Foreword

I am inclined to agree that compartmentalization between the clergy and the laity is unhealthy, as humanity as a whole (Christian or otherwise) is now moving away from a regimented form of conduct (in both spiritual and worldly affairs) in favor of adopting a more democratic mode of garnering mutual respect between the laity and "professionals" (here I include priests along with doctors, engineers, lawyers et. al).

The analogy used by one of the priests in the online discussion was characterizing the priest as the Captain of a ship and the laity of the parish as mere oarsmen who should at all times obey the Captain. Such an analogy may be an apt one if the oarsmen and oarswomen can be convinced of the Captain's ability (through demonstrated competence) to guide through deep waters, and avoid reefs, rocks, shoals etc. Without such confidence being infused by the professionals (priests included), it would be impossible to expect total compliance from those that seek professional services, including those that relate to spiritual sustenance.

Therein may lie the problem in the training of professionals, be they priests, doctors or engineers.  Professional competency is often proven through demonstrated practice in the real world when their professional skills are sought for and applied for the benefit of those who seek such services. In my experience of dealing with religious preachers (not just Orthodox Christian, Islamic or Hindu) not all of them have the depth of knowledge in interpreting their respective scriptures or behaving consistently with what they preach. The laity easily and quickly perceives such inconsistencies and gaps between their precepts and practices.

It is often claimed that in Orthodox Church, Priests work on authority given from God. True, divine "power" is deemed as being bestowed on priests through the Apostolic succession etc. However, in reality the "authority" over laity has to be "earned" by the priests as well as the higher echelons in the clergy if their authority is to last for any length of time.

Also, in contemporary studies of leadership, the word "authority" is not used synonymously with "power". The President of the US is vested with the power of being the Commander in Chief. But, his authority to use that power gets challenged by the people when they perceive that he is misusing it. Likewise, the priests and the bishops are no doubt endowed with ecclesiastical power to guide their respective flocks, but their authority to guide the laity will be honored and cherished only if those that are being led see that their leaders are exemplary in their own practice of the tenets they preach from the pulpits.

It is well accepted that in non-regimented groups (here I presume laity is one such) authority is always conceded from below, i.e., granted by or earned from the laity. In other words, such authority has to be earned by the priest through demonstrated competence in his professional practice and personal behavior. Such "earning" of authority is begotten through what is commonly known as "respect". A parent may have authority over his children, but they may not respect him/her because of that parent's behavior.

John is right in his expressed dismay at the incident when an older man gave up his seat in a bus to offer it to a priest who was boarding the bus and the latter promptly accepted the seat given up by him. Even if that older man was part of the priest’s congregation, the priest would have in my opinion gained more moral authority in the eyes of that older man as well as the onlookers, had the priest declined the seat. That would have been an excellent opportunity for the priest to demonstrate an exemplary “witnessing” to others in that bus of true Christian behavior.

I am reminded of an incident that took place in this country when an Orthodox Bishop and his secretary-priest invited a couple (husband and wife) to the church premises to seek some technical consultation regarding renovating a church. The couple arrived when the Bishop and the Priest were having their meals. Promptly, the Bishop invited the visiting male congregant to sit and partake of the food while his wife was allowed to stand. She silently stood by since she was never invited by the Bishop to share in anything -- either food, a chair, or the conversation. At the end of the meal, all that the Bishop said to the female visitor was, "now you can clear the plates". Such insensitive and Un-Christian behavior is what contributes to comments regarding the inherent dangers in compartmentalizing between the laity and the clergy, as far as their behaviors are concerned. Jesus of Nazareth treated the sinners and the "laity" with lot more love and consideration than he treated the Rabbis, or the rich and famous!

I hope that my comments are taken as constructive since I truly believe that whenever clergy or their superiors try to ride roughshod over the laity using the arguments of "divine authority" as their legitimate rods to whip the laity into their desired shapes, challenges such as what John Kunnathu and people like me make deserve serious contemplation by true Christians regardless of whether they are clergy or members of the laity. I believe strongly in walking the talk of being a Christian, be it a member of the clergy, bishop or a parishioner.

I am offering these comments, not to challenge the clergy in any way but rather to urge them to contemplate on their obligations to be exemplary in their conduct as true practitioners of our faith, so that they can emerge as true leaders of our congregations. As long as our priests and bishops fail to practice what they preach, they cannot garner the respect, and thereby the much sought-after authority that they seek over their congregants.

C. Alex Alexander, M.D., Odenton, MD.

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