Always Reforming

I recently wrote an article on the woes of clericalism.  This article will continue the theme from a specifically liturgical perspective.  As I have been working through (read: struggling with) this topic, a few particulars have stuck out.  The epitome of the clericalism I am bemoaning is the concept known as in persona Christi . Now, like many concepts, this doctrine has been explained differently by the various traditions that hold some form of it, which can make it more difficult to define or examine.  In persona Christi , which literally means "in the person of Christ," essentially teaches that the priest stands in the place of Christ when officiating the sacraments.  As this First Things' article states it, "The priest stands in the place of Jesus within the Church's sacramental life."  When the sacraments are being administered, Christ is the one administering them through the agency of the priest.  When the Eucharist is being consecrated,...

Let love be genuine. (Rom 12:9a) True love, Paul tells us, is genuine.  It is sincere and unfeigned.  It is, more literally, without hypocrisy.   Hypocrisy is deceptive.  It leverages and manipulates the truth for it's own agenda.  It hides itself, as the Greek word originally implied, behind a mask. This is not what love does.  Love is honest.  Love is vulnerable.  Love seeks the benefit of others, even at the cost of self-exposure and self-sacrifice. We are often reminded that love is not just a feeling; it is not merely emotional.  This is good and true, but our love certainly should engage our emotions.  It should be heartfelt and genuine. If you are pretending to love, you are not loving.  Even if your actions are outwardly appropriate--even if you're abiding by the letter of the law--you're not truly loving if your heart is not properly oriented. If your love is manipulative, it's not real love.   If your love ...

What are the biggest issues facing the Church today?  Nominalism?  Licentiousness?  The human heart?  Yes, yes, and absolutely!   I would add another to this list: clericalism. What do I mean by clericalism?  Well, I certainly don't mean the existence of clerics, spiritual authority, leadership structures, etc.  The New Testament is clear that spiritual leadership is from God and is to be obeyed.  By clericalism I mean an unhealthy separation or distinction between the clergy and the laity.  This is sometimes institutional, but it is just as often cultural and unspoken.  Some denominations and churches restrict liturgical or pastoral duties to clergy as a matter of principle, while others do it as a matter of habit or practicality.  It is sometimes the fault of the clergy who seek to retain power, control, or money, but it is perhaps more often the preference of laymen who are perfectly satisfied with a consumeristic relations...

Having been raised in a Reformed Presbyterian microdenomination, my first impulse is to separate over secondary and even tertiary issues.  To put it another way, we made everything a primary issue.  I have spent the last 15 years of my life trying to retrain my instincts, which is why I heartily embraced the ecumenical attitude of the ACNA six years ago.  We agree on the fundamentals, but we can agree to disagree on secondary issues.   But... Where is the line?  How much latitude is too much?  What do we do when people insist that primary issues aren't primary issues?  Where do discipline and accountability come in, especially when a bishop is involved? The Anglican world has been on fire for the last few weeks.  A bishop was found guilty after a tumultuous trial.  Another bishop has come under fire for associating with a TEC bishop.  Meanwhile, debates have raged online over what Anglicans really believe about the Eucharist and ...

One of the great ecclesiological debates of our day is regarding the validity of holy orders.  Whom do Roman Catholics recognize?  What about the insular, ethnically-focused Eastern Orthodox?  How do Presbyterians, Baptists, Lutherans, and other Protestants interact with clergy outside of their tradition?  Anglicans, who purport to be Catholic and to hold the Apostolic Episcopate, seem to spend an inordinate amount of time talking about this.  It certainly is an important issue as it relates to questions about full vs impaired communion, the validity of the sacraments, and how denominations work together on the mission field.  Ultimately, it is a key subset to the broader question of authority, which is the pressing issue of the Church in our era. My goal today is not to answer (or even address) this question.  My assertion, instead, is that the discussion is altogether misguided.  To say it another way, if you are debating the validity of one den...

He must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:30) Oh, that my heart would own these words! These words of the Baptist ought...must...be the resolution of every Christian.  The decisions we make, the paths we take, and that which we forsake must all flow from a desire to glorify Christ.  "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Cor 10:31)  This is the guiding ethic of the Christian life.   He must increase .  This is the easy part of the verse.  Exalting Christ sounds good.  We like to praise, to worship, to tell others about Jesus.  He must increase?  Amen! But... I must decrease .  This is the painful part.  This is the part that is so radically counter to both our culture and our natural inclinations.  Humility--how demeaning!  Submission--how passe!  Subservience--how repulsive! I must decrease .  The second part is indispensable to the first.  We cannot serve Go...