Template:Clergy

Abraham, Moses, John the Baptist and Jesus and the early Church advocated a Daily ministration for the needy of the Christian community that was dependent on Charity only and it was not like the system of Corban of the Pharisees nor the free bread of Rome. It was their Pure Religion that brought them into a Christian conflict with Public religion and the Covetous Practices of the World.

Clergy defined

CLERGY. "the body of all people ordained for religious duties, especially in the Christian Church." All who are attached to the ecclesiastical ministry are called the clergy; a clergyman is therefore an ecclesiastical minister.

2. Clergymen were exempted by the emperor Constantine from all civil burdens. Baronius ad ann. 319, 30. Lord

Coke says, 2 Inst. 3, ecclesiastical persons have more and greater liberties than other of the king's subjects, wherein to set down all, would take up a whole volume of itself.

3. In the United States the clergy is not established by law, but each congregation or church may choose its own clergyman. Bouvier's Law Dictionary Revised Sixth Edition, 1856

CHRISTIANITY. The religion established by Jesus Christ.

2. Christianity has been judicially declared to be a part of the common law of Pennsylvania; 11 Serg. & Rawle, 394; 5 Binn. R.555; of New York, 8 Johns. R. 291; of Connecticut, 2 Swift's System, 321; of Massachusetts, Dane's Ab. vol. 7, c. 219, a. 2, 19. To write or speak contemptuously and maliciously against it, is an indictable offence. Vide Cooper on the Law of Libel, 59 and 114, et seq.; and generally, 1 Russ. on Cr. 217; 1 Hawk, c. 5; 1 Vent. 293; 3 Keb. 607; 1 Barn. & Cress. 26. S. C. 8 Eng. Com. Law R. 14; Barnard. 162; Fitzgib. 66; Roscoe, Cr. Ev. 524; 2 Str. 834; 3 Barn. & Ald. 161; S. C. 5 Eng. Com. Law R. 249 Jeff. Rep. Appx. See 1 Cro. Jac. 421 Vent. 293; 3 Keb. 607; Cooke on Def. 74; 2 How. S. C. 11-ep. 127, 197 to 201.

Clergyism

"Clergyism" is a view of church and and its ministers that puts the ordained clergy in the center. It could minimizes the importance of the people of God and their potential for ministering to each other. It weakens the the body of the people by implying that what really matters is what the pastors, priests, and preachers do, say or think.

This is not a serious problem until we redefine words like Religion, Elder, Deacon, or even ordained.

If you understand the gospel of the kingdom and the mission of the Little flock and who they were along with the restriction s imposed by Christ clergyism becomes less of a threat. The Church is spirit driven and no leaders in the Church have the right to exercise authority one over the other. The Holy Spirit is to dwell within every man writing upon his heart and mind. Since an elder is an office of the family and not of the Church it is the Holy Spirit living in the hearts and minds of the people that is the driving force of the whole body of the people in [[free assemblies and amongst those who might be called the Clergy of the Church.

Clergy of Christ

If the clergy is "the body of all people ordained for religious duties" then Christ's clergy would be the body of ministers ordained by Jesus. That would be first the Apostles and their successors or at least those who are fulfilling the "duties of religion". So we need to know what was religion and what Pure Religion would be and the instructions to the apostles given by Jesus to know what those duties were.

Jesus clearly called out His little flock to serve the people without exercising authority one over the other. They were to be separate from the world with no personal estate owning all things common like the Levites before them. The oversaw a daily ministration that served the needs of their society rightly dividing bread and supplies from house to house and across borders of nations during economic dearths and famines.

Elders of the early Church were first of the laity and functioned as free souls according to the Perfect law of liberty. They could become a part of the clergy of Christ who like Christ only came to serve, not rule over the people.

Is the modern Church doing what the early Church did?

Without the Church in general which we may call the laity gathering in free assemblies or congregations of Tens and the Church specific which consists of the offices of Deacon, Bishop and Priest, There will be the temptations of Balaam and the Nicolaitan.

Clergy of the world

Who is the Clergy of the world. That would be what is sometimes called "public religion" which is often doing what the early Church used to do. They are the administrators of your social welfare by the governments of the world.