We Are the Body of Christ

The Supreme Court has ruled that teachers can be called ministers in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru. This extends Hosanna-Tabor to religious, particularly Catholic, schools so that gains made in Bostock, which included LGBT rights under sex in Title VII of the Civil Rights Act leave teachers out. The effect of the case is that, without considering the merits of whether LGBT teachers who marry can be fired, the courthouse door is closed to them. As a First Amendment right, not even an Act of Congress can interfere with the rights of the Church to make its own rules on ministry.

This is just as well because it puts the onus on the Faithful to take control of the Church from the hierarchy. We cannot go to the government to clean our own house. We can use this as a moment of empowerment. Indeed, we must. As an old radical, I have a few suggestions on how to do this.

Don't Leave. Our baptisms are as valid as that of any bishop or priest. We are part of the body of Christ and no one can make us leave. It is time to protest from within, rather than following the egalitarian imperative to escape from evil rather than facing it head on.  This will also provide a witness to our Protestant brethren that it is time to come home and work from within.

Defy. As much as possible, act as if the hierarchy is simply not there. Listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and act accordingly. Support each other when the bishop does not. Our lives are none of his business. Also, the feudal era is over. Church property comes from us, not from the nobility or the bishop. More about that below. The bishops only act with our tacit consent.

Detail. Make a case based in scripture and natural law (the real kind, not the teachings of Rome) for why we resist actions we consider evil.

Debate. Present concerns to Pastors and Bishops (both come from the word Overseer) and make know that we are not asking for guidance - we are entering into dialogue as fellow members of the Body of Christ.

Don't hate. Always treat clergy and the consecrated as brothers and sisters in Christ. We must  remember that we are all of the same body, even if are interlocutors sometimes forget. Ultimately, we we engage them, it is for their good as well.

Denounce. Even in love, we must remain firm. Sometimes, this demands public resistance. If dialogue is not accepted, then the Spirit of Prophesy demands a stronger invocation. She speaks through all of us, not only through the clergy. Prophesy is not about fortune telling, it is about self-criticism within the Body of Christ.

Deploy. When possible, bring as many of the Body with you in action. Change in the Church is not the job of Lone Rangers. Especially if the issue is important, we must speak as one rather than as individuals, else we are no better than the hierarchs.

Defund. In Medieval times, land was a grant from the King and bishops were among the nobility. The governance model for the Church has retained this basic structure. While parish property is held in trust, the title is in the name of the bishop. A few empty Annual Appeals and collection baskets will make the clergy realize who pays the piper in the modern Church.

Dethrone. Ultimately, we are responsible for the structure of the Church. Ancient and Medieval structures were products of their ages. We now live in the age of democracy. The key feature is that they operate with our consent. It is up to us to change the rules. From the earliest days, the office of deacon was not simply priesthood light, it was the office which managed the material affairs of the Church. We can go back to that model and, while not abandoning ordination, place it within the laity - thus forgoing requirements of gender, marital status and sexuality. As in early times, parish deacon administrators should be elected from below, not appointed from above. The clergy's role in governance must ultimately be ended.

Likewise, election of the Pastor (biblically, the local overseer) may be recaptured by the People of God from the hierarchy. Likewise, bishops (regional overseer) can be elected by parish representatives, both ordained and lay. P/Matriarchs can then be elected by the bishops in conclave, with the Ecumenical P/Matriarch elected by his or her brothers without a tie to a particular See. Until this happens, the patrimony in Rome should be available to local churches to settle claims made against those bishops who are appointed by the Holy See.

Ordination can be opened in the same way that clergy are and, so that the mistake of Clement of Antioch is overturned, we can join our Jewish brethren in a home based sabbath dinner. Such dinners do not require a teacher to bless the Shabbat meal, nor do we. Reception of the Lord can be done as he directed in the Jewish model. No more using Communion as a weapon of control.

Some would fear abuse, however, the body and blood of Christ are effective when received, not a graven image. We can only know whether this is true by reception. We currently agree to a different model. That agreement can change. We still need public teachers and rituals, so the priesthood need not pass away. I am not suggesting a Protestant model of worship but one that is authentic to the institution of the Sacrament.