Eldership

[Peter Debelak]

Originally Posted by Igzy

Thank God for that. Who wants to try to recognize qualified leaders based on something unfathomable?

Hmm.

With what faculty are we "recognizing" spiritual authority? Based on outward criteria, of which our leaders must meet a minimum? The very notion of "recognize" is that there is something - already there to recognize. Surely it isn't some set of minimum standards that we already "recognized" - but rather a spiritual experience and heft that carried weight amoung a population, no? And surely that "recognition" couldn't necessarily be broken down into criteria. Isn't that "recognition" a spiritual and organic on - one of a natural relationship which has developed between certain elder believers and others? If so - if that "higher" standard of intuitive recognition of spiritual authority is the pre-requisite for "recognition" by an assembly - why the need for the very minimal outward standards? That is, either spiritual authority is, in fact, spiritually recognizable or it is recognizable because some set of outward criteria have been met. Either way, a minimum standard doesn't (seemingly) do us much good.

All that to say, I think aron's questions are still pressing and unanswered ones, Igzy. The standards are clearly in the Word. I echo aron's questions however, about what Paul is getting at with them. Thoughts?

Peter