Purge Out the Old Leaven: A Handbook for Church Discipline and A Defense of the Fence

It is indeed strange that we should have to defend, even go to extreme lengths to explain, a doctrine that is both Biblical in origin and historic in practice, yet church discipline is almost entirely forgotten in contemporary Christianity. If a church advocates church discipline, or worse, excommunicates, she will be labeled strict, legalistic, self-righteous, and judgmental. Non-Christians will scorn her as a madwoman, out of touch with reality and out of touch with post-modernity. Anyone who mentions "church discipline" speaks in "an unknown tongue" to the modern church-goer, but the Bible teaches emphatically that churches must "withdraw" their fellowship and privileges of worship from every brother or sister "who walks disorderly" and "put away from among" themselves every member who refuses to repent of gross immorality, schismatic words and actions, or doctrinal heresy.But does a local church possess legitimate and actual disciplinary authority over visitors, guests, friends of churches, or even fellow pastors? It does not; rather, a local church has actual disciplinary authority over its members only. Unlike churches who practice Open Communion or Close Communion who do not know the "doctrine" and "manner of life" of their communicants, and who therefore risk defiling the table and bringing judgment upon their congregations, churches who "fence the table" more effectively protect the elements and guard the flock by endeavoring to ensure that each member of the local body is subjected to Christ, His pastors, and to one another.