DMin at Liberty University

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by sanantone, Oct 8, 2021.

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  1. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    They don't let their clergy marry at all.
     
  2. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    Oh :D

    Well, other Catholics can marry and get a divorce. I had teacher colleagues who were divorcees.
     
  3. Courcelles

    Courcelles Active Member

    The Eastern Catholic Churches (who are in full communion with the Pope,) allow married priests. It’s the Latin Rite that doesn’t.
     
  4. Rachel83az

    Rachel83az Well-Known Member

    FWIW, Roman Catholic priests CAN be married. But only if they were married before they felt the call to take up orders. It's extremely uncommon, but it is possible. I can't remember if they can progress in the church or not, though. It may be that they are restricted from being a bishop or higher if they're married, but I'm not sure about that.
     
    chrisjm18 likes this.
  5. Messdiener

    Messdiener Active Member

    Roman Catholic men can be married before ordination the diaconate (in some nations). Some former Anglican men may be married before ordination to the Catholic priesthood, as part of the new Ordinariates ('Anglican Use' Catholic communities).

    There is no general permission for married men to be ordained as Roman Catholic priests. There may be a small handful of exceptions, but we all know about the saying about exceptions and rules.
     
  6. Asymptote

    Asymptote Active Member

    There are also some Lutheran ministers who are welcomed into the Roman Catholic Church as married priests also.
     
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  7. Messdiener

    Messdiener Active Member

    True. I had heard of one or two such cases. Though, I had understood that they were not accepted as priests but rather were invited to study and then be ordained. This is because the Roman Church does not recognize holy orders (apostolic succession) in the Protestant communities.
     
  8. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Except where they do. The Scandanavian Lutheran churches still have bishops that Rome considers validly consecrated, don't they? The whole Anglican Orders thing is interesting to me as a complete outsider. A century ago a Pope declared that Anglican orders are invalid but since then Orthodox and Old Catholic bishops have participated in Anglican consecrations of bishops so does the Pope's declaration still stand? How much of the original decison was pure power politics? Who knows.
     
  9. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    The other side of the equation - going from Catholic priesthood to Anglican seems to work fine - at least as told to me by my son, who is a sincere, practising Catholic. He and his brother are the first generation of my family to be any of these - sincere, practising or Catholic.

    My son told me that his and his wife's favourite priest had left their church. Apparently, he (the priest) fell in love with a lady who was a widow with young children - and naturally, they wanted to get married. So Father X (I forget his name) left the Catholic priesthood but still wanted to do God's work, so he reached out to the Anglican Church. Without undue delay, he was accepted into the Anglican priesthood and placed at a local Anglican church. Happy ending. He's well-received there and a nice family is doing fine.
     
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2022
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  10. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    A happy ending! His way is called "swimming the Thames". The other way is called "swimming the Tiber".
     
  11. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Neither river is particularly clean...
     
  12. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Nor is the Styx. Not really looking forward to swimming it, but there's a boatman, and I understand his fee is reasonable....

    "Don't pay the ferryman,
    Don't even fix a price.
    Don't pay the ferryman
    Till he gets you to the other side."

    (Chris de Burgh)
     
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2022
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  13. Tireman 44444

    Tireman 44444 Well-Known Member

     
  14. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    To me, they both are. I'm a guitar guy, so I really like the "Lady in Red" version below, by a "Lady in Red" from Nigeria, Helen Ibe.
    She's very versatile - not only Western World songs, but also Nigerian Highlife music, which I find extremely enjoyable.

    And nowadays, we both play Fender Telecasters. Waited 55 years to get mine.
     
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2022
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  15. Messdiener

    Messdiener Active Member

    You're right that it has become a bit more complex and nuanced, so blanket statements don't often work so well anymore. If you toss the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church, the Polish National Catholic Church, Thuc-line movements, and others into the mix, it gets even 'messier'!
     
  16. Messdiener

    Messdiener Active Member

    Certainly. The Anglican Church tends to be more open to these sorts of arrangements, and this tends to be in line with their general ethos and outlook on religion. Just look at their Low Church, Broad Church, and High Church model in which all are welcome to practice as they please, as long as its under the auspices of the Anglican Church.

    I once met an Anglican missionary who was perfectly open to all, even non-Anglicans. He said he had concelebrated Mass or would be open to doing so with Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and many others. But he drew the line at Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, saying that theology deviated too excessively to consider concelebration at this time. I don't quite know all of the nuances of these communities theological positions, but it was interesting to see that Anglican 'open communion' (is there such a term as 'open concelebration'?) was indeed 'open' and yet had certain limits.
     
  17. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    The theology of orders, whatever theologians call that, is a dense thicket at midnight. And as I say, I have no business in the swamp.
     
  18. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    Ahh, I can feel the undercurrent of subtext....
     
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  19. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    At my Episcopalian church (which is part of the Anglican communion), communion is open to "all who seek a closer relationship with Christ", the definition of which is left to the individual.
     
    Rachel83az likes this.
  20. nosborne48

    nosborne48 Well-Known Member

    Just go with the flow.
     

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