DEFINITELY I lean very heavily on Scripture.
I've observed that all human leadership sooner or later is quite flawed enough to cause shipwreck even if unintentional.
Also, GOD MAKES CLEAR IN SCRIPTURE and
HAS MADE ABUNDANTLY CLEAR IN MY LIFE
that HE WILL NOT TOLERATE
ANY LEADER
usurping HIS PLACE
in my life.
CHRIST DIED FOR RELATIONSHIP, INTIMATE FELLOWSHIP.
Proposing that a hierarchical leadership take the role described is
wellll . . . quite bluntly . . . taking Christ's metaphor . . .
equal
to placing an interloper between husband and wife in the wedding night bed.
No thanks.
Fortunately, God has promised not to let this happen to His Church. The gates of hell shall not prevail against her, and He will guide her into all truth, and be with her always, even to the end of the age.
that HE WILL NOT TOLERATE ANY LEADER usurping HIS PLACE in my life.
Of course orthodox Catholics also believe the very same thing. The offices of pope and bishop do not "usurp" the place of Christ any more than the office of Apostle usurps the place of Christ.
Proposing that a hierarchical leadership take the role described is wellll . . . quite bluntly . . . taking Christ's metaphor . . . equal to placing an interloper between husband and wife in the wedding night bed.
No, because you as an individual are not the whole body of Christ. Each of us is a member, and together, we compose the body of Christ. And as St. Paul explains in 1 Cor 12, some members have greater talents and functions and honors than others. But each is important and necessary. So the existence of deacons, priests and bishops in the body of Christ should not be seen as placing a *separation* between Christ and the believer, but rather as providing a sacramental (incarnational) provision of Christ to the believer. As St. Paul explains, each part of the body Christ needs all the other parts. We need the bishops and priests and deacons. Christ has provided them (and the sacraments) to bring us closer to Himself.
-A8