Verbum et Ecclesia (Sep 1993)
Die stand van die Gereformeerde kerkreg
Abstract
The stance of Reformed church polityThe author deals with the resistance against the study of church polity and stresses its necessity. He sketches the development in Protestant church polity, and then investigates the fact that the confessions function as the paradigm for a particular church. The problem with the reformed confessions is that they are based on sixteenth century exegesis. Consequently there is a growing rift between church polity and the Biblical disciplines. He argues for a debate on the issue of the reformulation of the reformed confessions, and that Mt 28:18-20 be the Scriptural "sitz im leben" of church polity and not 1 Cor 14:40.