Class Reflection 9

It seems like a common thread in church history is the implementation of greater control by church leaders in response to anything that was unsettling: a move of the Holy Spirit (sometimes legitimate, perhaps sometimes not), division in the church, or the introduction of questionable ideas or practices. Whereas the motivation for such control seems to have been the protection of orthodoxy, it seems like as time went on leadership became more and more rigid and exclusive. For example, the apostolic succession, or the ordination of a bishop by the laying on of hands, developed out of the need for protecting the teachings of the church. However, with this structure came the prohibition of anyone other than the bishop to administer baptism or communion. In sum, it seems like guidelines and correction were needed, but I am left wondering how the church could have also safeguarded against control at the expense of spontaneous worship, the priesthood of all believers, and space created for the move of the Holy Spirit.