The Reformation and the Anastasis of the Permanent Diaconate .

Abstract

Studies on the evolution and theology of the diaconate in the post-reformation era demonstrate that both Catholic and Anglican Churches have been conservative even centuries after the reformation to take meaningful steps towards the full restoration of the diaconate. In fact it was only 450 years after the reformation that these Churches finally embarked on a journey towards the restoration of the diaconate. At the Lambeth Conference, the Anglican Church recommended that the local parishes “consider whether the office of Deacon shall be restored to its primitive place as a distinct order of the Church, instead of being regarded as a probationary period for the priesthood.”1 Similarly, at the second Vatican Council (1962-65) the Roman Catholic Church officially restored the diaconate thus allowing the local churches to decide on the question2. The paper concludes with a discussion on whether the Christian Churches have grasped the Kairos presented through the reformation in restoring the diaconate to its original glory as one finds in the nascent church.