- "In one stroke, Jesus erases titles (Matt. 23:8-10). Tagging each other with titles has no place in the upside-down kingdom where everyone stands on equal ground" (226).
- "Titles are foreign to the body of Christ. Terms like Doctor and Reverend perpetuate status differences unbefitting the spirit of Christ." Titles pay tribute to position, degree and status rather than to personhood. Members of flat kingdoms call each other, as the sign of highest personal respect, by our first names" (239, emphasis mine)
I seem to recall saying this recently...
ReplyDeleteAdam: that is cool..you said it recently! Love you man, but you better change your name above (: Ultimate irony! (:
ReplyDeleteMy point at the time -- this was at the men's group breakfast, you may recall, is I don't believe the titles are bad, it's the constant use of them verbally, i.e. calling you "Pastor Dave" or me "Rabbi Adam," hut in formal writing is another issue.
ReplyDeleteI use the term Pastor as a term of affection, much like brother or sister, and calling someone Doctor is simply respecting that achievement. I probably wouldn't do it all the time but why not acknowledge the effort. Titles aren't the problem it is the attitude that we have toward them. Simply changing words won't fix that.
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