The Benedict Option
A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation, by Rod Dreher
In a recent Barna Study, the Burlington/Plattsburg region ranked as the 5th most Post-Christian city in the U.S. The top seven were all in the Northeast.
So when a book makes the New York Times bestseller list promising a strategy for people of faith in a post-Christian nation – we believers in the Northeast should take note.
To be fair, I still have a couple of chapters left to read, and I am not writing a review, but I have found this to be an engaging and thought-provoking read.
The subtitle begs the question – a strategy for what? Rod Dreher believes that the secularization of American culture requires a strategy for survival, and he is promoting a return toward ordered life as a distinct and intentional Christian counter-culture.
My mind is spinning on these questions:
– Is his assessment of post-Christian America correct?
– Would the strategies he promotes work?
I am convinced that we who believe (in a historically consistent sense of the Christian faith) will be increasingly distinct, and this is not necessarily a bad thing. It will require us as individuals and a faith community to more clearly understand, live, and pass on what we believe.
I would love to discuss this with some of our St. Timothy community, or with others who are seeking to live the gospel around Burlington. Do you have space on your summer reading list?
Comment or email micah@sttimothyburlington.org if you’re up for a book discussion.