Church discipline
Church discipline is a response of an ecclesiastical body to some perceived wrong, whether in action or in doctrine. Its most extreme form in modern churches is excommunication where the offender is banished from the church community until such time as he or she repents or recants. Along with preaching and proper administration of the sacraments, Protestants during the Reformation considered it one of the marks of a true church. Church discipline is mentioned several times in the Bible[1]
In I Corinthians 5 and other passages, the Bible teaches that sin if not dealt with in a congregation can contaminate other members of the body of Christ, as leaven spreads through bread. This was an important doctrine in the development of different branches of the Plymouth Brethren movement. It is also an important topic of discussion in many churches today. [2]
In some contexts, church discipline may refer to the rules governing an ecclesiastical order, such as priests or monks, such as clerical celibacy.[3]
See Also
References
- ^ For example in 1 Corinthians 5 and Matthew 15:15–18 and Matthew 18:15–20
- ^ Church Discipline, Judgment. Part 1 of 3.Digging in the Word
- ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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