Differences among christians in attitudes to authority

Question 1

Ordained ministers

Answer 1

• collective group of people who lead worship
  → invested with authority by the church to lead others in worship, preaching, carrying out sacraments, running the church community etc.

Question 2

Lay people

Answer 2

• special functions in the church such as treating children, visiting the sick, or leading Bible study groups
  → Roman Catholic Church Hierarchy = God, the pope, cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons, unordained / lay ministers

Question 3

Ordained →

Answer 3

• Some people have a vocation to serve God beyond being a lay person, selected for ordination and training

Question 4

Catholic attitudes

Answer 4

• Jesus appointed church leaders (apostles), and these leaders then appointed people to take over from them,
  → can trace authority back to apostles.

Question 5

Protestant attitudes

Answer 5

• The Priesthood of all Believers,
  → the idea that anyone who is baptised is a priest and do not necessarily need a priest or religious leader to access God.
  → Any Christian can go to God directly, removes the need for practices like confession.
  → Doesn’t mean that Protestant Ordained Ministers are not important, but remove the need for a priest to access God, can have direct communication.
• “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession” (1 Peter 2:9)

Question 6

Baptists:

Answer 6

• Everyone is equal, they reject any kind of hierarchy
  → believe that God is the head of the church.
  → Congregational system where each church congregation is self governing but interdependent with others.