November, 2005

It's all over the news and United Methodist circles: the reversal of the removal of a Virginia Pastor who denied membership to a homosexual man in his congregation.

To me, the pastor's exclusion of the gay man was a direction violation of the Christian tenet of hospitality. Hospitality, as defined by Christine Pohl in her book Making Room, involves:

Hospitality provides a context for recognizing the worth of persons who seem to have little when assessed by worldly standards. (page 62)

Hospitality thus has a counter-cultural edge to it as it embodies values and models that are not shared by the greater society. Additionally, Pohl relates the following quote about the relationship between the civil and religious spheres:

Expulsion from the civic sphere, in which the basic rights of citizens are protected, is the most dangerous form of expulsion, but the danger is intensified when particular religious, ethnic, and cultural identities are singled out for exclusion. (page 81)  read more »

We've all heard of the 'Priesthood of all Believers' as the recognition of the equal-accessibility of God to all God's followers. No longer was a priest needed to mediate between the people and God; the God of all is accessible to all.

What we tend to forget is that the role of the minister has two dimensions: the priestly, and the prophetic. While we have taken back the priesthood of all believers, we expect only our ministers to be the prophetic voice, to speak out against those parts of Creation that conspire against God's Kingdom. We assume that only the educated, the qualified, can possibly live up to the role of the prophet. In short, the 'prophethood of all believers' has been recognized, but not claimed, and marginalized only to those with ecclesial status.

So, come with me, and discuss what it means to be a part of a prophetic people's movement without a minister, without a leader, and to reclaim the 'prophethood of all believers' as the necessary counterpart, nay, the demand of God now that we all have access to God's grace.

Priesthood v. Prophethood

I heard last night someone use JL Adam's coined phrase "the prophethood of all believers" last night. It was in the context of reclaiming a faith that necessitated justice and right action. Very powerful stuff.

Practically speaking, the 'priesthood of all believers' doesn't mean that there are not distinctions between laity and clergy; rather, it means that there is no spiritual hierarchy that one must climb to get one's prayers and graces from God.

In the same way, the 'prophethood of all believers' does not mean there are not different roles for the laity and clergy to fill; but that to be a prophet is not a demand that necessitates theological education or spiritual status. Just as we ALL are priests, we ALL are called to be prophets.

When we demand equal access to God's grace, and rightly so, we diminish that grace by not accepting the equal demands God places on each heart: to speak, to act, to embody, and to bring forth the Kingdom of God.

How can this come about?

Learn from the Reformation. Martin Luther took a prophetic act: nailing the 95 Theses to the chamber door, to claim the 'priesthood of all believers'. To claim one side of the coin, the priesthood, took a prophetic act.

Perhaps today all it takes is a priestly act: to encourage our congregations to nail the laundry lists of what is wrong with society and what is incongruous with God's Kingdom to every door, sign, gate, and bridge. To claim the other side of the coin, the prophethood, all it takes is a priestly act of letting your parishoners know they have permission to act.

What would it look like?

Gosh, I have no idea!! But I know what a prophethood would do: Break down barriers, destroy idols, call to accountability the authorities in our midst! We cannot just call on the pastors and policy-makers to be the prophets; we must be them ourselves. Prophets are made when the world hears our message, and sees it as subversive and counter-cultural. By blogging, by acting, by speaking, by placing your body in harm's way...that is the demand of God's kingdom on the prophets.

Get involved today. Get out there! If we are to live into our priestly ideals of holiness, we must reclaim the prophetic ideals of justice, and never let one or the other fall to the wayside as we embody the Kingdom of God.

Your Turn

What keeps you from acting or speaking up? Do you not feel qualified? Do you think only the pastor's voice has the 'weight' to carry it through?

How can your community better envision the prophetic voice?