THE PEOPLE OF GOD

All Christian Churches are awakening to a new awareness of the meaning and function of the laity of the church. That there is and always has been a proper ministry of the laity is a rediscovery that is bringing new strength and purpose to the Church. The Rev. Alden D. Kelley, who now teaches at Bexley Hall Seminary, (Episcopal) Gambier, Ohio, goes back to the Bible to trace the meaning and development of the laity, or the people of God, from its beginning, showing that the Church is the laity and the laity is the Church, the divinely instituted and formed but humanly actualized community in history. The People of God exists as a fellowship informed by the Christ and the Holy Spirit that it may be conformed to its calling, (to minister), for the transforming of the world. Dr. Kelley goes on to show how this doctrine of the laity has fared in the various traditions of Christendom, and adds a chapter of more than usual interest about the position of women in the Church, beginning with the Biblical view and including the vexing question of the ordination of women. This study is an important contribution to the discovery, or rediscovery, of the Church in all its dimensions. Both laymen and clergy may read it with the assurance of a deepened understanding and appreciation of their respective roles in their common task.