Maybe Not So Pious

Because it was one of the most useful distinctions I learned in seminary, it is also one of the most memorable. A priest speaks to God with the voice of the people; a prophet speaks to the people with the voice of God.

Unfortunately, because of our addiction to, and abuse of, the doctrine called the Priesthood of All Believers (which my friend already calls a "pious myth"), we have accidentally committed ourselves to the Prophethood of All Believers, and the Theologianhood of All Believers. It doesn't matter what you believe or even what you do about it, as long as you don't learn it from someone else.

Originally, the Priesthood of All Believers was put forward as a way to allow princes to act as emergency bishops. That's all. See how much we have overplayed this gift, that now, when a theological issue is placed before us, we consider that everyone's theological opinion is just as good as everyone else's theological opinion; and the best way to decide an issue is to vote on it.

There are two excellent ways to wreck a church, and one is to turn it into a democracy.

The best way to understand the Priesthood of All Believers doctrine for us is to remember its limitations. It is correct when it simply means that anyone can approach God in prayer without intermediary other than Christ, that is, to speak to God with the voice of the people. Any more is too much, and leads in the direction of Delusion.