Chapter 11

‘But I am among you as one who serves.’ (Luke 22:27)

The Role of the Clergy

The Christian clergy are regarded as the successors and delegates of the apostles who were chosen by Christ to formally spread his teaching. Thus, they are responsible for the preservation and furthering of the work he started. When they preach the Gospel or perform their spiritual duties, they speak and act on his behalf.

Their commission is to teach, serve and advise, but their authority to direct is limited by the fact that the Christian's ultimate responsibility is not to his priest or bishop, but to his informed conscience, which must be guided by the Spirit of God. In informing his conscience, however, a person must listen and give due consideration to the clergy by virtue of their education in spiritual and moral matters.

Contrary to popular impressions, the clergy are not ‘the Church’, nor are they its rulers. Although their learning makes them the obvious choice to speak for the Christian community in religious matters, Christ made it very clear that his followers are all brothers and that they have no master but himself (Matt. 23:10-11). The clergy are the servants of the Christian community, not their masters. It is therefore significant that whilst they may have a hierarchy amongst themselves so as to preserve order and effectiveness, as followers of Christ they do not rank higher than other Christians. The use of the term ‘laity’ for those who are not formally ordained is unfortunate, as it has connotations that there are two classes of Christians, the professionals and the amateurs. This is not the case. It is very possible for the un-ordained person to be more sensitive, informed and enlightened in the practical application of Christianity to particular situations, than many of the clergy, especially those unfamiliar with the circumstances.

Appropriate Expectations

Whilst every religion demands a high standard from its clergy, expecting them to ‘practise what they preach’, it would be a mistake for the Christian to leave the Church because many priests fail to live up to those ideals: The message is more important than the character of the messenger. A priest cannot water down what he preaches in order to justify his own failings any more than the medical practitioner can condone smoking because he himself is unable to quit. Personal perfection is as difficult for a member of the clergy to attain as for anyone else. Once again, it is necessary to distinguish between the person and the role: The work being done has to be respected according to its importance, while the person doing it must be accepted as a human being. As individuals, the clergy are no less prone to human faults than other people, or more worthy of the highest reward than any un-ordained person who dedicates his life to the service of God and his fellow human beings in his own way, according to his own calling and abilities.

The Problem of Serious Misconduct

While most people tend to be reasonably tolerant of ordinary human weaknesses in members of the clergy, it remains an unfortunate fact that major corruption and perversion also exist within their ranks. Although people recognise these possibilities in most occupations and strongly deplore them in positions of trust such as education, medicine and law enforcement, many are dismayed when they discover that not even the representatives of their spiritual ideals are consistently above such inclinations.

If there were a simple formula whereby those who are unworthy could be sifted out before they are ordained, it would go a long way towards solving a problem that has resulted in major disillusionment with formal religion. Media attention has served to highlight it more strongly in recent times, but the truth is that it has existed in almost every organised religion since the dawn of antiquity, and the prospects of eradicating it do not look promising. Even the original disciples of Christ consisted of a wide range of people from stronger characters to cowards and traitors, and the clergy throughout history have been no less varied.

A person is not a true Christian because he belongs to an organisation run by people of supposedly exemplary character on whom he should try to model himself. What makes a Christian is his relationship with God and his own personal commitment to pursuing the ideals of Christ. The mission of the clergy is to help people towards these objectives. As in all occupations, some of the clergy will be outstanding and some will be a disgrace to their profession. However, any encounter with the latter is not a valid reason to dismiss the whole or abandon a worthwhile aim.

Ongoing Debates

Sensitive issues such as the ordination of women can only be resolved in time, and it is unfruitful to let them be obstacles to the immediate task of putting Christianity into practice in one's own life. Equally, questions regarding the infallibility of Popes are of more interest to the academic theologian than of importance to the salvation of the individual.

Celibacy has, likewise, been the subject of much debate. It clearly has practical advantages for priests in certain circumstances, but as a uniform requirement it may be questionable, particularly since the apostle, St. Peter, the ‘rock’ upon whom Christ built his Church, was married. It was not mandatory in the early days of Christianity. It could be argued that whenever the clergy are systematically excluded from a normally acceptable sphere of personal interaction, such as marriage and parenthood, it may curtail their ability as a professional group to empathise with those who have related problems. On the other hand, a marriage breakdown within the clergy can have more serious implications for the whole community of believers.

The appointment of homosexuals to significant positions in the clergy has threatened to cause serious division within some denominations. The issue is complex, but great care must be taken not to compromise basic principles. There is a considerable difference between appointing a person who has latent homosexual attractions, and one who openly flaunts it as a sexually active lifestyle which he considers morally acceptable. A clear distinction must also be made between condemning an individual for a personal inclination he cannot change, and approval of the behaviour that may follow from it.

"Journey of Insight: an Invitation to Christianity"
©Carl Jacob

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