Church discipline

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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 some contexts, church discipline may refer to the rules governing an ecclesiastical order, such as priests or monks, such as clerical celibacy.[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ For example in 1 Corinthians 5 and Matthew 15:15-18
  2. ^   "Ecclesiastical Discipline". Catholic Encyclopedia. (1913). New York: Robert Appleton Company. 
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