The ‘Greening’ of Christian Monasticism and the Future of Monastic Landscapes in North America
Jason M. Brown
Christian monasticism has an ancient land-based foundation. The desert fathers and later reform movements appealed to the land for sustenance, spiritual metaphor, as a marker of authentic monastic identity. Contemporary Roman Catholic monastics with this history in mind, have actively engaged environmental discourse ways that draw from their respective lineages, process sociologist Stephen Ellingson calls ‘bridging’. Though study is limited scope, bridging between lineages could cautiously be identified broader phenomenon ‘greening’ Christianity. Looking future, while footprint North American communities quite small, numbers are slowly declining, variety conservation-minded management schemes implemented since 1990s by some suggests impact will remain many decades come.
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