Why does the Catholic Church have a pope?
Sometimes the best answer to a question is another question, since it puts what we think is a special case into a familiar context.
So...
Why does a school have a principal?
Why does a company have a president?
Why does a church have a pastor?
In other words, the Church has a pope because all human organizations of any size require a leader, and religious organizations are no different.
And the bigger the organization, the greater the need for a leader and rules circumscribing dissent.
I'm not Catholic but I fully understand the need for a pope (and an Archbishop for Anglicans and a president for Lutherans and a pastor for Baptists).
The first response is often, "But our leadership is different from theirs." Perhaps on paper, but not in practice.
What is the response when a GARB deacon goes off the rails? Or a pastor? It happens. Even a loosely allied fellowship like the GARB will act quickly and firmly.[1]
Just because there's no one person at the top of the org chart doesn't mean there isn't a singularity in purpose, theology, and enforcement.
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[1]
General Association of Regular Baptists. Please understand, I'm not picking on them, I love them like family, but because I know them so well, I draw on them for examples.
[2014-06-15]
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