Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!mips!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: gross@dg-rtp.dg.com (Gene Gross) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Ordination in general Message-ID: Date: 25 Aug 90 07:10:37 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: Data General Corporation, Research Triangle Park, NC Lines: 44 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article hwt@bwdlh490.bnr.ca (Henry Troup) writes: > >Despite being an Episcopialian, I tend very much to the opinion that ordination >is not particularly mandated by Christ. (one advantage to being an Anglican >- they won't throw me out for disagreeing with the Church :-) > >Christ bapitised. And baptism is the sole requirement for membership in the >Christian faith. And all of us are called to preach and witness. So I see >no extra role to be filled by the priest. Also the word is never applied to >Christians in the new Testament. Bishop is, however. Well, we are called a nation of priests. Still, I think your basic point is well taken. I am not impressed with the professional clergy class that has grown up around the denominations. Nor am I impressed by the denominations themselves. Understand that I'm not going to call for the end to the professional clergy and denominations--through them the Gospel has been preached and many have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. For this I praise God! But I also think that we imbue the clergy and the denominations with too much power and control. I also think that often people abdicate their own obligations and responsibilities to the clergy. Witnessing is left to the clergy and lay-leaders, but we are responsible for doing this. Many things are left to the clergy (or missionaries) that each individual Christian is responsible for doing. Paying others to fulfill our obligations and responsibilities smacks of selling indulgences. There is no room for substitutionary fulfillment of our responsibilities and obligations as Christians. The Apostles were not ordained of men but of God. Whose ordination is more valid? The Apostles were not called of men but of God. Whose calling is more valid? I submit that the calling and ordination of God is more valid and of preeminence over anything that man can devise. The only point I'm not quite in agreement on is the baptism being the sole requirement for membership in the Christian faith. I submit that the sole requirement is acceptance of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice upon the Cross for our sins. Baptism symbolizes our faith (pistis) in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice and our salvation. What do others think? Gene