It’s the sixth century. The Christian Western Roman Empire has fallen. Pagan barbarians are running amok, and civilization as the Romans have known it is crumbling. Devoted Christians head for the hills, or the deserts, or any place secluded in order to protect and renew their faith in the face of evil and ignorance. They save civilization, thrive, and ultimately prevail.
The author of “The Benedict Option” sees the modern world in much the same terms, with secular humanists and gays in the role of the victorious barbarians. He advocates withdrawing from the world to the maximum extent possible, creating networks of Christian culture, and preparing for better times ahead. Don’t be fooled by Trump’s victory, he says; we have lost the culture war, and there is no political solution to our problems.
I agree that it is a mistake for Christians to put so much of their energy into political “solutions” that typically only revolve around banning abortion. Otherwise, I find the author’s analogy to the terrors of the sixth century to be grossly overblown, and his response to be misguided. Christian culture is still much more pervasive than he thinks, and issues regarding sexual preferences are far less important to the average person on a day-to-day basis than he appears to believe. The odd piece of legislation preventing bakers from discriminating against gays doesn’t require a complete withdrawal from the world.
Christians are losing the culture war because their message has not been persuasive to the general public either at an emotional or an intellectual level. They have the same opportunity to persuade their opponents as anyone else. They should try to use it. Creating a positive message, and sounding less like Ted Cruz, would be a good start. Pope Francis seems to understand that, even if his right-wing opponents don’t.
Things ultimately got better for Christians not because they withdrew from the world, but because missionaries and martyrs fully engaged with it. You could call it the Patrick Option.