Today’s class was a good wrap up on what the church was like right before Constantine. We see the rise in the structure of the church, and the leadership model within the church. We see the rise of the Bishop, Elders, and Deacons leadership model, and making it more patriarchal than it had been before. It was in this time that we see the fall of the role of women in leadership, but much of this was to follow the patriarchal society of Rome in which they were living in. In our group, we discussed the pro’s and con’s of leadership structure within the church becoming more solidified. It seems as though the “priesthood of all believers” model is dying out, which is sad to see. However, with structure, we do learn things that are valuable as well, such as discipline and respect. Is it better to lean a little to one side? If so, which side?
Good questions!