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Monasticism has always been a response to the deep human longing for God. From the desert fathers and mothers of Egypt and Palestine to the monasteries of Europe, it has shaped lives of prayer, simplicity, and service for centuries. But this course isn’t about the monasticism of the past—it’s about new expressions of monasticism emerging today, rooted in the same longing but responding to the unique challenges and possibilities of our time.

As Father Bede Griffiths observed, the call to contemplation is not reserved for professional religious figures—it is everyone’s birthright. And today, many people feel this call not by leaving the world behind but by integrating their spiritual practice into the complexities of modern life. New monasticism asks how we can live deeply contemplative lives while staying engaged with the world’s pain, beauty, and transformation.

In this course, we will explore the history of new monasticism and the diverse ways this impulse has manifested across time and traditions:

Christian expressions, including evangelical communities living in abandoned places of empire to embody simplicity and justice, Catholic disciples of Gandhi forming nonviolent communities for social transformation, and Anglicans renewing the church with ancient-yet-new practices.
Interspiritual and ecumenical movements, responding to the shifting landscapes of religion and society with innovative approaches to community and spirituality.
Insights from other traditions, such as engaged Buddhism in Vietnam, where youth practiced peacemaking in the midst of war, and African Sufi movements that opposed colonialism through prayerful nonviolence.
We will then turn to our own Community of the Incarnation, exploring how we embody this impulse today. What traditions inspire us? What commitments and accountabilities ground us? And what does it mean to live as “new monastics” in the world today?

As Desmond Tutu reminded us, “To be with God” in contemplation inevitably sends us “into the midst of the world”—into its suffering and its hope. This course is an invitation to explore how new monasticism can help us answer that call today, living contemplatively while embodying compassion and justice in the heart of the world.

Exploring New Monasticism

By Center for Spiritual Imagination Inc

Exploring New Monasticism

Living the Universal Call to Contemplation: Session 3