Spirituality of the Church
The Spirituality of the Church is a doctrine in Protestant theology, particularly in American Presbyterianism. It states that the church is a spiritual entity rather than a civil one, and so its primary task is to proclaim a spiritual message rather than engage in political activity.[1]
The roots of the concept are found in Scottish Presbyterianism in the sixteenth century: the Second Book of Discipline (1578) explained how the magistrate and the minister exercise jurisdiction over different spheres.[2] The phrase itself was first used in the 1850s in the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America.[3] Southern Presbyterians such as James Henley Thornwell argued on the basis of this doctrine that the Church should say nothing in condemnation of slavery.[1][4] Charles Hodge, on the other hand, rejected this implication, but still used the doctrine to argue against the Gardiner Spring Resolutions.[5]
Morton H. Smith notes that when the Presbyterian Church in America adopting a position opposing women in combat in 1993, "it was not forwarded to the government because of the principle of the spiritual mission of the Church."[6]
References
- 1 2 Strange, Alan D. (2 March 2024). "10 Things You Should Know about the Spirituality of the Church". Crossway. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ↑ DeYoung, Kevin (31 January 2019). "Two Cheers for the Spirituality of the Church". The Gospel Coalition. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ↑ Strange, Alan D. (2024). Empowered Witness: Politics, Culture, and the Spiritual Mission of the Church. Crossway. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-4335-8430-5. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ↑ Slade, Peter Gordon (2006). "Open Friendship in a Closed Society: Mission Mississippi and a Theology of Friendship". University of Virginia. p. 183. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
- ↑ Hart, D. G.; Muether, John R. (1998). "The Spirituality of the Church". Ordained Servant. 7 (3): 64–66. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ↑ Smith, Morton H. (2005). "The Southern Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church in America". Interpreting and Teaching the Word of Hope: Essays in Honor of Jack Brown Scott on His Seventy-Seventh Birthday. Presbyterian Press. p. 209.