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Thomas C. Oden is a Christianity Today executive editor, Henry Anson Buttz Professor of Theology and Ethics at Drew University, general editor of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, and author of The Rebirth of Orthodoxy: Signs of New Life in Christianity.

Copyright © 2005 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

See also today's related article, "'Do You Desire to be Told of Your Faults?' | How early Methodists practiced small-group accountability."

Previous articles in this series include:

How Discipline Died | The church should stop taking its cues from the state. (July 22, 2005)

Shaping Holy Disciples | Mark Dever says church discipline is not about punishment or self-help. (July 25, 2005)

Spheres of Accountability | The dynamics of discipline in the megachurch. (July 26, 2005)

Keeping the Lawyers at Bay | How to correct members while staying out of court. (July 27, 2005)

Healing the Body of Christ | Church discipline is as much about God as it is about erring believers. (July 28, 2005)

More articles on church discipline from CT include:

To Judge, or Not to Judge | Christ commanded us not to judge others, but aren't there times when common sense or prudence requires it? (June 29, 2005)

The Evangelical Scandal | Ron Sider says the movement is riddled with hypocrisy, and that it's time for serious change. (April 13, 2005)

Canterbury Crackup | Eschewing church discipline has come back to haunt Anglicans. A Christianity Today editorial (Dec. 03, 2004)

Weblog: Debates on Debates on Church Discipline | Catholic bishops will issue statement on Communion as a Matthew 18 lawsuit is reinstated against a Texas Bible church. (June 18, 2004)

Articles from our sister publication, Leadership Journal, include:

Taking Church Membership Seriously | Why it's time to raise the bar. (April 18, 2005)

Church Discipline Really Works (pt. 1) | When you make it loving and redemptive. (Jan. 24, 2005)

Church Discipline Really Works (pt. 2) | How to find courage (and avoid lawsuits) when confronting sinning believers. (Jan. 31, 2005)

Mark Dever's Nine Marks site has a section on church discipline.

Albert Mohler, president of Southern Theological Seminary, wrote a series on church disciple. It is available on his website:

Should a Church Discipline Members Over Politics? | None of us wants to see churches identified as "Republican Baptists" and "Democratic Baptists." Such partisan identifications violate the autonomy of the church as the Body of Christ.
Mohler also covered this topic on his radio show.

The Disappearance of Church Discipline—How Can We Recover? Part One | The decline of church discipline is perhaps the most visible failure of the contemporary church.

The Disappearance of Church Discipline—How Can We Recover? Part Two | The disappearance of church discipline has weakened the church and compromised Christian witness.

The Disappearance of Church Discipline—How Can We Recover? Part Three | Spiritual leaders of the church are to confront a sinning member with a spirit of humility and gentleness, and with the goal of restoration.

The Disappearance of Church Discipline—How Can We Recover? Part Four | When should the church exercise church discipline?

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August (Web-only) 2005, Vol. 49