Did Reagan need a crown and scepter? I personally think his status was apparent by his actions and by his words and not by his apparel. :-)
In the church of Christ, there's not a priest, by that name, serving as the worship leader. He (and certainly not she) is generally referred to as a preacher or, occasionally, minister. In most cases, what might be familiar visual cues elsewhere aren't common in church of Christ congregations. Stained glass windows and a darkened sanctuary are atypical. The architectural style of a soaring cathedral is rare as well. In fact, the very term ``sanctuary'' is often displaced by ``auditorium'' or ``worship area''.
I'm by no means an expert on this history of the reformation movement in the US but I think some of the ``plainness'' came from the generally rustic culture of Tennessee and Kentucky where Cain Ridge played a role in the ``Second Great Awakening''.
And given the autonomous nature of each congregation, there may (or may not) be some where the preacher wears more formal attire.
“Did Reagan need a crown and scepter? I personally think his status was apparent by his actions and by his words and not by his apparel.”
Agreed, but I think the symbolism of the vestements is important. If you can just pull some random guy from the back and pull him to the front and have him preach, that’s a problem. The issue is one of authority. It’s like in the armed forces. There’s a heirarchy.
“In the church of Christ, there’s not a priest, by that name, serving as the worship leader.”
Worship leader? That’s a girly term. Priest is in scripture.
“Stained glass windows and a darkened sanctuary are atypical. The architectural style of a soaring cathedral is rare as well.”
I consider that to be less manly. You think that architecture is something that men aren’t consciously drawn to, or the timeless beauty of stained glass windows. Sanctuary is a much better word, than worship area (ugh!) or auditorium (double ugh!)
Sanctuary means place that is holy.
“And given the autonomous nature of each congregation, there may (or may not) be some where the preacher wears more formal attire.”
But why should each congregation be autonomous? Shouldn’t they all be related to one another through the heirarchy of the church, from the pope, down to the bishops and the priests. Here’s what Rick Warren doesn’t offer. The pope is a way more manly figure than him and he claims to be the Vicar, in acting in the stead of Christ. No how radical is that? Christ talking through a man!