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NASB | Jeremiah 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love it so! But what will you do at the end of it? |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Jeremiah 5:31 The prophets prophesy falsely, And the priests rule on their own authority; And My people love [to have] it so! But what will you do when the end comes? |
Subject: Being a dictator ? |
Bible Note: Hi, Brad... I've had to take courses on church administration. Although they were never particularly enthralling, one thing is clear: Believers have been thinking about polity for a long, long time! Scripture does not spell out every jot and tittle, consequently, the Lord has seen fit to allow us to design polities according to our best understanding of Biblical principles. (Most particularly, those come from the Pauline epistles.) It is interesting, though, how people have worked through the problem, designing synods, presbyteries, bishoprics, congregational autonomies, etc. Another thing is clear: Church polity was never designed because God's people were holy and righteous. Church polity was designed because accountability and transparency are essential in order to protect against all the corruption that arises from the human heart. An unaccountable pastor -- no matter how good his intentions -- is a recipe for disaster. Evangelicalism has countless examples of this sort of thing -- everything from churches folding, to disentanglements requiring lengthy litigation. These churches that sprout out of nowhere, eschewing church history, manifest this sort of thing all the time. They also evidence only the slimmest hold on orthodoxy, frequently, promulgating false doctrine. My opinion may be simplistic, but I suspect that all this reflects an inadequate grasp of Scripture from the onset. Dismounting the soap-box now... In Him, Doc PS Didn't we talk about something along these lines in the forum recently? Or perhaps I'm remembering a recent conversation with someone? The older I get the more it all sort of melds together! :-) |