Uprooting the Sin of Clericalism from Christianity

MANY BISHOPS and scholars in various denominations want the sinful culture of clericalism uprooted from Christianity to minimize if not eliminate ministerial corruptions, promote accountability in leadership and enhance the work of God.

In previous articles, we discussed how several church leaders and scholars across denominations condemn the culture of clericalism in Christianity, considering its adverse effects on the Church.

However, concerns are raised as to whether Christian leaders are willing to give up on the evil of clericalism as most of them are intentionally or unintentionally holding on to practices that firmly promote it.

Clericalism appears to be initiated by the ceremony of ordination which is believed to confer the ability or gift of acting as Christ, changes the status of a minister and makes him enter into the membership of the ‘clergy’.

In his book, Clericalism: The Death of Priesthood, George B. Wilson, points out that the arrival of a clergy group frequently comes to expression in the form of external symbols. These symbols which include distinctive dress, titles, and forms of address, and associations with symbolic objects promote and strengthen clericalism. Wilson calls them seeds of clericalism.

These are things pastors mostly use to make themselves appear superior and important than the rest of baptised believers. The distinctive dress includes the so-called sacerdotal or priestly garments pastors wear with clerical collars.

According to Alexander Strauch, the titles pastors often use include reverend, archbishop, cardinal, pope, primate, metropolitan, canon and curate. Kenneth Hagin mentions others as bishop and apostle. These are referred to as ecclesiastical titles. These titles themselves, in the words of Wilson, stir up a whole set of attitudes and behaviours in their respective laity.

Darryl M. Erkel notes that the use of the titles helps to promote an elitist attitude and authoritarian forms of church leadership, detract from the glory that rightfully belongs to Christ alone. It also perpetuates the clergy-laity division of the church of God, making the specially-ordained ministers superior to the generally ordained baptised believers.

These things had no place in the first century Church and therefore must be eliminated from Christianity. Consequently, a call to uproot clericalism is a call to Christian leaders to stop using the things aforementioned that sustain and promote it.

Firstly, Christian leaders must recognize that clericalism is sinful, recognise its evil impact on the oneness of the Church and the advancement of the gospel, admit that they have gone astray, appreciate the need for repentance and restoration and demonstrate genuine willingness to say no to clericalism.

This will require of Christian leaders to take bold and pragmatic measures by the help of the Holy Spirit to stop wearing or using anything or adhering to any tradition that makes them appear superior, important or distinctive from other baptized believers in Christ.

Secondly, the community of Christian believers, the saints, must accept the fact that they also play a role in creating the clerical culture by relating to leaders as people who are superior over them or important than them. Thus, they have a role to play in solving the problem.

Essentially, the saints need to understand that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors (bishops) and teachers are not set in the Church as first-best Christians and they as second-best Christians. We are equal before God by baptism. Thus, the believers are not different from their overseers in terms of their common status as children of God.

They also need to realise that they have a part in the ministry of Christ Jesus by using the ministry gifts and spiritual gifts the Lord and the Holy Spirit dispense to them to serve God’s purpose of advancing the Kingdom.

Peter, the apostle, stresses that “as each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10). On the last day, Christ will require every believer to give account of how they used their gifts.

This should warn the saints not to remain silent but speak up against the evil of clericalism which has robbed them of their ministries thereby making them function merely as passive spectators in the Church of God.

However, there is no doubt that this transformative process will certainly not happen overnight. It will take some time. Also, naturally, it will be met with conflict and resistance. Leaders who have held onto these practices for decades will struggle within themselves as they try to reform.

However, with the help of the Holy Spirit, success will be eventually achieved through a few dedicated, committed and anointed ministers who will keep on preaching and teaching against the sin of clericalism with zeal.

Moreover, we should not just teach or preach about it, we should actually act and live a Christian life free from all forms of clericalism. In other words, we must not be seen to be using the things or upholding the man-made traditions that clericalise the Church.

This, as George Wilson suggests, will require individual Christian leaders to risk throwing away old habits and behaving within a new way of life.

By James Quansah.

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James Quansah is the Executive Director of Christ-Conscious Leadership Centre (CLC) and lead Pastor of End-Time Christ’s Commissioners (ECC), Kumasi, Ghana. James is also a journalist by profession. He is married with four children.