It was ‘an attempt to live a stricter, more “apostolic” form of Christianity through prayer, manual labor and mortification.’[iv] Monasticism at its best is represented in the Christian tradition by Basil, Benedict, Aidan, Francis and Nilus.

From my new book Out And Out published by Mosaic Melbourne 2012