Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Reconnect the pulpit and the pew

The book review referred to on this blog last week is written by Tony Philpot and the name of the book is 'Clericalism: the death of priesthood'. The author is George B Wislon SJ, publisher is Liturgical Press.

As the reviewer points out the book is not a comfortable read. The theme is clericalism and the toxic effect this has had on the church.

Some quotes from the review.

" 'Clergy' denotes a social, not a religious reality, reality. It means any one of the in-groups that dwell at the heart of any society."

"Once ordained, Wilson believes, a priest becomes embedded in a clerical culture, he inherits its ways of thinking, speaking and judging. At ordination he is made a member of a class with special access to powers not available to others, He inherits, whether he deserves it or not, the knowledge and competence that goes with the class. Such a class will refuse criticism, and within it there is a corporate loyalty. Ordination even gives us priests a uniform, and a special vocabulary, and a title."

"Priesthood, however, is something different."

"When a member of a Christian community is put forward by his fellows for ordination, this does not cause automatic holiness: sacraments are not magic."

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