Episcopal and Presbyterian Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Episcopal and Presbyterian - Essay Example Furthermore, we find women not allowed for teachers, and yet allowed to speak in the church as prophets: now, these being debarred speaking in their natural capacity, because teaching implies an act of authority, that privilege being reserved to the men, shews they had a right to it in the Christian church without prophetical inspiration, otherwise there was nothing at all in this case debarred to the woman. Moreover, the general directions given by the Spirit, in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus, concerning the appointment of bishops and deacons, elders or ministers, running all upon moral qualifications, the common Graces of the Spirit, and good instruction in the Scripture, did, then, as well as for ages succeeding, lay a foundation for the ministry of teaching without the special gift of prophesying. An appropriate Catholic response would appear to include the following elements, which flow from a fundamental belief in the dignity of each individual human being and the imperative to seek the universal common good in solidarity with the poorest, the weakest, the oppressed and the marginalized: * a recognition of the reality of sin and evil in the world and the duty of Christians to resist evils such as oppression, social and economic injustices, and genocide; * actively to seek to address the causes of grievances and conflicts in social, economic, and political inequalities which fail to treat every person and nation with appropriate dignity and respect; * the establishment of appropriate international institutions for the reconciliation of differences, with legitimacy and the authority to enforce compliance; * a recognition that an option for non-violence is as important an imperative for Christians as the option for the poor; * focus more than previously on alternatives to war, the need to promote social justice as an integral element in the following of Jesus, to fund peace education programs, and so forth; * the promotion of agreed and internationally regulated arms reduction; * in so far as armed responses to evils such as genocide are necessary, they should conform to the principles of the just war, and particularly proportionality and discrimination; * the need for this to be undertaken speedily and effectively by reformed international institutions with legitimacy and powers of enforcement; * the creation of a strong international civil society with a commitment to human dignity and rights; and * the promotion o