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Why do Protestant lay people hate clergy?

Posted on 07/26/2014 4:41:46 AM PDT by michaelwlf3

I am coming up on my first year as an ordained minister in a continuing Anglican church, and I have noticed that participating on political forums (even when the topic is religious) I find that my opinions and postings more often than not generate more hatred than anything else. Among the things I often hear are that the laity are the real priests and that I am a Pharisee, that my vocation disqualifies me from offering an opinion on anything Christian because I am too narrow minded, and (my personal favorite) because I look too Catholic I must be a child molester.

Are these people really Christians?


TOPICS: Ecumenism; General Discusssion; Ministry/Outreach; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: cathvsprot; clergy; laity; sectarianturmoil; theology; whiningwhiners
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1 posted on 07/26/2014 4:41:46 AM PDT by michaelwlf3
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To: michaelwlf3

I have asked myself that question many times over when I read the commentary on different websites. I’ll probably lurk off and on to find out what others say. Good luck, and God bless!!


2 posted on 07/26/2014 4:47:30 AM PDT by FamiliarFace
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To: michaelwlf3

Interesting idea. I used to be Catholic and am Lutheran. I now understand the priesthood of all believers and the fact that all of us Christians are saints — ones set aside for God’s use. I don’t see the pastor of a church as bad, just don’t think of him the way I was supposed to revere the priests I used to work with who were in that church’s hierarchy.


3 posted on 07/26/2014 4:54:39 AM PDT by Moonmad27 ("I'm not bad, I'm just drawn that way." Jessica Rabbit)
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To: michaelwlf3

I have a couple of friends who went to Dallas Theological Seminar (DTS). Their views on most things (except the Eucharist and a hand-full of others) are very Catholic. However, they recoil in horror at being told that. They have all-but admitted that their basic theological position is that the Catholic Church has it wrong... let’s go find another answer. When they find the same answers the Catholic Church has taught for 2,000 years? They say even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then...


4 posted on 07/26/2014 4:57:49 AM PDT by pgyanke (Republicans get in trouble when not living up to their principles. Democrats... when they do.)
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To: michaelwlf3
Are these people Christians?

1 Corinthians 13:1

5 posted on 07/26/2014 4:59:18 AM PDT by Oratam
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To: kalee

For later


6 posted on 07/26/2014 5:02:35 AM PDT by kalee
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To: michaelwlf3

That’s absurd. The majority of the men in my family (starting with Roger Williams in the 1600s) are and have been “protestant” (Baptist, actually — but people incorrectly call that “protestant”) ministers. That includes, Dad, uncles, cousins, etc.

All have had 100% positive relationships with the lay people within their churches. Successful clergy realize the church can’t function without capable, dedicated lay ministers.


7 posted on 07/26/2014 5:04:09 AM PDT by MayflowerMadam
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To: michaelwlf3
In the "continuing Anglican church" you have already aligned yourself with a group who think they have superior knowledge and piety and don't want to play with others. You may wish to consider what you are saying/doing to invite disresepct.
8 posted on 07/26/2014 5:09:28 AM PDT by hinckley buzzard
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To: michaelwlf3

Scripturally church members are supposed to submit to a pastor’s authority, treat them with honor and love, pay them well, and fulfill their obligations by using their God-given talents to grow the body of Christ.

If church members would spend as much time in prayer for their pastors as they do complaining about them, they would find (to their surprise) little to complain about.


9 posted on 07/26/2014 5:14:12 AM PDT by stars & stripes forever (Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.)
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To: michaelwlf3

Just the condescending term “lay people” is enough to realize this jerk thinks more of himself then he should, especially someone that claims to be a man of God.


10 posted on 07/26/2014 5:19:06 AM PDT by CodeToad (Arm Up! They Are!)
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To: michaelwlf3

I just had to make a comment here, unfortunately it doesn’t answer your question. However this is important to me.

In my county the vast majority of children reside in homes that one or more members receive ‘assistance’ of one sort or another. Our school board recognizes that and tries to help out where it can.

Earlier this week there was a going back to school event where they hand out school supplies, back packs things like that, there was also a mobile dental clinic that was there for the kids.

My granddaughter wanted to go so she could see some of her friends from school. So I took her. The line was huge it snaked out the entrance to the building for almost the length of a football field.

That’s not what bothered me the most, what bothered me was that a local church had a sound truck and a flatbed trailer and a ‘preacher’ was blasting the people with a speaker system I heard from almost a mile away. “Hellfire, Damnation, Hold your hands up for Jesus and Be Saved, etc”

I got a headache almost immediately from the volume of the PA system and we didn’t get closer than 100 hundred yards before My Granddaughter and I turned around and left.

I found out later that the ‘church’ had donated a large amount of the items that were going to the kids, School Supplies that is. And as their ‘price’ they were allowed to preach the gospel outside the building.

There are appropriate venues for this and also inappropriate ones too. To my mind this was inappropriate, not because of the message, Free speech, etc. but the manner it was presented in and the venue it was at. It was almost like they were hijacking the event and knew they had a quasi-captive audience.

Well... anyway, thank you for letting me vent.


11 posted on 07/26/2014 5:19:15 AM PDT by The Working Man
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To: michaelwlf3

>>I am coming up on my first year as an ordained minister

Usually it takes decades for a pastor to develop the us vs them (with “us” being the clergy and “them” being the folks in the pews) attitude. I predict that you will have a very unfruitful career unless you can learn to love them for all their warts. A shepherd works constantly for his flock, but the flock never does anything for him. Nothing, that is, but survive and thrive. And that is the shepherd’s mission.

It isn’t that laity hates the clergy. They don’t. I don’t know how Anglicans do things, so I will use my experience as a Methodist.

Pastoring is a full-time vocation that is paid well when you factor in housing allowances and such. They say it needs to be full-time (and they look down their noses at those Part-Time Local Pastors) because they need to be able to work around the clock on pastoring. OK, I get that.

So, they insist that the church form small groups so the laity can teach and exhort one another.

They insist we form care teams to look in on the homebound and take them communion.

They insist that the laity mow their grass or pay for a lawn service.

They do not work on church work days.

If they go on vacation, they get one of the Certified Lay Speakers to fill the pulpit.

They schedule office hours around their family schedule (including having to leave promptly at a certain time to pick up their kids at school). Unless you are in the hospital for an emergent life-threatening problem on the weekend, you will not see him until Monday because Friday and Saturday are his days off, and Sunday after church is his personal “me time” to wind down from preaching.

So, it isn’t that Protestants hate their clergy. Its just that the clergy has delegated so much of his office to the laity that we often wonder why he is there.


12 posted on 07/26/2014 5:19:42 AM PDT by Bryanw92 (Sic semper tyranni)
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To: michaelwlf3

Most of the people that post on religious forums are nutcases.

First thing they do is attack the Pope and Catholics

Its stupid.

The schism happened, its over, live and let live


13 posted on 07/26/2014 5:19:48 AM PDT by Rome2000
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To: pgyanke

One of the prayers we use is that we ask God to lead all people who call themselves Christian into the way of truth. It’s in one of the older Prayer Books, I don’t think it is used any longer. Those seeking the truth will find it.


14 posted on 07/26/2014 5:22:33 AM PDT by michaelwlf3
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To: hinckley buzzard

Really? How is that?


15 posted on 07/26/2014 5:22:33 AM PDT by michaelwlf3
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To: CodeToad

Thanks for proving my point.


16 posted on 07/26/2014 5:22:33 AM PDT by michaelwlf3
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To: michaelwlf3

17 posted on 07/26/2014 5:22:39 AM PDT by HangnJudge
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To: michaelwlf3

Your point was that clergy are pious?


18 posted on 07/26/2014 5:23:54 AM PDT by CodeToad (Arm Up! They Are!)
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To: michaelwlf3
Former Catholic - current non-denominational. I believe that religion in and of itself is sinful in nature because each religion has its own requirements that belie the statement made about those who tried to be worthy by continuing to abide by the Law of the Old Covenant had fallen from grace. Religions, being concocted by men, all have a slant that requires some creative interpretations of the Bible. As far as I'm concerned, those who elevate their priests missed the bit where Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites because they acted holier than everyone else and hid their defects from public view.

Knowledge of Christ's amazing sacrifice and what it means is all one needs to turn to Him and be saved - yet some think that without their priests, one cannot be saved. Surely they put themselves above God Himself when they make such a declaration...

Teach the Word of God, in context and focus on Jesus Himself, and you will be a member of a congregation (I use congregations vs. church because we all are members of His Church) that grows and flourishes. My church's congregation has grown to the point we need a bigger building and have donated over $300K to missionary work this year alone. My pastor's stated purpose is to end each service with someone who didn't know Christ to now be aware and to start to love Him and for those who know and love Him to know and love Him a little more than when it started. He keeps things in context and reminds us that the best of us (including him) is no better than the worst of us and the worst of us is no worse than the best of us - IOW, keep it real.

God Bless

19 posted on 07/26/2014 5:26:00 AM PDT by trebb (Where in the the hell has my country gone?)
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To: pgyanke

That’s not a surprise. DTS is primarily an Arminian seminary. And as Augustus Toplady wrote 250 years ago, Arminianism is the “road to Rome.”
The free will idea that man is capable of choosing to be saved is a most Roman Catholic idea. That’s why most “Protestants” who are comfortable with the ecumenical movement are Arminian.

The brilliant Dr. S. Lewis Johnson was a rare reformed professor, but he has been gone from DTS from DTS since the 80’s.


20 posted on 07/26/2014 5:27:26 AM PDT by .45 Long Colt
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