3. Comparison to The Benedict Option

[Manuel]

In October 2018 we read the book The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation by Rod Dreher, that tackles a similar subject. Can you compare both books? Are their solutions the same, or are they different? In the second case, which is best?

[Jill]

Seems like Dreher was more creative, open to many different sorts of solutions to the collapse of the Christian culture.
For example, I can't swallow Senior's arrogant assertion that "true" Christian culture can only flourish via the Traditional Mass in Latin. Surely God delights in at least some of the "new" music, dance, church décor, hymnody, instrumentation, not to mention incorporation of the traditions of cultures native to other parts of the world into joyous celebrations, Christ incarnate in other valid cultures! I'm pretty sure Jesus didn't speak Latin.

[Mariangel]

When I read "The Benedict Option", I was surprised that Dreher never mentions Senior, whose books had been out for many years, and say so many similar things. Both tell us the story of St. Benedict as a hinge for their arguments to going back to small communities and focus on the family.

[John]

Mariangel wrote: "When I read "The Benedict Option", I was surprised that Dreher never mentions Senior, whose books had been out for many years, and say so many similar things. Both tell us the story of St. Benedict..."

I think their focuses (foci?) are different. Senior seems to be focused on restoration of Christian Culture, by which he means Catholic music, art, literature, etc. Dreher is focused on preserving small-o orthodox Christianity which he believes can only be done in Christian families living in Christian communities in order to evangelize the culture around us. If Dreher mentions Senior, he almost would have had to criticize Senior's focus on Catholicism, given that Dreher is using Catholic stories and memes to reach a larger Christian audience.

Finally, Dreger is, fundamentally, a journalist. He has an idea, researches it, and then writes a book. It is entirely possible that during his reading and researching of The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation that he never came across and read The Restoration of Christian Culture.