Coram Deo Blog
18 November 2008 at 8:33 am by Bob Thune
· church history, gospel
What does it mean to be Protestant – and specifically, to be a Protestant Christian who stands in the heritage of the Reformation? These distinctions get blurry in our day and age. The atrophy of history has eroded some of the clear lines in the sand that the Protestant Reformers drew. Episcopal, Catholic, Presbyterian, or Evangelical may be helpful cultural labels, but rarely do they carry much spiritual or theological freight.
The fog lifts, however, when one reads church history. The Reformers were very distinct in their opposition to medieval Roman Catholicism. Understanding their angst does much to elucidate the differences that persist in our own day. One of the most significant differences (and the one most personally important to me) is the distinction between priests and pastors.
[In the Middle Ages] the dominant impression of the clergy is that they had become the dispensers of sacraments. There is little by way of the pastoral care which was characteristic of the early fathers of the church. [Priesthood] revolved around the saying of the mass, the administration of extreme unction and communion for the sick, the hearing of confession, and the pronouncement of penance and excommunication.
Martin Luther set about demolishing the medieval view of the papacy and priesthood in 1520… In reconstructing the doctrine of the church a number of basic tenets were soon stated and repeatedly affirmed. The true church was to be found wherever the word of God was preached… The sure mark by which the Christian congregation can be recognised is that the pure gospel is preached there… The ministry, then, became a ministry of the word and the pastor a teacher of the flock, not a dispenser of the sacraments… Pastoral care took the form of the application of the word of God to the needs of the people.”
(Derek Tidball, Skillful Shepherds: Explorations in Pastoral Theology, p. 177-180).
A priest is a dispenser of the sacraments. A pastor is a preacher of the Word who unfolds its truth and applies it to people. That was one of the distinguishing marks of the Reformation… is it still the case? How have you seen this difference play out in your experience?
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Paul on 19 November 2008 at 12:17 pm
Sometimes pastors today are more like entertainers or performers or self-help gurus than preachers of the Word.
In the evangelical world especially, church communities seem to be very personality-driven, as opposed to being Gospel-driven. If there is a charismatic, funny, engaging pastor speaking at the pulpit every Sunday, lots of people will come to the church. They will listen, and maybe laugh, and feel good about themselves. It’s kind of like going to a Sunday matinee, minus the popcorn.
If the pastor were to leave the church, the community would probably dwindle and die out, because the pastor was the glue that held it all together, not the Gospel.
Having a pastor with a magnetic personality is not a bad thing, and in fact, it can be a very good thing. Sheer force of personality is useful for attracting attendees, but there must be something more in the pastor if those attendees are to become serious disciples of Jesus.
A pastor who is trying to make disciples instead of attracting a crowd will be a pastor in line with the heritage of the Reformation. He will preach the Word in all of its truth. He will not leave out the parts that may be difficult or confrontational. He will always show Jesus to be the center of what is being preached, and in doing so, will call all people to repentance and faith. He will also live his life as an example of the Gospel, so that the people he has been entrusted to care for and lead will see that he lives in humble submission to Jesus, with complete reliance on Jesus.
Are those things distinguishing marks of pastors today? I don’t think so. Instead, I think many pastors have become dispensers of their own…not of sacraments, but of advice, positive self-image, and feel-good stories.
You always make me think, Paul!
>If there is a charismatic, funny, engaging pastor speaking at the pulpit every Sunday, lots of people will come to the church.
I think this statement is truer about human nature than it is about specific pastors (who shall remain nameless). Jesus experienced the massive falling-out of his followers at several different junctions, just because His priority was to relate the Truth. No doubt these ex-disciples found better-suited ear-scratchers later. (Go back and read that sentence again- I swear it makes sense! 
Of course the popular types will have larger crowds with them. I blame the crowds instead of their pastors, because there will always be someone out there who is willing to tell you what you want to hear.
>If the pastor were to leave the church, the community would probably dwindle and die out, because the pastor was the glue that held it all together, not the Gospel.
This might be evidenced in the eminent breakup of a local megachurch. Those I’ve talked to who have left/are thinking about leaving gave different reasons, but the reasons had something in common. They all started with something along the lines of, “Well, ever since so-and-so, [the head pastor] left, …”
>He will also live his life as an example of the Gospel, so that the people he has been entrusted to care for and lead will see that he lives in humble submission to Jesus, with complete reliance on Jesus.
Now this carries some personal significance for me, since I used to be a in a group that bordered on having cult-like characteristics. The leader of our organization said things like, “the leaders should be an example.” But of course, even leaders are human, so what happens when the leaders fail? In our case, the group fell apart amid vitriolic antagonism, broken families, and unabated mutual resentment. This is my experience with expecting too much from mere men.
>many pastors have become dispensers of their own…
So pastoralism may not be such a silver bullet…
BTW, I’m still reading through Bondage of the Will.
* several junctions, not several different junctions. No need to be redundant again.
**imminent, not eminent.
Ross on 14 December 2008 at 12:51 am
Hey Bob,
I just found your blog feature here, and it is really good..Keep up the good work!
Being a Roman Catholic, I can tell you that in my experience a priest does much more than just dispenses sacraments…I believe that he is also a preacher who professes the word of God (through homilies at mass, for example), committed to proclaiming the gospel through both his words and deeds…
After all, the Catholic Church considers itself an apostolic church, with one of its goals of spreading the word, just as Jesus and his apostles did..
I think it is a misconception, at least by some people, that Catholic priests are just there to dispense us our sacraments so that we, as Catholics, can get our tickets to Heaven and so that we don’t have to attempt to live like Jesus did, etc…As long as we have the sacraments, we’re good to go! I think it’s really unfortunate that some might think this way, but I could see how some might get this impression..It’s just very different, I think, being brought up in Catholicism than looking at it from the outside, in..
As far as pastors go, I don’t have much room to talk there, as I haven’t familiarized myself too much with them…just because of the fact that I don’t typically go to many protestant services..
However, I have attended Coram Deo a few times and I think that you guys do an awesome job at preaching the word of God…So from that experience, I would say you guys fit the role well..
Take care, and I look forward to keeping up on the blog!!
Ross
david on 19 December 2008 at 1:01 pm
I think that the liturgy of the Word and especially the Body and Blood of our Lord in the communion is the heart of the worship. Why else did Christ instruct His apostles on how to do it at the last supper and then command them to “do it in remembrance of Him”?
I think that the sensationalism I experienced within the realms of “Bible Churches”, did not reflect any Christian church in history prior to the 19th century, let alone what is being spoken of in scripture.
Just my two cents.
peace,david
david on 19 December 2008 at 1:07 pm
By his ordination a priest is invested with powers rather than with rights, the exercise of these powers (to celebrate Mass, remit sins, preach, administer the sacraments, direct and minister to the Christian people) being regulated by the common laws of the church, the jurisdiction of the bishop, and the office or charge of each priest. The exercise of the sacerdotal powers is both a duty and a right for priests having the care of souls, either in their own name (e.g. parish priests) or as auxiliaries (e.g. parochial curates). Except in the matter of the care of souls the sacerdotal functions are likewise obligatory in the case of priests having any benefice or office in a church (e.g. canons); otherwise they are optional, and their exercise depends upon the favour of the bishop (e.g. the permission to hear confessions or to preach granted to simple priests or to priests from outside the diocese). As for the case of a priest who is entirely free, moralists limit his obligations, as far as the exercise of his sacerdotal powers is concerned, to the celebration of Mass several times a year (St. Alphonsus Liguori, l. VI, no. 313) and to the administration of the sacraments in case of necessity, in addition to fulfilling certain other obligations not strictly sacerdotal (e.g. the Breviary, celibacy). But canonical writers, not considering such a condition regular, hold that the bishop is obliged in this case to attach such a priest to a church and impose some duty on him, even if it be only an obligatory attendance at solemn functions and processions (Innocent XIII, Constitution “Apostolici ministerii”, 23 March, 1723; Benedict XIII, Const. “In supremo”, 23 Sept., 1724; Roman Council of 1725, tit. vi, c. ii).
david on 19 December 2008 at 1:12 pm
There is but One Priest, that being Jesus Christ. We share in this One Priesthood through our being In Christ. There are those too who share in a special priesthood, an ordained prebyter(priest) which holds power that we do not have as laypersons. These powers are listed generally in the previous post.
Their is no difference between a pastor and a priest in early church history, they were one and the same. The priest not only served the people and God by administering the sacraments and the graces within them to the people, but he also edified them through preaching.
There are also Deacons, who are ordained in that vocation for life who preach and administer some of the sacraments, but cannot confect the communion(eucharist) or offer confession and absolution to the sinner.
Maybe this is what you speak of?
peace, David
david on 19 December 2008 at 1:17 pm
What does it mean to be protestant?
Well, as a protestant, it meant that I could go to over 30,000 different churches claiming scripture alone as their authority, and hear over 30,000 different ways of interpreting the scriptures.
It was chaotic and divided, but well intentioned with a lot of great people who had many misconceptions about Catholic teaching(worshiping mary and the saints etc….) that were not even close to true.
I do not find any protestant teaching in the first 1500 years of Christianity, historically. There may be hints of something sort of like protestant teaching, but no churches teaching anything like it previous to the deformation period.(16th century).
peace, David
Justin on 19 December 2008 at 3:42 pm
Augustine of Hippo who lived in the fourth and fifth centuries seemed to have a developed understanding of reformed theology (which would be during the first 1500 years). He believed humanity is both unable and unwilling to do good, because Adam sinned and lost the freedom of His will. Now man is only able to willfully do evil. This seems bleak, but Augustine goes on to say that we do have God’s grace; therefore god’s grace is necessary. God’s grace is there to save us because w/o it we would be unable to do good or take one step towards God. Grace is a gift from God that we cannot merit on our own. Christian conduct is rooted in a lifelong response of love for god and obedience to His will as thanksgiving and gratitude for His grace. A true Christian will grow in grace. Therefore, Augustine believed that the church was not a place of super-Christians, but more like a hospital (all of us are sick, and some of us are seriously sick and injured; we are all getting better, slowly, even painfully. Complete perfection will only come in heaven.
I would also recommend looking at the churches that were lead by Peter Waldo, John Hus, John Wycliffe, and Gerolamo Servanarola. All four of these men, lead churches prior to 1500 that created momentum for the Reformation. The things they taught within the church included:
- Baptism and the Lord’s Supper as the only two sacraments,
- All authority is a gift from God,
- The head of the church is Christ,
- Scripture had preeminent authority for every Christian,
- The denial of transubstantiation and rejected the Roman Catholic sacramental system,
- Bible alone, not tradition,
- and grace alone, not the works the Roman Catholic Church was insisting, was required for salvation.
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