in clerical circles, expecially among clerics with clout, there is a mental divorce between what is "dogmatic" and what is "pastoral", as if those two essential dimensions of ministry are in conflict. There is a divorce between being "intelligent" and, again, "pastoral", a divorce between "authority" and "pastoral".
Pastoral comes from Pastor, meaning Shepherd. A Shepherd carries a crook which he uses to discipline and guide his flock, beating wayward sheep and pulling them with it by the neck. Being pastoral should never be synonymous to leniency. If ever, the word should mean discipline and getting beaten whenever one goes astray.
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