Hearing the Calls: The Need for an Ecumenical Theology of Monasticism and Consecrated Life for the 21st Century

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article is an outstanding contribution to contemporary scholarship of religious life. It is highly original in its synthesis of trends and developments that have not been in dialogue with each other. I believe it will become a baseline article for many future publications. Just a few minor amendments are noted below.

Question

The following sentence (l 666) is very definitive "There are no Protestant “theologies of religious life” which one might turn for models of how to proceed with this (re)imagining"  Might not the formation documents of the Community of St Anselm - An international monastic-inspired community for young Christians founded by Archbishop Justin Welby at Lambeth Palace - provide a latent theology in the Rule of Life.  Also, the formators were Protestant & Catholic, respectively, Revd Anders Litzell as Prior and Sister Sonia Béranger.

Edits

"Anabaptest" communities L.401 - pg 9 ( spelling)

encounters that "identify" a transition  L603 - p.13 (change singular to plural

BIBLIOGRAPHY

There are inconsistencies - Bouyer's full name is provided before the book title;  the same style is not used for Bradley

(Bouyer [1950] 2008) Bouyer, Louis. Le Sens de la Vie Monastique. Tradition Monastique. Paris: Les Éditions du Cerf, 2008 [première 880
édition, 1950]. 881
(Bradley 2018) Following the Celtic Way: A New Assessment of Celtic Christianity. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Books, 2018.

Author Response

Question - The following sentence (l 666) is very definitive "There are no Protestant “theologies of religious life” which one might turn for models of how to proceed with this (re)imagining"  Might not the formation documents of the Community of St Anselm - An international monastic-inspired community for young Christians founded by Archbishop Justin Welby at Lambeth Palace - provide a latent theology in the Rule of Life.  Also, the formators were Protestant & Catholic, respectively, Revd Anders Litzell as Prior and Sister Sonia Béranger.

Reply - You are indeed correct. This sentence is very definitive. I have softened my statement somewhat accordingly. I am familiar with The Community of St. Anselm and with their current discernment process. I find it interesting that you point me to the implicit theological ideas underneath the design (the "latent theology") of a semi-monastic immersion program for youth in order to give me an example of a Protestant theology of religious life. I'm still waiting for someone to show me the book.

Edit - "Anabaptest" communities L.401 - pg 9 ( spelling)

Reply - made suggested changes

Edit - encounters that "identifies" a transition  L603 - p.13 (change singular to plural

Reply - made appropriate changes

Bibliography - There are inconsistencies - Bouyer's full name is provided before the book title;  the same style is not used for Bradley

Reply - made the appropriate changes in the bibliographic entry.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

An interesting study that presents an interesting picture of the religious life of monastic communities, past and present, in different confessional traditions.

I would avoid using expressions like "I hear other calls" or "if I hear correctly" lines 67 and 70. Also see line 341.

Lines 291-292: One explanation would be that many monasteries were founded solely on the initiative of donors or even bishops.

Line 401: Anabaptest communities. Probably „Anabaptists”.

Line „404” – explain what „Eastern Christianity” or at line 670: „Eastern Christianities”.

Line 670: 4. Select Calls From “Eastern” Christianities – you do not have a clear periodization like in the other models above. This section seems very poor...I would have also opted for mentioning the monastic life on Mount Athos, represented for the Orthodox world - plus I would have been more careful about putting the Orthodox and Orientals together as Eastern Churches....

Line 579: What does it mean? Church-state relationship? And above, you had an idea that in Russia, many monasteries disappeared because of the state, which is true, but still, how can you interpret that past today? Or what is the reality today?

Line 780: Explain what Philokalia is.

Also, I would not put quotes or references in the conclusions section, which are only those of the author of the article.

Author Response

Comment 1 -- I would avoid using expressions like "I hear other calls" or "if I hear correctly" lines 67 and 70. Also see line 341.

Reply 1 -- I have deleted or reworded those sections and reviewed the manuscript for others.

Comment 2 -- Lines 291-292: One explanation would be that many monasteries were founded solely on the initiative of donors or even bishops.

Reply 2 -- I have added a comment to reflect this notion. Thank you for the idea.

Comment 3 -- Line 401: Anabaptest communities. Probably „Anabaptists”.

Reply 3 -- I have made suggested changes

Comment 4 -- Line „404” – explain what „Eastern Christianity” or at line 670: „Eastern Christianities”.

Reply 4 -- see my reply to the next comment

Comment 5 -- Line 670: 4. Select Calls From “Eastern” Christianities – you do not have a clear periodization like in the other models above. This section seems very poor...I would have also opted for mentioning the monastic life on Mount Athos, represented for the Orthodox world - plus I would have been more careful about putting the Orthodox and Orientals together as Eastern Churches....

Reply 5 -- You have perceived my weakness here correctly, and I have reworded this section accordingly. I now use "Non-Western" rather than "Eastern," though some of my sources have used "Eastern" to refer not only to Greek/Russian Orthodox traditions, but also to Coptic, Syrian, and Ethiopian. I did not treat the different periods as previously, because it did not seem appropriate here to develop the post-Chalcedonian developments between different expressions. All I wanted to do here was to give a little sense, with my limited background, that conditions outside of Western circles might also give reason for rethinking monastic life.

Comment 6 -- Line 579: What does it mean? Church-state relationship? And above, you had an idea that in Russia, many monasteries disappeared because of the state, which is true, but still, how can you interpret that past today? Or what is the reality today?

Reply 6 -- I have moved this paragraph to the end and revised it to avoid complicated discourse regarding theologies of church-state relations. My only point here, which I hope I now communicate more clearly, is that changes in governments have been significant and affect the life and thought of monastic institutions.

Comment 7 -- Line 780: Explain what Philokalia is.

Reply 7 -- made suggested changes

Comment 8 -- Also, I would not put quotes or references in the conclusions section, which are only those of the author of the article.

Reply 8 --  Made suggested changes.