Upgrades vs. Transformation

I believe it was Henry Weinman that said, "God is that which transforms us in ways that we cannot transform ourselves."

Too often the church, however, has acted like we can indeed transform ourselves. Yet Transformation is an activity of the Spirit. It sometimes happens in unexpected ways and in ways that we can't understand and from the least likely of places.

Upgrades we can do. Incremental changes, we can do. Yet if we are not careful, our attempts to upgrade ourselves can make us regress.

I think I belong to the Regressive Church of Jesus Christ of former latter day saints. Or at least that is part of who we are.

Ronald Regan asked the question in 1980, "Are you better off now than you were 4 years ago?" He framed the debate and won the election. Yet I yearn for a 2nd term for Jimmy Carter. Things would have been better, right?

The year 1980 was the RLDS Church's 150th Anniversary. We were a better church then. No women in the priesthood, that was bad. Yet we were a healthier church in many waves. The body was healthier.
There were women and men who courageously opposed calling women into the priesthood, not because they were anti-woman, but because they were anti-hierarchy. Those brave women and men were right.

I believe in the priesthood of all believers. The true priesthood system of the 1st Century church. All are called. All can be ministers. All can be priesthood. All might be saints.

The Anabaptists were right, but they were martyred for their beliefs.

Priesthood cannot simply be reformed, it must be transformed.