Comments on: So Who Should Run the Church?

By: Amanda

Amanda — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 13:38:59 +0000

Amen Jason. Every believer is a priest because they can have a direct and unmediated relationship with Jesus Christ, the one and only God.

Christianity is not about intellectual theories, theological dogmas, or doctrinal knowledge. God’s answers are always simple and God’s answers always work. So, far from being complicated, Christianity is about every person’s opportunity for a personal connection with Jesus and the blessings that brings.

Swedenborg was a Christian and the books that resulted from his years of conversations with Jesus were written to empower change and reformation in the Christian world and beyond.

By: Kurt

Kurt — Wed, 19 May 2010 11:28:39 +0000

Hi Bruce,

I appreciate the compliment, but I didn’t write “You are a Priest.” It came from

http://secondadventchristian.com/

which contains a fairly extensive review of this subject.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Wed, 19 May 2010 08:49:24 +0000

Kurt,

Hello and will be visiting site more often.

Since the WORD states all who believe are priests then separating the body into two “kinds” of believers is error. Error will then produce its’ fruit. In this case division and not unity.

This follows right along with buildings being termed “sanctuary” when in reality our body is the “temple”.

I love and embrace what you stated in “You are a Priest”.

By: Stephen Simons

Stephen Simons — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:18:58 +0000

Amen Jason. Every believer is a priest because they can have a direct and unmediated relationship with Jesus Christ, the one and only God.

Swedenborg was a Christian and the books that resulted from his years of conversations with Jesus were written to empower change and reformation in the Christian world and beyond.

By: Jason

Jason — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:26:53 +0000

Swedenborg did not want a church to be formed around his writings, yet that is exactly what people went and did.
We are all priests. We are all healers and we are all preachers if we want to be. The ego normally drives people with some knowledge to believe that they should be a teacher to the many. Remove the ego and you have someone with some knowledge teaching those with no knowledge.
In other words, know your place. In time we all grow and learn more and therefore we are qualified to teach more people.
I am a life long Swedenborgian but have little time for the so called Swedenborgian churches.
I have no ill feelings toward them, only a sense of sadness that they seem to have missed the point.
Swedenborg writes about the fate of the so called intellectuals in the Hells. A true intellectual is someone who can explain a very difficult subject in a very simple way. Our Lord set the example.
A false intellectual is someone who takes a simple subject and clouds it with big words that no-one can understand. Thus making himself appear wise and superior to the rest.
It is my opinion that the Swedenborgian churches should drop the word, ” Church “, and use the word, ” Society “. They would reach and help millions more people this way. I believe that it is Our Lords wish that the many and not just the few are aware of the writings of Swedenborg.
I was once asked which Church I worshipped in. I replied by pointing at the sky. Then I said, ” That is the roof of my Church, we are always in Church and this is where I worship”. I hope that anyone reading this understands exactly what I mean.

By: Kurt

Kurt — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 09:57:22 +0000

Max,

True Christianity seems to me like socks – One size fits all!

And I am flattered by your thinking I put together “You are a Priest,” but in fact that piece came from

http://www.SecondAdventChristian.org

By: max becker

max becker — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:21:19 +0000

Kurt,

Hello and will be visiting site more often.

Since the WORD states all who believe are priests then separating the body into two “kinds” of believers is error. Error will then produce its’ fruit. In this case division and not unity.

This follows right along with buildings being termed “sanctuary” when in reality our body is the “temple”.

I love and embrace what you stated in “You are a Priest”.

By: Kurt

Kurt — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:38:19 +0000

Hi Max,

The logic behind the term “reverend” has always seemed to me a little curious since the word means “1: worthy of reverence : REVERED” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reverend). The problem is that there are good, bad and indifferent priests. So should they all get labeled “reverend?” Or do you make a spiritual judgment about a given priest’s spiritual state before addressing him or her with that term? A spiritually hazardous undertaking! Wouldn’t it make more sense to simply drop use of the term and avoid the whole labeling issue?

In any case, I certainly agree with your comment “Clergy vs. laity. I think a real priest is a layman.” For more on that, you might want to take a look at the posts on “You are a Priest” and “A Few Little Keys to the Kingdom” at the Second Advent Christian site (http://secondadventchristian.org/)

By: max becker

max becker — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:33:29 +0000

I find it interesting that the word “reverend” is only found once in the word – ps 111:9 “holy and reverend is HIS name”.

Clergy vs laity. I think a real priest is a layman.

By: Impact of General Church / Convention Split on Growth « MacFrazier.com

Impact of General Church / Convention Split on Growth « MacFrazier.com — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 19:04:07 +0000

[...] Simons made an interesting assertion in “A Note on New Church Government”: the Academy split came at the end of the nineteenth century, during which church membership had [...]