Best-seller uses Wichita group as example of Christian community

“The Benedict Option” has garnered national attention, and one section might look familiar to some Wichitans.

A portion of the book, which is listed as the No. 1 Best Seller in Christian Social Issues on Amazon, describes the Eighth Day Institute’s Hall of Men.

The Hall of Men is a twice-monthly gathering in what author Rod Dreher describes as a “kind of Christian speakeasy” next door to Eighth Day Books, 2838 E. Douglas in Wichita.

“Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant men have been coming together there since 2008 to pray, to discuss and debate the works of a great figure of Christian history, then to sit around the table drinking pints of beer and enjoying each other’s company,” Dreher writes.

In the book, Dreher writes that conservative Christians must look back to monastic virtues, building Christian homes and communities that can withstand a “post-Christian America.”

He derives the title and the concept from St. Benedict, who was born around 480 A.D. Forming monasteries, Benedict built “incubators of Christian and classical culture” that outlived a culture distinctly opposed to Christianity, Dreher wrote on his blog at The American Conservative, where he is a senior editor.

“The Benedict Option” debuted as a New York Times Best Seller.

New York Times columnist David Brooks, who disagrees with Dreher’s premises but calls him a friend, described the book as “already the most discussed and most important religious book of the decade” in a March 14 column.

Dreher uses the Hall of Men as an example of how people from different church traditions can and should build friendships, while maintaining their unique identities.

The Eighth Day Institute is the nonprofit arm of Eighth Day Books, a bookstore that Warren Farha opened in 1988.

Erin Doom, founder of the institute, said he was grateful and encouraged to see the Hall of Men used as an example in “The Benedict Option.”

Dreher has written on his blog at The American Conservative about his love for Eighth Day Books, calling it his “favorite bookstore in all the world.”

Doom worked at Eighth Day Books for eight years after returning from a three-year mission trip.

“That experience totally changed me,” Doom said.

Doom became Orthodox and started the Eighth Day Institute, which also offers conferences, talks on church history and literature and reading groups.

Eventually, Doom began working at Northfield School of the Liberal Arts. While he was there, George Elder, the son of the school’s owner, returned from Clemson University and brought with him a 12-foot table that he had built.

Elder had used the table at Clemson for the Hall of Men, a group he’d started at the university. Using the table, the group began in Wichita, giving more life to the Eighth Day Institute. Since then, a similar organization has begun for women, called the Sisters of Sophia.

“It was really the Hall of Men that really kicked everything off,” Doom said. “I think the Hall of Men is just a great way to start building community.”

Dreher said the Hall of Men was worth describing in his book since friendship and learning together are important parts of Christian discipleship.

There’s nothing like being surrounded by good books and good people, he said.

“For me it was a particularly compelling example, not only because it was about bringing Christian men together, but also it’s about bringing men together for a purpose,” Dreher said. “It’s a meeting that not only deepens our knowledge of Christianity and Christian theology, but it also thickens the bonds of friendship and love among the people that are there.”

This story was originally published April 8, 2017 at 6:26 PM with the headline "Best-seller uses Wichita group as example of Christian community."