When Dennis Okholm began exploring the roots of contemporary Benedictine monasticism, he quickly found that St. Benedict has as much to offer Protestants as he does Roman Catholics. In Monk Habits for Everyday People, Okholm--a professor who was raised as a Pentecostal and a Baptist--uses his profound experience with Benedictine spirituality to show how it can enrich the lives and prayer practices of Protestants.  
  
"As a knowledgeable pastor and theologian, Dennis Okholm proves an excellent guide. . . . This memoir, gentle in tone and often humorous, is nonetheless full of challenges to Protestant comfort zones. . . . Okholm reminds us that for all Christians, good spiritual habits are good for our spiritual health; that 'scripture is the original rule'; and that Christ is the point of it all, our true beginning and our end."  
\--__Kathleen Norris__, author of The Cloister Walk (from the foreword)  
  
"Twenty years in the making, Dennis Okholm's Monk Habits is the perfect introduction to Benedictine spirituality for the earnest Protestant believer. In taking us on his own journey, he invites to discover Benedict of Nursia and Benedict's myriad faithful followers over fifteen centuries. This represents an important bridge between evangelicalism and Catholicism. Highly recommended."  
\--__Tony Jones__, author of The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier "The practices of Benedictine monasticism have several times brought revitalization and spiritual focus back to the worldwide church at large. In this informative and irenic book, Dennis Okholm explains how the 'rule' of Benedict did the same for him personally as an evangelical professor and Presbyterian minister. The book's winsome portrait of the Benedictines--and, through their monastic practices, of Christ--makes for a spiritual feast. The historically minded will also benefit from Okholm's careful discussion of why more Protestants should pay greater heed to the Benedictine life."  
\--__Mark A. Noll__, coauthor of Is the Reformation Over? An Evangelical Assessment of Contemporary Catholicism

__Dennis L. Okholm__ (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is professor of theology at Azusa Pacific University and the coauthor of A Family of Faith: An Introduction to Evangelical Christianity.

In their zeal for reform, early Protestant leaders tended to throw out Saint Benedict with the holy water. That is a mistake, writes Dennis Okholm, in Monk Habits for Everyday People. While on retreat in a Benedictine abbey, the author, a professor who was raised as a Pentecostal and a Baptist, observed how the meditative and ordered life of a monk lifted Jesus' teachings off the printed page and put them into daily practice. Vital aspects of devotion, humility, obedience, hospitality, and evangelism took on new clarity and meaning. Paralleling that experience, Okholm guides the reader on a focused and instructive journey that can revitalize the devotional life of any Christian who wants to slow down and dig deeper.

An evangelical theologian who has researched and practices Benedictine spirituality offers an accessible introduction to this time-tested practice.

Acknowledgments   
1\. What's a Good (Protestant Evangelical) Boy Doin' in a Monastery?  
2\. Why Benedictine Spirituality for Protestants?   
3\. Learning to Listen  
4\. Poverty: Sharing the Goods  
5\. Obedience: Objectifying Providence  
6\. Humility: Letting Go of the Mask  
7\. Hospitality: The Guest as Christ  
8\. Stability: Staying Put to Get Somewhere  
9\. Balance: God in Everything  
10\. To Change the World!  
Afterword: Why the Protestant Reformers Opposed Monasticism  
Suggested Reading  
Suggestions for Practicing Benedictine Spirituality  
Notes

Okholm, Dennis L.

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Foreword by Kathleen Norris

Acknowledgments

Epigraphs

1. What’s a Good (Protestant Evangelical) Boy Doin’ in a Monastery?

2. Why Benedictine Spirituality for Protestants?

3. Learning to Listen

4. Poverty: Sharing the Goods

5. Obedience: Objectifying Providence

6. Humility: Letting Go of the Mask

7. Hospitality: The Guest as Christ

8. Stability: Staying Put to Get Somewhere

9. Balance: God in Everything

10. To Change the World!

A Historical Afterword: Why the Protestant Reformers Opposed Monasticism Suggested Reading

Suggestions for Practicing Benedictine Spirituality

Notes

Back Cover

In their zeal for reform, early Protestant leaders tended to throw out Saint Benedict with the holy water. That is a mistake, writes Dennis Okholm, inMonk Habits for Everyday People. While on retreat in a Benedictine abbey, the author, a professor who was raised as a Pentecostal and a Baptist, observed how the meditative and ordered life of a monk lifted Jesus' teachings off the printed page and put them into daily practice. Vital aspects of devotion, humility, obedience, hospitality, and evangelism took on new clarity and meaning. Paralleling that experience, Okholm guides the reader on a focused and instructive journey that can revitalize the devotional life of any Christian who wants to slow down and dig deeper.

In their zeal for reform, early Protestant leaders tended to throw out Saint Benedict with the holy water. This book shows how the meditative and ordered life of a monk lifted Jesus' teachings off the printed page and put them into daily practice.

In their zeal for reform, early Protestant leaders tended to throw out Saint Benedict with the holy water. That is a mistake, writes Dennis Okholm, in "Monk Habits for Everyday People". While on retreat in a Benedictine abbey, the author, a professor who was raised as a Pentecostal and a Baptist, observed how the meditative and ordered life of a monk lifted Jesus' teachings off the printed page and put them into daily practice. Vital aspects of devotion, humility, obedience, hospitality, and evangelism took on new clarity and meaning. Paralleling that experience, Okholm guides the reader on a focused and instructive journey that can revitalize the devotional life of any Christian who wants to slow down and dig deeper.

Dennis Okholm (PhD, Princeton Theological Seminary) is professor of theology and philosophy at Azusa Pacific University and parish associate at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, California. He is coauthor of A Family of Faith: An Introduction to Evangelical Christianity.

The Good Book Stall

As a Benedictine oblate I forgive the author the terrible pun in the title of this book for it contains some very sound advice to all those who think that monastic spirituality is just for those in convents. Spirituality is a very personal area of most people’s lives and we all need some guidance of how to live, both our common prayer life and the need to get closer to God in other ways. The author reflects on the need for a deeper life of prayer and rule, this book gives us the opportunity to read of the many hints and tips he gives to us for getting deeper and more meaningful lives by living the Benedictine way. The book is a spiritual feast and well worth the read for all those who are seeking a new or deeper way to a life focussed on God. The way it is written by a protestant professor bridges some gaps between evangelicalism and Catholicism and should be read by even the most sceptical of us.

Monk Habits for Everyday People

Monk Habits for Everyday People [eBook]

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