Social Sciences in China

Vol. 39, No. 1, 2018

 

SPECIAL ISSUE: GLOBAL “NEW HISTORY” AND THE PRACTICE OF HISTORY IN CHINA

 

Building a Preaching Ministry in the English Church during the

Reformation

(Abstract)

 

Liu Cheng

 

Martin Luther’s concept of “priesthood of all believers” implies that everyone who has been baptised not only becomes a Christian, but also becomes a consecrated priest. There is room for a logical extension of Luther’s concept. If every Christian is a consecrated priest and has the right to administer the sacraments for himself, is there any necessity to retain a professional priesthood for the Church? While detailing how Luther’s concept entailed the shift of clerical functions from a sacramental priesthood to a preaching ministry as occurred within the evolving Protestant Churches, this paper offers a clarification of what Luther actually meant by his formula.

 

Keywords: priesthood of all believers, sacramental priesthood, preaching ministry, the English Church