Development In Laos

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Are Clergy-Laity Distinctions Scriptural?

These Clergy- Laity distinctions have existed in the religious system of Christendom for many centuries. Few persons give thought as to the Scripturalness of having a professional clergy class presiding over the rest of the believers. Yet it may be asked, Is the dividing up of believers into clergy and laity in harmony with the inspired Scriptures?

In the first-century Christian congregation clergy-laity distinctions were unknown. These were a later development. Says the Encyclopaedia Britannica: “The 2nd century of the Christian church witnessed the emergence of a distinction between clergy and laity (Gr. laos, ‘people’). This distinction received form and recognition by the privileges and immunities granted to the clergy by Constantine I [4th century].”

Well, has the bringing in of a professional clergy class been in the best interests of the church members?

Nope. It's been bad on two grounds, one that it cuts against what is often now called 'the priesthood of all believers'. It undermines ordinary Christians' confidence in their own capacity, in Christ, to minister, to preach, to pray for and with people. It inhibits the ministry of the church as a whole.

Second, I think you're right to identify 'professionalism' as an issue; this is a mix of sociological observation with biblical principles, I would say. Historically, the origin of the profession lies not in mediaeval clericalism and the rise of universities, as many claim; it lies with the mediaeval guilds. The primary purpose of a guild was to restrict entry to a craft, thereby preserving the collective monopoly of guild members. We say who can be a blacksmith, for example. If you want to work as a blacksmith, you need our approval, otherwise you might undercut our prices and cost us trade. The guilds were notoriously corrupt, as are the mainstream professions in the modern world (medicine, law, and so on). I don't believe it's possible to have professionalism without corruption, as the central premise, that the professsion is there to maintain standards and so protect the consumer, is a lie. And where you have corruption, almost always at some point you have violence.

I believe if you look at the church sociologically and historically, as well as theologically, and let those two domains inform each other, you see a coherent picture of a church which, as it has increasingly professionalised ministry, has increasingly fallen prey to corruption. Priests and pastors misbehave, abuse, lie, and the institution rarely responds with searching inquiry, it responds with short term pragmatic defence of its own perceived social and material interests.

That's not to say that all priests and pastors are corrupt, but that they are operating with a corrupt notion of christian leadership. This corruption has, over the centuries, become one of the main obstacles to faith of many thoughtful non-Christians. And has been the cause of loss of faith in tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, who once believed.

Vientiane's Development and Vision (Laos)


development in laos