"Luther's greatest contribution to Protestant ecclesiology was his doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Yet no element in his teaching is more misunderstood. For some it means simply that there are no priests in the church, the secularization of the clergy. From this premise some groups, notably the Quakers, have argued the abolition of the ministry as a distinct order in the church. More commonly people believe that the priesthood of all believers implies that every Christian is his or her own priest and hence possesses the "right of private judgment" in matters of faith and doctrine. Both of these are modern perversions of Luther's original intention. The essence of the doctrine can be put in one sentence: Every Christian is someone else's priest, and we are all priests to one another."
- Timothy George, from his book The Theology of the Reformers (pg.95-96)
"More commonly people believe that the priesthood of all believers implies that every Christian is his or her own priest and hence possesses the "right of private judgment" in matters of faith and doctrine."
ReplyDeleteThat is so true. that is the norm isnt it? Thanks for the quotem and the t.george's clarification.
Helpful, thanks.
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