Inverted Hierarchy --inverted hierarchy -priests as servants of the people -bishops as the servants of the priests -the pope

as the servant of the bishops --biblical backing of this idea --JP II and his revitalization of this idea --Sounds like Luther

notes, 10/10

--why not just go with Luther, if Catholics have gotten it backwards? --because Christianity needs the magisterium --ex. : the Arian controversy -Arian position -Cappadocian position -holy people using Scripture on both sides -but Acts records the apostles preserving division by exercising authority -Arian controversy saw bishops exercise same authority -if that had not happened, there would have been two new churches -continuous split from there -how many times has the magisterium done this preservation? -and how many splits are there from the two times that the preservation was not maintained? -do the math: how many sects of Christianity would there be? -but Christ desired his church to be one (Scripture) -critical value in the human experience: connection, communion, wholeness, integrity -thus a natural and a supernatural reason for the magisteriums authority --but the authority should not be confused with power or dominance; it is meant to be a servants authority. The servants of the servants are called to maintain peace for the people, give them encouragement, resources, direction, so that they do not hurt themselves with ideas (aparthide) or words (slander) or actions (murder). --we are in an oscillation pattern with God -since Christ, through his incarnation, appropriated us into the Godhead -because we are in this oscillation relationship, we must be respectful, and keep the points of intersection SACRED -when we as Christians ask, Who is Christ? since we are in RELATIONSHIP with God, we are not entitled to decide whom we want Him to be. We must LEARN who he isAND THIS IS SHOCKING! We must discover the otherness of God and let our theology be informed by Him, not create ideas that are comfortable for us. The

history of the doctine of the Trinity is the history of choosing/deciding on the more confusing, less clear choice. God holds us in the suspension of the holy mystery of Gods self. We must let the magisterium preserve us from seeking our own comforts and intellectual familiarity and show us Gods otherness. --why trust the magisterium? the magisterium IS NOT trustworthy on things that can be reversed, images, interpretations, and cultural influenes. But the Scritpure says that Christ gives the church authority (Mt. 16:18); I Tim. 3:15; and the example in Acts11. -summary: the biblical notion of hierarchy is upside down, but we have, wrongly, turned it upward, mirroring secular kingship. It was supposed to be inverted, and we need reform to restore the inversion. But our reform should not, as Luther did, eliminate the distinctions between people and priest and bishop and pope, because they are Biblical and necessary to preserve 1) connection/communion, 2) Scriptural commands and instruction, 3) adequate support, encouragement and direction for the people (US!).