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Written by Fr. Christopher Metropulos
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In
this day of the exaltation of "tolerance" above all virtues, the notion that
someone can be sincere and sincerely wrong is out of fashion. Our culture
declares that there can be no final arbiter of serious theological differences
between sincere and honest Christians. No where is this more evident that with
the central issue of "authority."
To
some, all religious and theological authority resides in the printed
Scriptures; to others, the locus of authority is concentrated within a certain
church office; and to still others, there is no religious authority outside
themselves. They get to decide just what to believe or not to believe. Where is
your authority? Answer that question and you'll reveal your theology.
The most important point I want to make to you today is that we should avoid
the easy or quick answer to the question of authority. To appeal simply to
Scriptures begs the question of which of the thousands of interpretations of
the one Scripture you are going to believe. To simply appeal to a church office
or a group of bishops, as holy as these men can be, risks checking your own
mind at the door and falling prey to unscrupulous leaders. Let's face it,
history shows times when even bishops were wrong, and some who depend on the
Scriptures alone have really come up with some bad theology.
No, authority in the Body of Christ is both simple and profound:
The Head of the Church is Jesus Christ. The authority of the Church is the Holy
Spirit, and the hallmark of authority in the Church is Service, not mastery.
This is the way the Church was founded and it has never been lost through
history up until this very day.
Now for the hard part, how does this truth work itself out practically in the
life of the Christian Church and in the lives of Christians?
First, Authority is a Gift, not a straitjacket. The authority of Christ
isn't found in His commands as much as it is in His love. It is His profound
love and service to the whole world that has caused men and women through the
centuries to leave everything for Him. Authority in the Church is more than a
set of rules that are to be obeyed, it is a life of love and service to be
followed and imitated.
Second, Authority is Incarnational. Authority in the Church can never be
reduced to a set of judicial findings or canon law books. As Christ, God did
not simply speak to us, He came among us and lived in the flesh with us. If
authority is to be Christian, it must be personal. There is never a time when
we can substitute the "rules" for the hands-on service of authentic servant
leaders who commit themselves to others.
Finally, Authority is Practical. Too many times the Christian faith has
been reduced to a set of regulations applied without regard to the real lives
of real people. In Christian authority Justice and Mercy kiss. It is unique to
Christian authority that obedience is always given, but it can never be
demanded.
All this talk about authority in the Church has some very practical
implications. It means that those who lead the Church, Her bishops and pastors,
are primarily servants, not masters. They serve the people of God in order to
fulfill what St. Paul said to the Ephesians: "It was he who gave some to be
apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors
and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of
Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the
knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of
the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:11-13)
Ultimately, this view of Christian authority transforms every area where we
ever exercise authority, from how we treat our spouses, to our children, to our
employees, to even strangers.
Fr. Christopher Metropulos
is founder, host, and executive director of the Orthodox Christian Network
(OCN) and the Come
Receive The Light national Orthodox Christian radio program
(www.receive.org). He is pastor of St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church of Fort Lauderdale, Florida,
where he and his wife Georgia are raising their six children.
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