by Ivan J. Kauffman (Author)
From the very beginning there have been Christians who wanted to go all the way--who, rather than asking, ""What must I do to be a Christian?"" asked instead, ""What can I do to be more Christian?"" These highly intentional Christians have had an impact on the development of both Christianity and western civilization that has been completely out of proportion to their numbers. The greatest impact of these Christian has come through the communities of like-minded believers--some of lay evangelicals and others of celibate monastics--formed based upon their common desire to live more intentional Christian lives. Throughout the past twenty centuries, hundreds of groups of both kinds have formed. This probing work tells the story of these communities, both monastic and lay. It is a story that, though often overlooked, is both inspiring and instructive. Above all it is a story that opens the way for greater understanding between two groups of Christians who have long been estranged--Protestant evangelicals and Catholic monastics.
Author Biography
Ivan J. Kauffman grew up in one of the oldest surviving lay evangelical communities, the Amish Mennonites. Educated as both a Mennonite and a Catholic he has been active in Mennonite Catholic dialogues from their beginnings in the 1980s, and was a founder of the North American grassroots Mennonite Catholic dialogue, Bridgefolk, which meets regularly at Saint John's Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota. He identifies himself as a Mennonite Catholic.