Here’s the second in my series of nominations for words which should be banned from the Christian’s vocabulary: “Clergy.”

I have to admit a bit of ambiguity about this one. In the circles that I run in, almost no one uses the word, nor accepts the concept behind it. However, I continue to drive by church buildings and see signs proclaiming “Pastor xxxx’s church.” I know that there are certain religious institutions where the professionals wear special clothes to set them apart from the masses. And, I continue to see people who refer to themselves as “Reverend.”

All of this supports the notion that, at least in parts of the institutional church system, the concept of ‘clergy’ is still alive and well.