Cowboy Bethlehem

nA beautifully unique feature of Catholic life in the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoma is the presence of the sons of Saint Benedict at Clear Creek Monastery. How they came to be in our midst and what they do for us and with us is a very interesting story. Ted and T. Gavin King have done us a good service in collecting much of that story so we can read it and thank God for Clear Creek and the life of prayer they give us. n n-Bishop David Konderla, n nBishop of the Diocese of Tulsa and Eastern Oklahoman nClear Creek Monastery cannot be explained; it must be experienced to be understood. The Kings allow us to see the monastery and its history through their attentive eyes and Clear Creek's importance to our world. This book captures the beauty of an ancient community and its contemporary impact.n n-Deron Spoo, Pastor, First Baptist Church Tulsa, n nRegular Retreatant to Clear Creek Monasteryn nIn Cowboy Bethlehem, Ted and T. Gavin King capture the history and character of Our Lady of Clear Creek Abbey a Roman Catholic redoubt in the midst of little country Baptist churches. The reader learns about the daily routine of the monks, the lay community growing on the farms and ranches around the abbey, and the lives and backgrounds of the monastery's leadership. The Kings trace the spiritual and intellectual lineage of Clear Creek Abbey back to John Senior and the Pearson Integrated Humanities Program at the University of Kansas, a 1970s experiment in Great Books education that led some of its students to Fontgombault Abbey in France and ultimately to its daughter foundation in Oklahoma. Cowboy Bethlehem is food for thought for anyone pondering Christian formation and community in a world increasingly hostile to the faith.n n-Michael Bates, blogger of Batesline.comn nn