Orders

The idea I am about to express is not mine - it came up during a Theological theme exploration last semester at the Asbury Wesleyan Community and I think it was Dr. Dongell who first posed the possibility.

My last two posts have been a result of this same drive a few of us Wesleyans at Asbury are feeling. Where is our slavery? Where is this generation's fight for civil rights for women and other minorities? What is our generation's incarnation of the activist spirit? A few possibilities were offered; environmentalism, immigration, etc, but then the question of mode comes. In their day, Orange Scott, Luther Lee and company were compelled to create a new denomination. Certainly it is not necessary to create a new body based on new convictions held by a pioneering few, especially if I am among that few and have no particular idea what sorts of issues will be so important. What other courses of change have we as a Protestant, Holiness movement?

The Catholic Church is our example here, I believe. A friend of mine spent last night at an abbey on retreat. The Abbey of Gethsemani in Trappist, Kentucky, is a Benedictine order. As I understand them, orders are a particular kind of regimented here are many Cistercian orders who are Benedictines who wanted to return to the strict observance of the Rule of Saint Benedict. This abbey is the home of Thomas Merton who was a very popular and well-published monk of our century.

Orders are important to the faith and within the Catholic Church especially. Rather than start denominations certain faithful believers of the first century took upon themselves the task of convincing the church that the Spirt asked them to live a lifestyle contrary to the norm. After gaining recognition from the church they began following the Spirit and have enriched the church by their example.

We modern Christians tend to think there is a singular Christian life we are to all imitate - that of Christ. I believe this is a valid goal. However, rather than think of ourselves as imitators of God, orders tend to make us think of the church as an imitator of Christ. In such a way we embrace the Spirit's leading individuals on different paths and enrich our own faith by communing with them.

Monastic life is often criticized as contrary to the great commission. I think this is a valid point. Certainly there are many abbeys and convents whose orders do not include vows of silence where mission work does occur.

The question for commenting: In light of this post, how does the Spirit work?

Another question: How could the Wesleyan Church (or your own denomination) embrace the concept of orders today?