Clergyism

Clergyism

"Is there a text that justifies clergyism?"

Neither clergy nor clergyism appear in the Bible translations. It will be important to define terms like these and how they are used for any serious study of the subject matter.

"Clergyism" is a new term that is often poorly defined. Some say "Clergyism Equals Elitism" with some being concerned that "creeping clergyism is too quickly leading to the inevitable ... conclusion that the only ministry that is recognized is that of pastor."

The term clergyism is often associated with Clericalism which has been defined as "a policy of maintaining or increasing the power of a religious hierarchy." Christ, of course, forbid His called out e.g. His Church, to exercise authority one over the other.

There has been a rise in anticlericalism during the reformation to the practices of Roman Catholicism. The opposition to the clergy born out of its real or alleged influence in political and social affairs, for its doctrinairism, for its privileges or property, or for many other reason.

Basically, clergyism is at least the view that a church and its ministers that puts the ordained clergy in the center or above the laity. The term is used to reject any kind of clergy, citing their existence as dangerous and in opposition to the teachings of Christ.

Clergyism could minimizes the importance of the people of God and their potential for ministering to each other. It weakens the body of the people by implying that what really matters is what the pastors, priests, and preachers do, say or think.

This is not a serious problem until we redefine words like Elder, Deacon, ordained, or even Religion and church.

So, the question arises, is there a Clergy of Christ since the apostles and ministers of the early Church were a form of clergy serving the people.

To use the term clergyism to suggest there was no Clergy of Christ would do the scriptures an injustice and is a classic case of throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Their points may be examined for learning purposes because there are forms of clergy that would not measure up to the directives of Christ. Learning to distinguish those types can be important. But anyone who claims there is no clergy of the Church is often relying on the "clergy of the State" for those duties and provisions once provided exclusively by the early Church.

Here are five claims of the anti clergy protestors:

• 1. There are churches that "hold to elevated titles" but that would be a rejection of Christ's statement in Matthew 23:8 "But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, [even] Christ; and all ye are brethren."

In Matthew 23:9 "And call no [man] your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven." When Jesus made this statement everyone in the crowd understood who the Fathers of the earth were and should have understood why He said it. The Fathers of the earth were like the Patronus of Rome and other states of the earth who provided welfare and free bread for the people. Those Fathers provided benefits through their state run temples because they had an exercising authority where they took from some to give to others. The Clergy of Christ were not to be like the "clergy of the State" who worked for the governments of the gentiles who exercise authority. Any Church or individuals who depend upon men who call themselves benefactors but exercise authority to provide welfare for the people are not followers of Christ.

Matthew 23:10-11 states "Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, [even] Christ. 11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant." The "clergy of the State" do exercise authority to administer their systems of welfare much like the Pharisees and their system of Corban which we know makes the word of God to none effect. When Jesus appointed or ordained His little flock He specifically told them not to exercise authority or hold positions that made them greater.

• 2. Claims exclusive offices of authority - reserve ministries for only themselves. Rejects Jesus Luke 6:40 "The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master."

Of course a disciple is merely a student and the word master here is the word teacher. It is the word perfect that may be causing some confusion. When Jesus uses this Greek term it is more often translated "mending" as in mending nets. Jesus says we should "strive", "persevere", and "seek" the kingdom of God and His righteousness. We are also told that the Holy Spirit is to be our comforter and write His laws upon our hearts and minds.

• 3. Expect a paycheck - Addressing the false claim that marketplace work is "secular". Some claim that a receiving a salary is a rejection of Jesus because of Matthew 10::8 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give." This, of course, is a misapplication because the power to "cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils" is given by God and should be given freely. Any other work done should be compensated for because a laborer is worthy of his hire as we see in Luke 10:7 "And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house." The daily ministration of the early Church was often a full time job for the clergy of the early Church who took care of the needy of their society through Pure Religion by that faith, hope, and charity of the people, by the people and for the people, which the ministers collected and freely redistributed because the whole church was organized like Christ commanded. Most of the people who claim the Church has no need of Clergy of the Church depend upon the clergy of the State for their daily welfare and the care of the needy even in their congregations. They look to men who exercise authority and take from their neighbor in those covetous practices where people bite one another to obtain what the Bible calls the wages of unrighteousness.

Colossians 3:23... is actually instructions to the people who may be servants or even slaves of others. The Clergy of Christ are the bond servants of Christ and are not servants to other men. At that time most of the people were subjects of governments of the world, but the ministers called out by Christ to serve the people who sought the way of Christ were not of the world and did contrary to the decrees of Caesar because they had another king. All Christians could not separate because of some of their entanglements with bondage.

It is true that ministers did not take a salary nor were they employees of local congregations or even the whole body of clergy. Paul makes it clear that he had every right to eat and be supported by the contributions of the people as he performed the religious duties of caring for the needy. He explains this in 1 Corinthians 9 where he who plants eats of the crop and he who is a shepherd takes the milk of the flock. Even Moses said "Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn". The called out of Christ, like the called out of Moses, had the right to eat of that which was given in sacrifice upon the Altars of God.

Paul accepted help from those in Phillipi, but not from Corinth. He pointed out that they did not give as much as other churches for the needs of the whole body. The vanity of Modern Christians causes them to think they are already saved while most of the needs of the people are met by the governments who exercise authority one over the other contrary to the teachings of the Bible, Christ, and all the prophets. They actually imagine that religion is what you think about God and not the "pious performance of your duties to God and your fellow man" as it used to be defined. And they even think that you can save yourself by what you say you believe. In their imagination they have become accustomed to living at the expense of others and depending for their livelihood on the property of others with no interest in practicing Pure Religion.

• 4. "Preach the word..." becomes lecture the word in perpetual dependency. While many ministers and pastor have become ear ticklers and comforters of the people, they are not preaching "the word" according to Christ. They have replaced the Holy Spirit with emotion, bringing the people under the strong delusion that they are already saved when they are actually workers of iniquity and lovers of those wages of unrighteousness.
• 5. Claim power to "rule". Reject Jesus Matthew 20:24-27. Of course they are right in thinking that the Clergy of Christ do not have the power to either rule over the people or to force them to contribute to their daily administration like the "clergy of the State" which cares for the needy of their society. Their gatherings are just about feelings of righteousness rather than doing righteously by one another. The early Church had a daily ministration provided by an appointed clergy of Christ that met the criteria of Christ and provided real services of welfare for an international community of Christians

The common denominator of all Christians was Christ and his sound doctrines and there was no need for thousands of denominations.

Persecution of those early Christians was due to the conflict between the public religion of the welfare state and the private religion provided for through the clergy of Christ and the elders of families in congregations in free assemblies.

Even in 1 Timothy 5:17-18 we see, "Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine. 18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer [is] worthy of his reward." This again should be clear once we understand that an elder is the head of their family and ministers should only be chosen and appointed for the real work of the Church when they have proved they could rule their families well. Of course, these words rule well are not about the normal word for rule which would be from "archo". Instead, the Greek word is proistemi which means place or set before. These workers of Christ were providing for all the needy of the Christian community which was no small task at times and certainly made the servant worthy of his hire.

The modern Christians and anti-clergy protestants—as well as deluded Catholics—have a hard time understanding the simplicity of the gospel of the kingdom. It may be harder for them than it was for the Emperors. Certainly Justin the Martyr around 150 AD gave it a good try when he wrote his Apology to the emperor Antonius Pius to explain how Christians took care of their free bread since they did not apply to the Emperor for his free bread or wine or cheese or anything else they distributed in their welfare system. In defense of the Christian faith and allegiance to Christ, Justin wrote:

• “And the wealthy among us help the needy ... and willing, give what each thinks fit; and what is collected is deposited with the president, who succours the orphans and widows and those who, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us, and in a word takes care of all who are in need.” "Justin the Martyr's Apology" to the Emperor Antonius Pius in 150 AD, (Ch. 65-67)

If you understand the gospel of the kingdom and the mission of the Little flock which was ordained by Christ for His purposes and who they were, along with the restrictions imposed by Christ, then clergyism becomes less of a threat. The Church is spirit driven and no leaders in the Church have the right to exercise authority one over the other. The Holy Spirit is to dwell within every man writing upon his heart and mind. Since an elder is an office of the family and not of the Church, it is the Holy Spirit living in the hearts and minds of the people that is the driving force of the whole body of the people in [[free assemblies and amongst those who might be called the Clergy of the Church.

Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist and Jesus were all appointed tasks and positions.
When Jesus appointed a kingdom to His little flock He was delegating a responsibility upon them. When He required them to "sell all they had" and follow Him, there was no such command to the general population.
While the ministers sold their property and owned all things common, the purpose of the Messiah was to set the captive free while returning everyman to his family and to his possessions.
Those called out ministers could be called a form of clergy, but their duties, responsibilities, and limiting criteria were defined by Christ and may not resemble modern forms of clergy. The engine that drives the kingdom of God, which is faith, is found in the heart and mind of the individual and it is fueled by the Holy Spirit.
Terms like clergy, laity, elder, father, wife, son, or daughter have their place when properly defined, but neither God nor the Holy Spirit are a respecter of persons.
Like the "Church in the wilderness"—which consisted of those ministers of a "Peculiar people" who were "called out" of the camp of the golden calf by Moses—those who were "called out" by Jesus played a pivotal role in serving the people of the early Christian community through the free practice of "Pure religion".
Certainly the early Church advocated a Daily ministration for the needy of the Christian community that was dependent on Charity only. It was not like the system of Corban of the Pharisees nor the free bread of Rome which compelled the offerings of the people. It was the practice of Pure Religion by the early church that brought them into conflict with Public religion and the Covetous Practices of the World. To understand the clergy of Christ it may be important to distinguish it from the clergyism of the Modern Church and the clergy of the world.
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Clergy defined

CLERGY. "the body of all people ordained for religious duties, especially in the Christian Church." All who are attached to the ecclesiastical ministry are called the clergy; a clergyman is therefore an ecclesiastical minister.

2. Clergymen were exempted by the emperor Constantine from all civil burdens. Baronius ad ann. 319, 30. Lord

Coke says, 2 Inst. 3, ecclesiastical persons have more and greater liberties than other of the king's subjects, wherein to set down all, would take up a whole volume of itself.

3. In the United States the clergy is not established by law, but each congregation or church may choose its own clergyman. Bouvier's Law Dictionary Revised Sixth Edition, 1856

Before you go on, you may also need to know what religion is and what religious duties include. One should also Understand what the Levites—who were the Church in the wilderness—were doing as the ordained ministers of God. Another key is to study the differences between Public religion and Pure Religion. Then ask yourself which one you depend upon and practice? One uses force and fear and the other operates upon charity and love. One makes the word of God to none effect, men subjects and merchandise, and curses children. The other returns every man to his family. In one, the clergy of the State makes choices for you. The other is a government of servants where the "greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve." It allows you make choices for yourself.

Etymology

"Clergy" is from two Old French words, clergié and clergie, which refer to those with learning and derive from Medieval Latin clericatus, from Late Latin clericus (the same word from which "cleric" is derived). "Clerk", which used to mean one ordained to the ministry, also derives from clericus. Latin clericus was "a priest," noun use of adjective meaning "priestly, belonging to the clerus".

Known Duties

The original clerks had duties and responsibilities of a religious nature, but religion was defined as the “real piety in practice, consisting in the performance of all known duties to God and our fellow men”. The duties of the ministers of God's kingdom and the early Church was to serve the community of the people, or be a society which takes care of its needy.

Therefore, the clerks of conflicting governments either served the God of heaven and those seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness through faith, hope, and charity or they served the gods many of the world which they have chosen for themselves through force, fear, and fealty. The #Clergy of Christ had the duty to feed His sheep and the people had the duty to sit down in love and charity as Christ commanded.

To understand who or what is clergy, you would have to understand who the "body" is, the requirements to be counted as "ordained", and what would a list need to consist of or include as "religious duties". If you are going to limit those characteristics to the "Christian Church" as legally defined, you would have to look to Jesus Christ for what qualifies as His "ecclesiastical minister" and not to Constantine and his "exempted" ministers.

The "ecclesiastical ministers" are those called out by Christ to be in the world but not of the world.

"CHRISTIANITY. The religion established by Jesus Christ." But also, "2. Christianity has been judicially declared to be a part of the common law of Pennsylvania;"

The term Clericalism is the application of the formal, church-based, leadership or opinion of ordained clergy in matters of either the Church or broader political and sociocultural import. There could be numerous distinctions between different forms of Clericalism such as the terms laid down by Christ and explained and exemplified by the Apostles and ministers of the early Church and those terms accepted by the ministers of the church established by Constantine's movement.

Then there is clergyism which is a much more modern term often used by those who reject the idea of any clergy of the Church established by Christ.

The term religion should not be merely what you think about God but, if we are going to be consistent with the Greek word Threskia, the term should be defined as the "pious performance of your duties to God and your fellow man" as it used to be defined. Pure Religion included the ones who preformed those duties without any tainting of those duties by benefactors who exercise authority, the [[fathers of the earth]], or the world in general. While the duties of the Church established by Jesus were clear to the early Church, the Church established by Constantine tainted the practice of its religion with contributions from rulers. Most of the needy today are again provided for by men who exercise authority while most modern Churches seem consumed with denominations, feelings, theologies and eschatologies.

Christ appointed His ministers to do a job and provide the services of Pure Religion through charitable practices, freely giving what was freely received like the Levites who were the Church in the Wilderness. They were public servants of a free government of, for, and by the virtue of the people and the ministries of His Church. Providing welfare through the state where men may call themselves benefactors creates a social compact with a corporate body that exercises authority which makes the word of God to none effect and snares the people as surety for debt. They gave up personal wealth being "called out" and relied upon charity. They were not mendicant which would be contrary to the early Church. They were to be in one accord, One Body, as the true Church. 1000 years later in the days of Lady Godiva the Church would look to the Benefactors who exercise authority and the Fathers of the earth becoming entangled in the elements of the world. It is time to repent!

Clergy of Christ

It is very clear that Jesus called out individuals, trained them to perform certain duties in the practice of Pure Religion rightly dividing the free bread of Christ from house to house.

In order to have a daily ministration that provided social welfare in the form of benefits like their daily bread through charity alone, e. g. "unspotted by the world", instead of the free bread offered by Caesar or the Pharisees through their systems of Corban which depended upon men who called themselves "benefactors" but "exercise authority" one over the other. It was this use of forced offerings which "made the word of God to none effect".

Jesus made direct requirements of His appointed Ekklesia about not being of that world which at that time often practiced public religion like the Corban of the Pharisees had become with the ][Baptism]] of Herod and it's registration with his temples.

If a clergy is "the body of all people ordained for religious duties" then the clergy of Christ would be the body of ministers ordained by Jesus's appointment of a kingdom.

More people than the Apostles were called out by Jesus to form this body but they are the ones who remained with him and were appointed a kingdom.

Jesus also appointed 70 who were his Sanhedrin.

Jews commonly gathered in groups of Tens forming congregations or synagogues connected by ministers and the early Christians were Jews. The Essene community also organized itself in a similar way with ministers forming religious orders because they provided welfare for their people through charity and shunned the welfare often offered by pagan emperors or even the Pharisees who set up new types of systems to care for the needy through Herod.

Couple these customs with the fact that Christ had commanded that his disciples to make the people organize themselves in the same groups of tens and you can see the pattern of the early Church. The ten heads of families were connected in a social network of charity by the ministers they chose in each group. Each group of ten ministers formed a congregation of ministers so the highest among them were the servants of all.

That would make the first Apostles and their successors part of an ordained body of servant ministers or clergy. Even the 120 in the upper room represented twelve groups of ten who were in one accord. These were the early clergy of Christ. As thousands repented of the old system that made the word of God to none effect and were baptized. As those numbers grew among the people the number of clergy also grew among those who were fulfilling the "duties of religion". So we need to know what was religion and what Pure Religion would be and the instructions to the apostles given by Jesus to know what those duties were.

Jesus clearly called out His little flock to serve the people without exercising authority one over the other. They were to be separate from the world with no personal estate owning all things common like the Levites before them. The oversaw a daily ministration that served the needs of their society rightly dividing bread and supplies from house to house and across borders of nations during economic dearths and famines.

Elders of the early Church were first of the laity and functioned as free souls according to the Perfect law of liberty. They could become a part of the clergy of Christ who like Christ only came to serve, not rule over the people.

Is the modern Church doing what the early Church did?

Without the Church in general which we may call the laity gathering in free assemblies or congregations of Tens and the Church specific which consists of the offices of Deacon, Bishop and Priest, There will be the temptations of Balaam and the Nicolaitan.

Both the Minister of the world and the Minister of Christ are forms of clergy when it comes to practice of providing for the needy of society. But the systems they may use to fulfill their duties of providing for the needy may be decidedly different. Providing for the needy was clearly a duty of the early Church and their daily ministration was considered a religious duty but they, like the Church in the wilderness, were limited to freewill offerings or what the New Testament calls charity.

Many modern Christians and especially the Modern Church are heavily reliant upon the ministers of the world and their public religion which is the welfare state systems that often make the word of God to none effect. Until they repent of their desire for the wages of unrighteousness served at the table of rulers who exercise authority one over the other they may need to put a knife to their throat if they are people of a wantonness appetite until they may earnestly seek the Kingdom of God in order to set the table of righteousness so they may eat with the Lord in that kingdom. Until they are doers of the word they may have need of repentance.

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Clergy of the world

Who is the Clergy of the world?

If we use the term world that Jesus said his kingdom was not a part of and that his minsters could be in but not of then the world includes the constitutional orders of men and their governments. That would be the same world that James says spots religion so that it is no longer pure Religion.

If we use clergy as the ministers of what was called public religion then the clergy of the world would include the employees of governments since that Greek word for world meant "a constitutional form of government". It is the the administers of the those systems of State Welfare who may be classified as the clerks or #clergy of the world that provide care for the need of society as well as those who collect the contributions of the people who are the resources of that public welfare system.

Are those who provide the services in modern government which was once the exclusive province of the Christian community in fact the "clergy of the State" providing the administration of welfare to the needy? That would be what is sometimes called "public religion" which is often doing what the early Church used to do. They are the administrators of your social welfare by the governments of the world.

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