I’m working on a review of Rod Dreher’s The Benedict Option, which seems to be all the rage  right now—whether you love it or hate it. While I have no great beef with most of Dreher’s arguments or suggestions, I also can’t see quite what the big fuss is about. You will probably see what I mean from the following list of 43 (or 47, depending on how you count) concrete proposals that I distilled from the book as an initial note-taking exercise:

Church

• Learn the riches of your theological tradition, rediscover your past (102-5)
• Liturgical worship (105-13)
  • Refocuses on God speaking to us, rather than us expressing ourselves
  • Involvement of the body as well as spirit
  • A rhythm that disciplines our desires
• Recover fasting (114-15)
• Recover church discipline (116-17)
• Evangelize with goodness and beauty (117-19)

Community

• Establish the home as “domestic monastery” (124-26)
  • Daily family worship
  • Mutual love and service
  • Show hospitality
• Be willing to be nonconformist (126-27)
• Think about your kids’ peer groups (127-28)
• Beware of idealizing the family (128-29)
• Live in geographical proximity to your community (130-34)
• Establish strong social networks in the church community (134-35)
• Establish, as far as possible, ecumenical ties with other local churches (136-38)
• Don’t idolize the community (138-39)
• Start where you’re at rather than trying to make something perfect (139-42)

Education

• Recover classical Christian education (145-46)
• Recover idea of education as passing on a culture, not mere utilitarian training (147-50)
• Immerse students in Scripture (150-52)
• Immerse students in history of western civilization (152-55)
• Leave public schools (155-58)
• Recognize that most Christian schools are a joke (158-59)
• Start classical Christian schools (160-65)
• If that’s not an option, homeschool (165-66)
• Establish/join Christian study centers or communities at universities (166-73)

Work

• Remember that a vocation is for God and for others, not primarily for money (177-79)
• Recognize that in many callings, Christian faithfulness will soon close doors to advancement, if not to entry (179-83, 185-86)
• But don’t pick a fight over everything (183-85)
• Be entrepreneurial to provide new contexts for Christian work (188)
• Establish Christian employment networks (188-90)
• Consider learning a trade, working in a factory (190-92)
• Prepare to be poorer and more marginalized (192-94)

Sex

• Maintain the importance of a Christian sexual ethic (197-201, 204-5)
• The church needs to teach openly about sexulaity (205-8)
• Root sexual morality in love of God, not moralism (208-10)
• Parents need to teach their kids about sex (210-12)
• Provide strong support for singles in the community (212-14)
• Fight pornography aggressively (214-16)

Technology

• Be willing to question the morality of technological developments (220-23)
• Recognize that the internet is an ecosystem of distraction (224-25)
• Practice some forms of digital fasting (226-29)
• Don’t give kids smartphones (229-31)
• Don’t use social media in worship (231-32)
• Do more things with your hands (232-33)
• Do not assume that all scientific progress is good (233-36)

Fuller thoughts to come later.