Ancient order 1

This page is part of a loop that tours the site

Others such as Harnack provide detailed analysis and discussion of the Greek text of the Church Fathers to trace the history and legal foundation of the Church Orders. A division between the clergy and the laity has existed since the time of the Church Fathers and is of particular importance in understanding the ministry of the reader. For much of its history the church has been dominated by clericalism and has suffered from the suppression of the ministry of all believers.The tensions may be illustrated by the following diagram:

The Clergy - Laity Divide

whole Church'		'the priesthood of all believers'
Which includes those who are ordained to the priesthood		Which includes those not ordained to the 'priesthood'

Press photo for Church of England website.

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