Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!seismo!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: math1h3@JANE.UH.EDU (David H. Wagner) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: A pastoral letter to the members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Message-ID: Date: 26 Jun 91 04:08:37 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of Houston Lines: 32 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu In article , ssc-bee!ssc-vax!carroll@cs.washington.edu (Jeff Carroll) writes: > > My parish priest speaks quite glibly of the priesthood of believers, >although we don't have laymen celebrating the Eucharist or pronouncing >absolution (yet). Few conservative theologians would confuse the 'priesthood of believers' with the public, pastoral ministry. However the priesthood of believers did play a role in the Lutheran rejection of the authority of the Pope and the Catholic bishops. Melancthon, in his Treatise on the Power and Primacy of the Pope, says that the "keys of the kingdom" were given "to the church, and not merely to certain individuals: 'Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.' " (Matt 18:20) "Finally, this is confirmed by the declaration of Peter, "You are a royal priesthood," (1 Peter 2:9). These words apply to the true church which, since it alone possesses the priesthood, certainly has the right of electing and ordaining ministers. The most common custom of the church also bears witness to this, for there was a time when the people elected pastors and bishops. Afterwards a bishop, either of that church or of a neighboring church, was brought in to confirm the election with the laying on of hands; nor was ordination anything more than such a confirmation." I thought you might find this interesting as a point of history. David H. Wagner a confessional Lutheran My opinions and beliefs on this matter are disclaimed by The University of Houston.