The Authority of the Spoken Word: Who Can Talk in Church? By Rev. Benjamin Glaser
A controversy which has sparked again in Reformed and Confessional circles surrounds the question about who is allowed to speak from the pulpit, or a lectern, in the worship service of Christ’s Church. Is it Ministers only? Are Elders allowed to do so? How about Deacons? Or unordained men? What about women and children? Who exactly can, and why, and why it matters is going to be the main topic of this essay, but before we get into the technical details there are a couple bigger questions that should be answered first. Those inquires center around the nature of authority as well as the subject of what exactly is going on in worship on the Lord’s Day. Both of those need resolved before we get into the meat of the matter. We’ll open with the latter one. What is taking place on the Lord’s Day that makes it special and unique in a Church’s life? Part of the reason why this conversation even takes place is because there is confusion about the 4 th Commandment. The uncertainty exists...