Authority and Conscience: The Authority of the Denomination and the Freedom of the Pastor
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 governmenta...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2020
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| In: |
Spes christiana
Year: 2020, Volume: 31, Issue: 1, Pages: 85-102 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | 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. |
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| ISSN: | 0935-7467 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Spes christiana
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.17613/vbnw-mw88 |