I wish churches would teach that to kids braiding lanyards in Vacation Bible School.
And big ups to anyone who goes hard for Tolstoy!
How freaking awesome would that be, man? I grew up on VBS and Kawanis, Wednesday night dinners and Sunday school at Baptist churches in the south. I loved those times, but would never dream of putting my kids (If I’m ever so fortunate) in those same groups because of the awful politics. It would be amazing if there were something like that that taught radical Christianity. We’d live in a different country.
Grew up in similar fairly liberal environment and ended up running the Christian fellowship group at my college, was big in to New Monasticism and Shane Claiborne etc. Eventually left but it definitely had some radical elements that seem to be lacking now. There was always a toxic side to the church culture as well that never sat well with me, very cliquey and hetero. You could feel the politics seeping in a lot during the Bush years too, even more than in the 90s. Glad I left before I married in to it though, I could never be in a Christian marriage in the way my friends from those days are.
I’ll be honest, I’m not familiar with new monasticism.
But yes, I loved growing up in the Baptist church, I loved the sense of community, the feeling of connection. But the politics of the far right that has taken over these once radical traditions is honestly depressing. It makes me sad to know that if I ever have kids, they will not be able to have those same experiences. I wish there was something similar in the more lefty churches, like the episcopals, the the United church of Christ, or the metropolitan community Church, but it seems like, in my area at least, mainline and fringe lefty churches don’t generally offer those some kind of things. :/ and of course, there is no Christian anarchist community to speak of.
