The Benedict Option-Softcover

Now in paperback—the New York Times bestseller that sparked a nationwide debate about the future of American Christianity.

From the outside, America’s churches are beset by challenges to religious liberty in a rapidly secularizing culture. From the inside, they’re being hollowed out by the departure of young people and a watered-down pseudo-spirituality. Confused and frightened Christians wonder what went wrong and what they can do about these trends.

Rod Dreher argues that the way forward is actually the way back—all the way back to St. Benedict of Nursia. This sixth-century monk, horrified by the decadence of Rome, retreated to the forest and created a new way of life for Christians under Barbarian rule. He and his fellow monks built resilient communities based on principles of order, hospitality, stability, and prayer. By creating spiritual centers of hope that were strongholds of light through the Dark Ages, they saved not just Christianity, but Western Civilization.

The Benedict Option is a guide for Christians under siege today. Politics won’t save them, and neither will the courts. In this visionary book, Dreher urges today’s faithful to be new St. Benedicts. Christians must build up their local churches, create new schools, and take up practices that can help them face today’s world with confidence.

This acclaimed book offers both hope and a plan for thriving despite the growing darkness of our time.