11.   Fights over whether the clergy should be able to counsel public school students have flared up in recent months in Texas and Oregon.

12.   In many Quaker congregations, there is no clergy.

13.   In this season when clergy are devoting homilies and sermons to the topic of stewardship, many are wondering whether anyone is listening.

14.   Ironically, clergy may be among the least likely people to observe a Sabbath.

15.   It also adopted a policy requiring clergy to be faithful in heterosexual marriage or celibate otherwise.

16.   Most church officials emphatically deny that the clergy are hostages.

17.   Protestant and Jewish clergy are generally less powerful within their congregations, and can often be fired by laypeople.

18.   Recognizing that the clergy are informal leaders, the police already meet with them monthly to discuss neighborhood hot spots and ways to keep the youth out of trouble.

19.   Such clergy are confusing forgiveness with justice.

20.   Still, some minority clergy are skeptical.