Clericalism: The Death of Priesthood
Searching for answers in the midst of the sexual abuse crisis in the church, many blamed the clerical culture. But what exactly is this clerical culture? We may know it when we see it, but how can we 'whether clergy or laypeople 'go about dismantling it and putting in place a new, healthy culture? George Wilson has spent decades working with organizations to help them discover, and often recover, their foundational calling. He is also a Jesuit priest engaged in the lives of congregations. In Clericalism: The Death of Priesthood he brings together both capacities and gives his sense of the challenges facing the church.

As members of the church, Wilson maintains, we are all responsible for creating a clerical culture. And we are also responsible for that culture's transformation. Clericalism aids this transformation by helping us examine some underlying attitudes that create and preserve destructive relationships between ordained and laity. After looking at the crisis and establishing where we are now, this book challenges us with concrete suggestions for changing behaviors. We are lay and ordained, but all baptized into the royal priesthood of 1 Peter 2:9, all called to spread the Gospel and do the work of God's love in the world. Ultimately, this is a hopeful book, looking for the restoration of a genuine priesthood, free of clericalism, in which we become truly united in Christ..

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Clericalism: The Death of Priesthood
Searching for answers in the midst of the sexual abuse crisis in the church, many blamed the clerical culture. But what exactly is this clerical culture? We may know it when we see it, but how can we 'whether clergy or laypeople 'go about dismantling it and putting in place a new, healthy culture? George Wilson has spent decades working with organizations to help them discover, and often recover, their foundational calling. He is also a Jesuit priest engaged in the lives of congregations. In Clericalism: The Death of Priesthood he brings together both capacities and gives his sense of the challenges facing the church.

As members of the church, Wilson maintains, we are all responsible for creating a clerical culture. And we are also responsible for that culture's transformation. Clericalism aids this transformation by helping us examine some underlying attitudes that create and preserve destructive relationships between ordained and laity. After looking at the crisis and establishing where we are now, this book challenges us with concrete suggestions for changing behaviors. We are lay and ordained, but all baptized into the royal priesthood of 1 Peter 2:9, all called to spread the Gospel and do the work of God's love in the world. Ultimately, this is a hopeful book, looking for the restoration of a genuine priesthood, free of clericalism, in which we become truly united in Christ..

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Clericalism: The Death of Priesthood

Clericalism: The Death of Priesthood

by George B Wilson
Clericalism: The Death of Priesthood
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Clericalism: The Death of Priesthood

Clericalism: The Death of Priesthood

by George B Wilson

Overview

Searching for answers in the midst of the sexual abuse crisis in the church, many blamed the clerical culture. But what exactly is this clerical culture? We may know it when we see it, but how can we 'whether clergy or laypeople 'go about dismantling it and putting in place a new, healthy culture? George Wilson has spent decades working with organizations to help them discover, and often recover, their foundational calling. He is also a Jesuit priest engaged in the lives of congregations. In Clericalism: The Death of Priesthood he brings together both capacities and gives his sense of the challenges facing the church.

As members of the church, Wilson maintains, we are all responsible for creating a clerical culture. And we are also responsible for that culture's transformation. Clericalism aids this transformation by helping us examine some underlying attitudes that create and preserve destructive relationships between ordained and laity. After looking at the crisis and establishing where we are now, this book challenges us with concrete suggestions for changing behaviors. We are lay and ordained, but all baptized into the royal priesthood of 1 Peter 2:9, all called to spread the Gospel and do the work of God's love in the world. Ultimately, this is a hopeful book, looking for the restoration of a genuine priesthood, free of clericalism, in which we become truly united in Christ..

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780814629451
Publisher: Liturgical Press
Publication date: 01/01/2008
Edition description: New Edition
Pages: 176
Product dimensions: 5.36(w) x 8.23(h) x 0.37(d)

About the Author

George B. Wilson, SJ, is an ecclesiologist and organizational facilitator. His other books are Blessing Prayers and Church Leadership: Training in the Ethical Use of Power (Treehaus Communications) and Patches (www.longdash.com). His articles can be accessed at www.gbwilson.homestead.com.

Table of Contents

Preface     ix
Introduction: "Priest" and "Cleric": Clarifying the Terminology     xiii
Cultures, Clergies, and the Ordained
Clerical Cultures and How They "Work"     3
Priesting Before Clergyhood     37
When Priests Become Ordained Clergy     49
Tragedy and Transformation
The Sexual Abuse Tragedy and the Clergies that Enacted It     63
Transformation: Re-priesting a Clericalized Church     96
Expectations of the Ordained and the Laity     110
Conclusion     149
Suggestions for Group Study     153
Acknowledgments     157
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Related Subjects

Bibles & Christianity
Religion
Christianity
Catholicism
Clergy - Catholicism
Priesthood->Catholic Church
Bibles & Christianity
Religion
Christianity
Catholicism
Clergy - Catholicism
Priesthood->Catholic Church

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