• Authority and Conscience: The Authority of the Denomination and the Freedom of the Pastor

    Author(s):
    Reinder Bruinsma
    Editor(s):
    Tom de Bruin (see profile)
    Date:
    2020
    Group(s):
    Spes Christiana (journal)
    Subject(s):
    Pastoral theology--Study and teaching, Pastoral counseling--Study and teaching
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    Adventist, church government, ecclesiological structure, Pastoral studies
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/vbnw-mw88
    Abstract:
    The article firstly deals with church authority in general and with the way this is understood and functions in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. All church authority is delegated authority, and the church’s authority is always subject to God and the revelation in his Word. The Adventist governmental structure has not always sufficiently resisted authoritarian and hierarchical tendencies. The second part of this article focuses on the relationship between the pastor and his employing church entity. His freedom is limited, in terms of church policies and in expressing theologically unacceptable opinions. On the other hand, he cannot be expected to show blind obedience, and some forms of dissent can actually enrich the community. The pastor must listen to his conscience, but must in some cases expect to be disciplined. Any discipline requires great care, lest political elements and a denial of the right of critical thinking obscure the real issues.
    Metadata:
    xml
    Published as:
    Journal article     Show details
    Publisher:
    European Adventist Society of Theology and Religious Studies
    Pub. Date:
    June 2020
    Journal:
    Spes Christiana
    Volume:
    31
    Issue:
    1
    Page Range:
    85 - 102
    ISSN:
    0935-7467
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    3 years ago
    License:
    Attribution-NonCommercial
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