Yakov Krotov's LJ

Jennifer Trafton in "Christianity Today" (http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/2007/001/3.6.html) writes about the interest of many Protestants to Benedictine monasticism:

"In the midst of a frenetic, fragmented culture that glorifies independence, busyness, and material gain, many are seeking out a countercultural lifestyle that values prayer, silence, simplicity, liturgy, hospitality, community, and care for the poor."

Life with Christ is not "a countercultural lifestyle." We must seek Christ. not "simplicity." Simplicity very often is only the lack of knowledge and hidden aggression towards culture. Everything material can become perversion. Even the liturgy or "spirituality" can be understood materialistically, as something which we are in need "to gain." Lord Jesus compares His Kingdom with material values in order to distract us from material values. But we must also distract ourselves from material means. All too often "Christian spirituality" is poisoned by the spirit of materialism: competition (with unbelievers, with co-believers) and power (under the pseudonym of "community" and "care for the poor"). Monasticism is only a material institute and very often it was a victim of corruption and a source of corruption in the Church.

Individualism and independence don't oppose "community." They oppose opposes collectivism and slavery, dependence. Busyness and material gain don't opposes charity, it opposes lust for power.

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