Simple Church Minute 66--pastor doing counseling

66—pastor doing counseling

My name is Tom; this is Simple Church Minute

            In our culture, to be a high school guidance counselor, one need a masters degree. To be in psychological counseling, one needs a doctorate.  Most of both groups have come from institutions which have a very negative attitude toward Christians, and really resent, if not outright attempt to influence regulation against, traditional pastors doing the type of counseling appropriate to the church.  Clearly, the Bible does not use the word “counsel” in the modern technological sense of the word.  Where, though, did we get the idea that a traditional pastor, in addition to preaching, heading the organization, and all his other duties, was to do counseling?

            In the early church, all believers were equally responsible before God to do the work of Jesus continuing, only greater.  That would have included befriending one’s neighbor, helping him, and pointing to Jesus as the truth.  That, broadly, would get into what we might call counseling today.  That’s just what being a witness of Jesus’ work in us is.  As covered on many other days, over the next few centuries, things changed greatly.  In the 5^th century, Gregory of Nazianzus came up with the idea of “the cure of souls” and referred to a pastor as one who diagnoses and prescribes cures for spiritual ills.  After the Reformation, Martin Bucer and John Calvin developed an understanding of a pastor’s role as preaching, celebrating, communion, and providing for the spiritual care and health of the congregation.  Bucer wrote about it; Calvin raised it to an art form.

            Today, in some large churches, counseling is closer to the professional type, and passed to an assistant pastor, or counseling pastor, or even having a staff psychologist.  I imagine some is good, and some isn’t, as we are imperfect people.  There is no specific scriptural command, but the general principle is helping others, while every believer is to seek wisdom and maturity.

            You can email me at simplechurchminute@gmail.com.  For more info on organic church*, see http://www.simplechurch.com/ or locally (local website).

On the recording, at this time, it says, “house churches.”  While that phrasing is OK, to say “organic church” is better.  I comment on that in blip 94.

Simple Church Minute 65--post-Reformation clergy wear

65—post-Reformation clergy wear

NOTE:  I originally wrote a segment for each of the 61 points Frank Viola and George Barna make in their book, Pagan Christianity, about traditions in the institutional church not based on scripture.  After writing it, I chose to not include this segment merely as I felt that in wouldn’t be an interesting radio commentary.

My name is Tom; this is Simple Church Minute

            When Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Wittenburg church door, he had no intention of splitting the Catholic church.  Nonethless, like Nehemiah in the Old Testament, the deed happened at just the right time in secular politics. Those who opposed him had their own agenda which was disconnected with what was proper understanding of the Bible.  This controversy about right belief did not touch right practice (that is what this series of blips is about).  Therefore, it didn’t immediately effect a detail such as what clergy wore.

            Those Reformers who paid particular attention to the ideas of John Calvin developed an extremely intellectual understanding of faith, and so they eventually adopted the philosopher’s gown.  Some wore it all the time, and some reverted back to only wearing during the communion ceremony.    In the 16^th century, black became the traditional color for doctors and attorneys, and Calvin thought of himself as an attorney, not a theologian.  All the way up to the 1940’s, some flavors of the church saw clergy wear change from the gown to a black frock coat, and, shortly afterward, a black suit.  In other traditions, the change was to a clerical collar, which became the universal symbol for a clergyman.

            What does the Bible say?  Jesus and the disciples did not wear special clothing.  Jesus didn’t authorize special clothing because he didn’t authorize a clergy class. Colossians 1 verse 18 says Jesus is the Head of the Body, the Church.  The Holy Spirit dwells in his people, and is sufficient to direct spontaneous, living worship, and guide his people, moment by moment.  Today, we see the church is growing fastest where government oppression prevents human organization, and slowest where the money flows fastest.

            You…

Simple Church Minute 60--pulpit and stage

60—pulpit and stage

NOTE:  I originally wrote a segment for each of the 61 points Frank Viola and George Barna make in their book, Pagan Christianity, about traditions in the institutional church not based on scripture.  After writing it, I chose to not include this segment merely as I felt that in wouldn’t be an interesting radio commentary.

My name is Tom; this is Simple Church Minute

            The word “pulpit,” as used to describe structures in a church building, is derived from a word that means “stage.”  When church buildings were first introduced, sermons were delivered from what was called the bishop’s chair.  Later, sermonizing was moved to the ambo, a structure derived from Jewish synagogues.  The speaker was on a raised stage so the speaker could be seen, as the people has no seats.  Later yet, came a pulpit, in the sense of being a podium-like structure from which to speak behind and to potentially hold books and notes for the speaker.  Prior to the Reformation, the altar, from which the Eucharist was performed, was the central focus of the church.  With the Reformation, the pulpit took center position on the stage, as reformers like Calvin considered the sermon to be the centerpiece of the worship service.  At this point, there was a symbolic division, the pastor on the stage, and the laypeople off the stage.  The 18^th century brought about pulpits being placed high in the air as a result of a trend of people buying and decorating personal box seats to watch a sermon, with the elevated pulpit so others could see the preacher above the decoration.  Recent years, along with social trends toward greater informality and technology, have brought about smaller stands like a schoolteacher might use, and the clear acrylic stand, which implies transparency, clarity and being contemporary.  In all post-Reformation cases, it and the person using it, become the focal point of the room.

            First Thessalonians 5 verse 11 tells us to comfort one another and edify one another.  The pulpit reinforces a clergy-laity division and an audience-performer dynamic, antithetical to this verse’s directive, as the most highly trained leader and the newest believer can only edify by the work of the Holy Spirit.

            You..

Simple Church Minute 25--guilt, long pastoral prayers

25—guilt and long pastoral prayers

My name is Tom; this is Simple Church Minute

            Today, I’ll cover two non-biblical, post-apostolic traditions.  The first one is the idea of feeling guilty over missing a worship service.  This tradition is a more recent one, dating back only to the Puritans.  They came to North America from England to worship as they chose.  As such, they rejected the traditions of clerical vestments, icons, ornaments, and ornate buildings.  They had their clergy write their own sermons, which came to be very long, theologically in depth pieces, although they did allow those attending to speak or ask questions, unlike most traditions.  For those of you who are not into theological precision in speeches, this was boring.  Since they were both church and state at the time, they fined or put into stocks persons who missed the Sunday sermon.  They also had the Calvinist idea of acting solemn, as part of a realization of how far one was from God’s perfection.

            The second tradition is the long pastoral prayer.  The Puritans developed a tradition of allowing spontaneous prayer.  This eventually changed into a long pastoral prayer—and by long, it could be over an hour long.  Now, within some parts of Judaism, there is a tradition of a public prayer that is somewhat like a review of the major occurances of the Old Testament, but whether that somehow influenced them is not clear.

            Jesus, in Mark chapter 12 verse 40, was talking about the ways of the scribes, and one of his criticisms was, “and for a pretense, make long prayers.”  The important word is pretense.  If one or a group has much to pray about, fine.  But God wants our worship to be in spirit and truth, not pretense, not acting.  Hypocrite was the Greek word for “actor.”

            You can email me at simplechurchminute@gmail.com.  For more info about organic church*, see http://www.simplechurch.com/ or (local website).

On the recording, at this time, it says, “house churches.”  While that phrasing is OK, to say “organic church” is better.  I comment on that in blip 94.

Simple Church Minute 22--congregation stands, somber attitude

22—congregation stands and somber attitude

My name is Tom; this is Simple Church Minute.

            Today, a quick trip over two traditions not hinted at in scripture.  First, in many churches, there is a tradition of the congregation standing and singing as the clergyman walks in to be seated.  This just may come from the same place as, in a modern court, the bailiff announcing “all rise” as the judge walks in. That’s because, in the judicial tradition of the Roman Empire, those in the court room rose and sung for the entry of the judge.  As with many Roman court customs, similar traditions became a part of Roman pagan temples, and after the Empire started (quote) helping (unquote) the church, a similar custom began in 4^th century basilica worship.  It continues in almost all of the institutional churches to this day, except for the Pentecostal/charismatic branch.

            The second custom is acting serious and somber in church.  This comes from a Frenchman named Jean Joubert, but more commonly known by the anglicized version of his name, John Calvin.  Calvin saw himself as an attorney—he left his legal studies at the University of Orleans to flee the Inquisition, and went to Geneva, Switzerland.  There, he created a liturgy which was heavy on theology, and which necessitated pastors needing significantly more theological training.  To this day, churches following his ideas require pastors to have a masters degree minimum, and go give sermons more similar to seminary lectures than other branches of the church.  Calvin eliminated music, and encouraged a sense of feeling guilty before God.  Martin Bucer introduced reading the ten commandments in each service.  The New England Puritans went further yet to fining children for smiling, and having a person to poke people who were falling asleep.  From this came the tradition in the US in the 1800’s of the pastor being the most highly educated person in town.  First Thessalonians 5 verse 16 says, rejoice always.

            You can email me at simplechurchminute@gmail.com.  For more info on simple worship, visit http://www.simplechurch.com/ or locally (local website).