The Naked Intent: On Connecting Asceticism and Activism

This article explores the connections between political activism and Christian asceticism.
It does so through a discussion with recent political theologies and historical
research into (early) Christian asceticism. Two present-day cases, the Occupy Wall
Street movement and the Buy Nothing Year, are used to demonstrate similarities and
potential for fruitful engagement between the two traditions. It is suggested that asceticism
needs to be understood in a fuller range, incorporating introspective, imaginative
and institutional aspects in order to make visible the potential for a dialogue
between the Christian ascetic tradition and present-day political activism. The article
thus contributes to the discussion concerning asceticism in the Christian tradition,
developing public theology as a bodily practice and to a theological understanding of
political activism.