All Articles For A Crisis of Authority

Rev. Joshua Engelsma, pastor of Crete PRC in Crete, Illinois So far in this series of editorials I have noted two dangers regarding authority in the church, set forth positively the fundamentals of God-given authority in the church, and laid before those in authority in the church the calling to model Jesus Christ in servant-leadership. I began with the calling of officebearers toward the members intentionally: officebearers must take the lead in caring for the members and ought not give occasion for the members to dishonor them. Having made that point first, now in this concluding article I want to...

In this brief series on church authority, I began by pointing out two dangers that threaten the church: the danger of members rejecting the authority of officebearers, and the danger of officebearers abusing their authority over the members. In the last editorial, I made a beginning in laying out positively the basics regarding God’s instituting of authority in the church. In this article I want to address the responsibility that God has given to officebearers in the church. Many pages could be written setting forth what the Word of God has to say about the calling of officebearers, so I...

Previous article in this series: May 1, 2023, p. 341. In a few recent editorials, I laid out what I see to be two dangers for the church with respect to ecclesiastical authority. One danger is that those who are under authority in the church adopt a critical, rebellious spirit found presently in the world and express that toward those who are in positions of authority. The other danger is that those who are in positions of authority in the church misuse or abuse their authority to the confusion and hurt of those entrusted to their care. Both I consider...

In my previous editorial (April 15, 2023) I stated that one of the issues underlying many of the troubles in the church at present is the matter of authority. I asserted that one aspect of this crisis of authority is a critical approach to the idea of authority that essentially wants to destroy structures of authority in the church altogether. I explained some of the basics of “critical theory” as that is found in the world at large, and warned against that mentality shaping our view of authority in the church. But that is not the only danger that the...

Over the last several years, the church of Christ has been rocked by wave after wave of trouble. These troubles are not isolated to our own denomination; it seems that many Reformed and Presbyterian denominations are facing similar issues. For instance, the onset of the covid-19 pandemic and the response of consistories in arranging worship services was polarizing. At around the same time, doctrinal controversies were swirling and gut-wrenching church splits took place. This was followed by an increased awareness of sexual abuse and concerns about how churches are handling (or mishandling) these cases. Christ’s church has been sailing in...