Alastair Roberts on The Anchored Argosy

Ministerial authority is better thought of as 'focused', rather than 'narrowed'. One way to think about it is that ministers should speak with a 'thus saith the Lord' and can bind consciences in such a manner. However, this is not the sort of thing that can be said about prudential political matters and when pastors start declaring opinions on such matters, the actual authority they should be exercising (the 'thus saith the Lord') becomes confused with their personal opinionating (whether informed or not). Another thing to bear in mind is that ministers are not the only Christians and Christians (even ministers) are not always acting in such a ministerial capacity. Other Christians can and should be actively involved in such areas, acting prudently in terms of Christian principles. However, such political activity is not sacralized, nor does it come with a 'thus saith the Lord' authority.