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The '''Priesthood of all believers''' is one of the pillars of [[Protestant]] Christianity, which distinguishes it from [[Russian Orthodox]], [[Roman Catholicism]], and [[Anglicanism]].  In each of these other branches of Christianity, the church body has ordained priests who are doctrinally authorized to perform functions that normally are forbidden to laymen.  Where or when a priest cannot be summoned, some exceptions are allowed under extreme circumstances such as the performance of a baptism for someone close to death.

The '''Priesthood of all believers''' is one of the pillars of [[Protestant]] Christianity, which distinguishes it from [[Russian Orthodox]], [[Roman Catholicism]], and [[Anglicanism]].  In each of these other branches of Christianity, the church body has ordained priests who are doctrinally authorized to perform functions that normally are forbidden to laymen.  Where or when a priest cannot be summoned, some exceptions are allowed under extreme circumstances such as the performance of a baptism for someone close to death.

In theory  '''Priesthood of all believers'''  calls for a reconstruction of the community norms thought to exist in the infant Church.  It seeks more evenly divided roles and responsibilities amongst all the members of the Christian body.  An example of such a division is who would perform the various functions of [[Pastoral Care]]. In practice [[Martin Luther]] invoked the doctrine to point out the Catholic Church’s non-uniformity in its concern of all Christians, regardless of their position within the social order.  

In theory  '''Priesthood of all believers'''  calls for a reconstruction of the community norms thought to exist in the infant Church.  It seeks more evenly divided roles and responsibilities amongst all the members of the Christian body.  An example of such a division is who would perform the various functions of [[Pastoral Care]]. In practice [[Martin Luther]] invoked the doctrine to point out the Catholic Church’s non-uniformity in its concern of all Christians, regardless of their position within the social order. Papal medieval interdicts meant not only the spiritual death of a city or other region (no sacraments were administered: no one not even were babies were no longer baptized and no one who died in a city under papal interdict would receive extreme unction [last rites]) but also literal economic starvation, since no other Roman-Catholic regions were allowed to trade with them, else they also receive a papal interdict.  

[[Martin Luther]] in his ''Address to a German Nobility'' first describes aspects of the '''Priesthood of all believers'''<ref>''Here I Stand - A Life of Martin Luther'',  Roland Bainton, 1950, Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, pages 152-153</ref> :

[[Martin Luther]] in his ''Open Letter to the Christian Nobility'' first describes aspects of the '''Priesthood of all believers'''<ref>''Here I Stand - A Life of Martin Luther'',  Roland Bainton, 1950, Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, pages 152-153</ref> :

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