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Respecting Our Elders
Around the time John was writing the book of Revelation in the mid-90s AD, a bishop in Rome was penning a letter to a troubled church. The epistle of 1 Clement is possibly the oldest non-canonical Christian writing that has been preserved. Clement of Rome sent his missive to the Corinthian church after a group of young men had instigated the removal of the church’s elders. Clement rebuked the Corinthians for failing to respect their leaders, removing them without just cause, and causing dissension in the body of Christ. I was once a member of a church that was contemplating … View Resource

Nathan Finn
Dr. Nathan A. Finn is associate professor of historical theology and Baptist studies at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C. He writes regularly at his website, www.nathanfinn.com.