Christian Ministry and Christian People

Extract

The title of this article could be considered misleading in many ways. It does not at first sight disclose what I am actually writing about, i.e. marriage and ordination as sacraments. It also makes one wonder whether the two parts of the title connected with the conjunction ‘and’ actually present an alternative: i.e. does Christian ministry refer to those in specific or ordained ministry while marriage refers to those who are not in Christian ministry? Or have they got more in common than one would expect? Maybe this article ought to be more aptly named: ‘sacraments of commitment and commission’ as that briefly describes what marriage and ordination are about. Yet there are other common aspects which shed an interesting light on the topic. Both are rites which put one way of life, one form of commitment over many others. The idea of sacramental marriage makes one wonder why in an age of pluralism and plurality the church decides to bless one form of relationship, but not many possible others. The publication of John Boswell’s contentious book The Marriage of Likeness as well as the contemporary debates about blessings of same-sex relationships are signs of this phenomenon as is the question of single people whether their form of life is less valid than that of married couples. The debate over the distinction between clergy and laity makes one wonder whether the church does not support a system of privilege and expertise which devalues the work of those who do not participate in this form of privilege.