Respecting God's Call and Public Office
The resignation of Pope Benedict XIII has caught many by surprise. Given that it has not happened since the late 14th century, we can claim to have witnessed something quite unusual, to say the least. Our firm view is that it should be the norm.
We respect Benedict's decision. To our mind, it was a principled act: he acknowledges that his office was more important than his person. When his body and mind made it impossible for him to perform his responsibilities and duties appropriately, he resigned.
This is the way it should always be when it comes to public office, whether in church or state or judiciary or civic life.
Showing posts with label Church Offices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church Offices. Show all posts
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
Saturday, 14 May 2011
Douglas Wilson's Letter From America
Burrowed Into the Woodwork of Puritanism
Church Government - Elders of the Church
Written by Douglas Wilson
Sunday, May 08, 2011
Here is a small necklace of things that should be strung on the same thread, at least in my mind. To the casual observer, it might seem more like a pearl, a washer, a wooden bead, and a small metallic nut, but this is only because that casual observer is not looking at it with the eye of faith.
Let me begin with a requirement laid down by Paul for men in the ministry, a requirement that is unfortunately widely neglected (and therefore controversial) in conservative circles. He says that part of a minister's qualification is his ability to manage his own household well, and with all dignity, such that his children are submissive (1 Tim. 3:4). In addition, he says further that what is going on in his household is a good predictor of what is going to be happening in the church (1 Tim. 3:5). Paul says elsewhere that this submission extends to submission to the gospel. Not only must a minister's children not be dissolute and rebellious, they must be faithful (Tit. 1:6). Whether or not that last word is rendered as faithful or as believers amounts to the same thing. A minister's children are his first parishioners, and they are the canary in the mine.
Now the necessary qualifications. I make a distinction between ordaining men to the ministry and defrocking them. Qualifications for expulsion should be stiffer than qualification for non-admittance -- but to the extent we want to lean on this, it is perhaps a strong argument for not ordaining men with younger children. A man strong-minded enough to insist on pursuing his call to the ministry when his younger children are two, four, and six should also be strong-minded enough to tender his resignation when his grown children are serving two to four, and four to six, in the state penitentiary.
Church Government - Elders of the Church
Written by Douglas Wilson
Sunday, May 08, 2011
Here is a small necklace of things that should be strung on the same thread, at least in my mind. To the casual observer, it might seem more like a pearl, a washer, a wooden bead, and a small metallic nut, but this is only because that casual observer is not looking at it with the eye of faith.
Let me begin with a requirement laid down by Paul for men in the ministry, a requirement that is unfortunately widely neglected (and therefore controversial) in conservative circles. He says that part of a minister's qualification is his ability to manage his own household well, and with all dignity, such that his children are submissive (1 Tim. 3:4). In addition, he says further that what is going on in his household is a good predictor of what is going to be happening in the church (1 Tim. 3:5). Paul says elsewhere that this submission extends to submission to the gospel. Not only must a minister's children not be dissolute and rebellious, they must be faithful (Tit. 1:6). Whether or not that last word is rendered as faithful or as believers amounts to the same thing. A minister's children are his first parishioners, and they are the canary in the mine.
Now the necessary qualifications. I make a distinction between ordaining men to the ministry and defrocking them. Qualifications for expulsion should be stiffer than qualification for non-admittance -- but to the extent we want to lean on this, it is perhaps a strong argument for not ordaining men with younger children. A man strong-minded enough to insist on pursuing his call to the ministry when his younger children are two, four, and six should also be strong-minded enough to tender his resignation when his grown children are serving two to four, and four to six, in the state penitentiary.
Saturday, 2 April 2011
The Need of a Clear Trumpet
His Greatest Failure as a Pastor
Justin Buzzard:About ten years ago I heard Ben Patterson, campus pastor of Westmont College, say something that I will never forget. Ben told the story of a retired pastor who began noticing that his former congregation was sliding away from orthodoxy. The pastor saw this as his fault, noting the one thing he thought he did most poorly as a pastor. The pastor stated, in two sentences, his great failure as a pastor:Update: You can listen to Patterson’s whole talk here: “Courage in Christian Ministry.” It’s a bracing, sobering, encouraging talk, conveyed out of personal trial and much grace. It’s well worth your time.
I always told people what to believe.
My great mistake is that I never told my people what NOT to believe.
This post is taken from Justin Taylor's blog.
Tuesday, 17 August 2010
Feminisation of the Church
Heading Off the Sweetest Boy . . .
Written by Douglas Wilson
Friday, August 06, 2010
"At the same time, because of sentimentalism and pietism, the definitions of piety have become increasingly feminized. The definition of what constitutes devout piety has drifted into feminine territory, and ministers have labored to keep up with the shifting expectations. The sweetest and gentlest boy in the church is the one who is told repeatedly while growing up that he really ought to consider seminary. The boy who garnered seventeen black eyes and three broken arms while growing up is never told that by anybody" (Why Ministers Must Be Men, p. 42).
Written by Douglas Wilson
Friday, August 06, 2010
"At the same time, because of sentimentalism and pietism, the definitions of piety have become increasingly feminized. The definition of what constitutes devout piety has drifted into feminine territory, and ministers have labored to keep up with the shifting expectations. The sweetest and gentlest boy in the church is the one who is told repeatedly while growing up that he really ought to consider seminary. The boy who garnered seventeen black eyes and three broken arms while growing up is never told that by anybody" (Why Ministers Must Be Men, p. 42).
Thursday, 15 July 2010
Christian Ministers Must be Men
Swimming Against the Tide, Then and Now
Written by Douglas Wilson
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
"It is very easy for objectors to say that the reason Christian women were not allowed to become religious ministers back in the 'olden time' was because the position of women in society back then would have made the Christian faith disreputable to outsiders if women were allowed to function in this way . . . The problem with this argument is that it is actually the reverse of the truth. The Christian church did not have to exclude women in order to fit right in. Excluding women from the ministry was the odd thing to do. The ancient world was crawling with priestesses, and if Christians had admitted women into their ministry, no one would have raised an eyebrow. The church took the counter-cultural route and did something that made her stand out -- which is, incidentally, what we are being called to do" (Why Ministers Must be Men, pp. 10-11).
Written by Douglas Wilson
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
"It is very easy for objectors to say that the reason Christian women were not allowed to become religious ministers back in the 'olden time' was because the position of women in society back then would have made the Christian faith disreputable to outsiders if women were allowed to function in this way . . . The problem with this argument is that it is actually the reverse of the truth. The Christian church did not have to exclude women in order to fit right in. Excluding women from the ministry was the odd thing to do. The ancient world was crawling with priestesses, and if Christians had admitted women into their ministry, no one would have raised an eyebrow. The church took the counter-cultural route and did something that made her stand out -- which is, incidentally, what we are being called to do" (Why Ministers Must be Men, pp. 10-11).
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