Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - Part 1. The Responsibilities and Limitations of the Task - 1. Principles and Methods - The Present Time
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
PRINCIPLES AND METHODS
istic is its emphasis upon the Word and the sacraments. This
emphasis dominates even the personal care of souls. The
Church, through the priest, ministers to the spiritual needs of
men. The priestly office derives its authority from the Lord of
the Church. Privately and in public the spiritual adviser must
teach the Word, and by doing so lead the Church members
into the truths of the Christian faith and guide them in the
correct use of the sacraments. The ecclesiastical conception of
the pastoral office seeks to realise the Reformation ideal in the
care of souls. It distinguishes carefully between the ‘care’ and
the ‘leading’ of souls. In most countries the Protestant State
Churches hold this point of view, though within them there are
many cross-currents of thought; and widely different
interpretations of the Church’s and the pastors’ responsibility may
be found. Many different answers to the question, what is the
care of souls, would be given by the adherents to different
groups and movements within the Established Churches. For
example, the Modernist movements have been greatly
influenced by the findings of contemporary psychology, while
the Oxford Group and other evangelical movements of the
same kind seek to re-establish in contemporary society a form
of unorganised fellowship in which naive interpretations of
Christian doctrine are doubtless in some sense a reaction against
theological intellectualism. The dire spiritual hunger of our
times has brought many such movements into being to meet the
danger of encroaching secularism. They strive, sometimes with
success, to reach and help men and women, religious at heart,
who have become immune from the ordinary ministries and
appeals of institutional Christianity.
The Methodistical Type emphasises the importance of
fellowship in the care of souls. It has been strongly influenced by the
example of the Early Church. The spiritual life grows and
becomes strong in fellowship: in that relationship is its home.
The corporate life of the Church is therefore held to be a means
of Grace like the Word of God, the sacraments and prayer.
The priest or pastor carries the main responsibility for the care
of souls, but he is supported by lay helpers. This type of soul
care resembles that of the Early Church most closely in that
concern for the individual is deeply felt. The aim of the care of
souls is to enable him to realise Christian perfection. Thus the
25
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
