We are a people prone to extremes. Instead of moderation, we swing the pendulum to either the far left or the far right. This certainly appears to be the case with church discipline within our local assemblies. Written almost eighty years ago, Greek scholar H.E. Dana rightly states,
“The abuse of discipline is reprehensible and destructive, but not more than the abandonment of discipline. Two generations ago, the churches were applying discipline in a vindicative and arbitrary fashion that justly brought it into disrepute; today, the pendulum has swung to the other extreme-discipline is almost wholly neglected. It is time for a new generation of pastors to restore this important function of the church to its rightful significance and place in church life.”
Following is the transcript. It was initially intended to be heard, not read, so the tone is more conversational than academic. It has only been loosely edited, so forgive any grammatical, syntactical, or spelling errors. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to add a comment.
