Responding to 'The Benedict Option'
- James Collazo
- Nov 8, 2024
- 8 min read
Updated: Nov 15
Introduction
In a world fractured by identity politics and secularism, Christians must return to the enduring truths that have withstood every test of history. The Benedict Option (Sentinel, 2017) by Rod Dreher (b. 1967) calls believers to form tight-knit, morally distinct communities, following the example of Benedict of Nursia (480–547). Dreher warns that mainstream society has drifted far from God's ways, and that faithful Christians must intentionally separate to protect their witness and uphold the faith. Drawing on the philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre (1929–2025), he reminds us that a renewed vision is essential to navigate a fractured world. As MacIntyre declares, "If the tradition of the virtues was able to survive the horrors of the last dark ages, we are not entirely without hope . . . We are waiting not for a Godot but for another—doubtless very different—St. Benedict."
Dreher calls for retreat, but we call for bold engagement. Christians preserve their faith and shape culture by living Wesleyan holiness, proclaiming the gospel without compromise, thriving in the marketplace, and defending the shared values that unite our nation. Withdrawal surrenders the field; engagement claims it.
Wesley: Personal & Social Holiness
The Wesleyan tradition offers a distinctive and compelling vision of Christian life that stands in contrast to Dreher's focus on withdrawal. John Wesley (1703–1791), the founder of Methodism, championed both personal and social holiness, insisting that sanctification must extend beyond private devotion into active engagement with society. He famously declared, "There is no holiness but social holiness." For Wesley, holiness is not simply a matter of individual piety but a transformative way of life that seeks to uplift and reform the world around us. While The Benedict Option advocates retreat into isolated communities as a strategy to preserve faith, the Wesleyan perspective emphasizes engaging society directly, demonstrating that faithful Christians can fortify their impact through active witness, moral integrity, and service. In this view, stepping back from cultural entanglements does not mean abandonment but rather a strategic pause to strengthen one's influence, allowing holiness to radiate outward and reshape the world from within.
From this perspective, Wesleyan believers do not aim to create self-contained virtuous enclaves. Our mission extends outward: to foster spiritual and social revival that spreads the love of Christ. Just as Wesley preached in open fields, bringing the gospel to those in need, we Evangelicals can adopt elements of The Benedict Option to prepare ourselves for service. Communities centered on spiritual disciplines and purposeful living serve as platforms for nurturing individuals into messengers of grace and truth. Holiness, in this view, is not about retreat but about transforming hearts and society. Wesleyan theology calls us to ask: How can our communities shine as beacons of love, justice, and truth in a world yearning for hope?
Rather than forming isolated communities, Wesleyans can act as leaven within the broader culture, embodying and promoting moral excellence through everyday life. A Wesleyan response to cultural challenges emphasizes engagement rather than withdrawal—through ethical integrity, compassionate service, and social reform. By bringing faith into public, familial, and vocational spheres, Wesleyans witness holiness within a culture they seek to transform from within, fulfilling Christ's call to be "salt and light" (Matt. 5:13–16). Wesleyan theology remains relevant to pursuing first-century faith because it aims to restore the doctrines and spirit of the early church, primarily through the lens of paleo-orthodoxy.
Evangelical Witness to Transform Culture
Evangelicals cannot hide and still obey the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18–20). The Holy Spirit sends into the streets, the marketplaces, the schools—into the world itself—to make disciples and proclaim Christ without compromise. We cannot shrink from culture; we must confront it with courage, wisdom, and bold witness. Faith ignites like a fire; it does not hide like a candle tucked away in the shadows.
The focus of The Benedict Option on sacred community, though not without merit, must not overshadow the divine charge to seek the lost. From the very beginning, the followers of Christ carried the message into hostile lands, proclaiming the gospel with boldness, even at the cost of life itself. Today, the pressures of a fallen world are not a summons to withdraw, but a clarion call to fearless witness. God calls us to stand in the marketplaces, schools, halls of power, and homes of the weary, demonstrating the love of Christ and declaring the good news with courage and clarity. Faith is not a lamp hidden under a basket; it is fire meant to blaze forth, illuminating all corners of the world.
Capitalism and The Benedict Option
The Benedict Option dares us Christians to reconsider our place in modern capitalism—but from a conservative, pro-capitalist perspective, economic engagement is a battlefield for cultural influence, not a temptation to retreat. Christians who enter the marketplace with integrity wield power to shape society, build wealth that strengthens families and communities, and champion the virtues of hard work, wise stewardship, and generous charity. This response is not mere participation—it is righteous action in the public square, a living testimony of faith in motion (see "Christian Case for Capitalism & Populism").
In a free-market economy, Christians must rise as builders, not bystanders. We showcase integrity in our labor, generosity in our wealth, and service in our influence. Retreating into closed enclaves wastes the opportunity God has placed in our hands. Instead, we storm the marketplace with kingdom purpose—funding missions, creating jobs, and establishing institutions that magnify Christ. Economic engagement is not retreat; it is spiritual warfare waged in the heart of culture, where every dollar, every deal, and every act of stewardship proclaims that Jesus is Lord (see "Money, Mammon & Tithe").
Populism, Values & Engagement
A populist response to The Benedict Option declares that America's cultural heritage is not something to abandon but something to defend and renew. Ordinary people, more than detached elites, have carried the torch of faith, family, and freedom across generations. Populists call Christians to stand shoulder to shoulder with everyday Americans in protecting religious liberty, strengthening families, honoring patriotism, and upholding the Constitution. These ideals still run strong in much of our nation—especially beyond the cultural strongholds of the cities—and they provide fertile ground for believers to shape society with gospel conviction and moral courage.
Rather than retreating into isolated enclaves, Christians should stand alongside like-minded Americans who long for a return to traditional values. Within the democratic framework, believers can fight for policies that secure the common good, safeguard religious freedom, and restore moral education. Populist engagement empowers ordinary citizens by recognizing their God-given agency and forges alliances across political and religious lines to defend shared convictions. By stepping boldly into political and civic life, Christians can shape the nation's future with truth and conviction rather than abandon it.
Conclusion
While The Benedict Option warns of a world darkened by unbelief, the gospel burns brighter still. A Wesleyan, Evangelical, capitalistic, and populist vision calls us not to retreat, but to advance. The first disciples did not hide in caves—they carried holiness into streets and marketplaces, preaching Christ with boldness and living as salt and light in hostile lands. So too must we. We embody holiness in daily life, proclaim the good news without fear, labor in the economy with integrity and generosity, and stand shoulder to shoulder with our neighbors to defend truth and freedom. The church does not flee the world—it invades it with love, truth, and resurrection power. Our calling is not to build enclaves of fear but to unleash communities of fire, transforming culture from within until every knee bows and every tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Hope blazes brightest when the night grows darkest. In these days of confusion and decay, we do not cower, for the apostle Peter arms us with our charge: "In your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Pet. 3:15). Our hope does not flicker like the world's shifting ideologies; it roars with the certainty that the mission of Christ will not fail. The battle for America's soul is not over, and the people of God must rise with holy grit—building local strongholds of faith, forging covenant bonds, and planting institutions that will endure when lesser structures collapse. Jesus has promised, and his word cannot fail: "The gates of Hades will not overcome it" (Matt. 16:18).
Alasdair MacIntyre spoke of a "very different St. Benedict," a figure who could anchor us in times of fracture. He was right—though that figure is not a monk withdrawing into silence, but a church burning with holy presence in the public square. Yet here lies the danger: when Christians chase fleeting political triumphs and mirror the world's corruption, we betray the cross we bear. Dreher's call to retreat warns us of this peril. Sometimes stepping back is the discipline that keeps us unspotted, that saves us from trading eternity for power.
The apostles themselves embodied this paradox. Matthew—entangled with the Roman Empire—and Simon the Zealot—a rebel sworn against it—stood shoulder to shoulder as brothers in Christ. Their unity shattered the categories of their time and told of a kingdom not of this world. So must the church today: not retreating into irrelevance, not bowing to empire, but advancing with the fire of the first century—undaunted, unbending, and unashamed.
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of heaven and earth. You give us this good land to build faithful lives. Bless our work and homes with honesty, goodness, and peace. Protect us from evil. Guide and appoint leaders who are wise and just. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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