Let’s not tear ourselves apart

As the evangelical church in the West seems to be tearing itself apart over a number of scandals, the thought came to mind that there is a fairly simple (but not simplistic) solution. What if we returned to the Biblical practice of church discipline?

In our individualistic society, where individual autonomy and ‘rights’ trump everything, the notion of church discipline is not one that is popular, even in the church. The term brings to mind associations with authoritarianism, legalism, pettiness and bullying. A misuse of discipline can lead to those abuses, but you don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater. I would suggest that if we returned to a Biblical understanding of church discipline then we would have a far better framework for dealing with many of our current problems. Of course, that also means that we need a better understanding of what the church actually is – confusion about ecclesiology is wreaking havoc amongst us.

Crucial for church well-being

We all recognise that a football team needs discipline, as does an army, a school or a business. Yet many of us seem to think that it is at best an optional extra for the church – at worst an unnecessary interference in our private ‘walk with the Lord’. Our forefathers thought differently. They regarded discipline as being crucial to the well-being of the church. Take, for example, the Belgic Confession, Chapter 29 – ‘The true church can be recognised if it has the following marks: the church engages in the pure preaching of the gospel; it makes use of the pure administration of the sacraments as Christ instituted them; it practices church discipline for correcting faults. In short, it governs itself according to the pure Word of God, rejecting all things contrary to it and holding Jesus Christ as the only Head. By these marks one can be assured of recognising the true church – and no one ought to be separated from it.’