9 lines
2.6 KiB
Plaintext
9 lines
2.6 KiB
Plaintext
<img src="https://www-images.christianitytoday.com/images/125521.jpg?w=540" width="540" /><p class="text">Reposted from my <a href="https://scotmcknight.substack.com/" target="_blank" class=""><strong>Substack newsletter</strong></a></p>
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<p class="text">I have been asked by a number of church leaders if the approach we are advocating for an approach to allegations, which we call survivor-sensitive or survivor-centric or trauma-sensitive etc, diminishes the authority of the pastor. Does a survivor-sensitive approach go against the grain of what we in Anglican church call “episcopal authority”?</p>
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<p class="text">In some ways No, in some ways Yes. I need to explain.</p>
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<p class="text"><strong>First</strong>, I want to push against this term “authority.” This term is never used in the NT for pastors, bishops/overseers, or elders. Not once. They do not have authority, God does, Jesus does, the Spirit does. Which isn’t to say there isn’t some dimension of power and authority in the pastoral leader but I do want to register hesitation on framing the question with that term. By framing it with “pastoral <em>authority</em>” the discussion gets rigged in the wrong direction.</p>
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<p class="text">In fact, what authority a pastor or priest has is reshaped by the kind of authority Christ manifested, which was cruciformity or what I like to call Christoformity (see <em>Pastor Paul</em>). Read about this in the wonderful narrative in Mark 10:35-45. Jesus clearly was against power <strong>over</strong> and was for power <strong>for the sake of others</strong>. Which means self-denial and not self-protection or self-affirmation and especially self-aggrandizement. So if the pastor has concerns about loss of authority he or she may actually be facing a fresh alignment with Christ’s own practice.</p>
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<p class="text">Some may ask about Hebrews 13:17. (“Be persuaded by your leading ones and yield [to them]…”) The NIV unfortunately translates what I have translated “yield” (hupeikō) with “submit to their authority.” ...</p><p class="more"><a href="https://www.christianitytoday.com/scot-mcknight/2021/september/victim-centric-and-pastoral-authority.html">Continue reading</a>...</p>
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