Questions tagged [ecclesiology]
Ecclesiology is the theological study of the Christian Church. Questions related to church's origins, its role in salvation, its polity, its discipline, its destiny, and its leadership can be asked under this tag.
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Has the Catholic Church attempted a reconciliation of the attributes of the Universal Church in the Creeds?
In the Nicene Creed we say while referring to the Church, that it is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic. In the Apostles' Creed, however, the wording is "Holy Catholic Church." Both the ...
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Does the Bible refer to Christian gentiles or the Church as "New Israelites", "New Israel" or "Spiritual Israel"?
Introduction: Merriam-Webster defines New Israel as “the Christian fellowship of believers: the Christian Church.” The relationship of Israel and the Church has been debated for centuries and various ...
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Did the Jesus Revolution produce lasting Christian "Fruit", or was it an emotional, fadish "flash in the pan?
Amidst the 70s War protests, Feminist "bra burning, Sexual revolution, Hippie rebellion, New Age infusion, and Drug abuse, there arose the Jesus Revolution movement! Instead of going along with ...
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How were Bishops Appointed in England Prior to the Anglican Schism
The following question is a bit of a follow-up to On Bishops Who Refused to Sign Henry VIII's Oath of Succession?.
In an article "The Cardinal Martyr of England" found here: Catholic ...
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Isn't churches charging for weddings simony?
My question is essentially identical to the one in the Reddit post "Simony and wedding fees", which has yielded no satisfactory answer.
Essentially, how are wedding fees charged by a church ...
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Is it true that Christianity is the most divided religion in the world?
We all are familiar with several of the largest denominations of Christianity: the Anglicans, Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, etc.
Several sources claim that ...
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Looking for the Context Surrounding This St. Robert Bellarmine Quote
This quotation attributed to St. Robert Bellarmine:
"It is granted to few to recognize the true Church amid the darkness of so many schisms and heresies, and to fewer still so to love the truth ...
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Does Acts 3:17-26 teach that if the people of Israel repented Christ would have returned and established the Kingdom?
Acts 2 Dispensationalists claim that the birth of the body of Christ happens in Acts 2 with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, because God was no longer dealing with Israel on a national level due to ...
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According to Catholic teaching, what is the status of a priest who does not agree with the Church's stated teachings on homosexuality and gender?
According to Catholic teaching, is a priest who does not agree that homosexuality is a sin and affirms transgender identity a heretic or a dissenter?
For instance, would the bishops of the Roman ...
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Did the Gnostics have apostolic succession?
It is often claimed that the Gnostics had apostolic succession. In particular, Clement of Alexandria is often used to show that the Gnostics claimed apostolic succession.
Basilides, though he claims (...
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How did the Apostolic Church manage to integrate different Tribes and Clans under its ambit?
We read in Matt 15:24 , of the initial response of Jesus to the pleadings of the Canaanite woman
He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
(NB: Some editions omit the ...
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According to believers in the cessation of apostleship, who was the last apostle and why?
Who is usually considered to be the last apostle, according believers in the cessation of this church office?
Why? Why would God no longer call more apostles after this person?
Lastly, what are good ...
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What is the Roman Catholic Church's position on the Eastern Orthodox Church?
What is the official Roman Catholic position on the Eastern (Greek) Orthodox Church? Obviously, there was a mutual anathema/ex-communication declared between them a long time ago - has it been updated ...
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Is there any extra-biblical evidence that shows the apostles were martyred?
Church tradition tells us that most of the 12 apostles were martyred, with the apostle John being the only one considered to die an old death.
Is there any extra-biblical evidence that shows the ...
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Leadership over smaller churches in early Christianity
I have heard a claim that during the early Church, bigger churches had leadership positions over smaller churches, which later developed into the idea of a single bishop ruling a dicosese. Are there ...
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Is a lawfully-constituted civil society divinely-instituted?
According to Catholic theologians, is every lawfully-constituted civil authority divinely-instituted like the Church (Mt. 16:18-19)?
Pope Leo XIII, in his 1881 encyclical on the origin of civil power, ...
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How do pentecostal/charismatic churches reconcile their practiced with 1 Corinthians 14:26-27? [duplicate]
1 Corinthians 14
If any man speaks in another language, let there be two, or at the most three, and in turn; and let one interpret.
But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in the assembly,...
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What denominations believe that the fivefold ministry is available to women?
The concept of "fivefold ministry" comes from Ephesians 4:11-13:
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work ...
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What is an overview of guidelines for women to have their divine callings to leadership positions in the Church acknowledged by their congregations?
If a woman believes that she has been called by God to a leadership position in the Church (e.g. teacher, pastor, evangelist, prophet, apostle, etc.), what would be the process for her to have her ...
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If someone is called by God to be an apostle, what is the proper way for them to convince others that their calling is genuine?
If person X is called by God to be an apostle, what should person X do next in order to convince others that their calling is genuine? What kind of evidence should person X provide to an audience of ...
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How do Latter-day Saints rebut Don Stewart's article "Are There Still Apostles Today?"?
Short version
How do Latter-day Saints (who believe in modern apostles) rebut Don Stewart's article Are There Still Apostles Today? ?
Longer version
I'll enumerate key points and include relevant ...
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Can a Catholic visiting Protestant Parents attend the Parents Church? [duplicate]
Once I am in college and fully convert to Catholicism, would it be considered wrong (in terms of violating Catholic teaching) to attend my Parents Protestant Church? Note that I would probably be ...
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What are the signs of a true apostle according to Latter-day Saints?
Inspired by an answer to a related question, I would like to ask:
What are the signs of a true apostle according to Latter-day Saints?
Note: I'm borrowing the expression "the signs of a true ...
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What is the biblical basis for the modern continuation of the office of apostle?
What is the biblical basis for the belief held by some Christians that the office of apostle has not ceased, but has continued until this day?
Relevant passages:
28 And God has appointed in the ...
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How do believers in modern-day apostles interpret 2 Corinthians 12:11-12?
2 Corinthians 12:11-12:
11 I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. 12 The ...
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Why are most churches nonprofit organizations?
I'm struggling to properly define the reason for a church to be nonprofit organization. Some spiritual leaders run profitable businesses.
There are potentially multiple reasons. Can someone clarify ...
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How do Christians who believe in current-day Apostles, Prophets and the 5-fold ministry interpret Revelation 21?
This question is an extension of my previous question How do Christians who believe in current-day Apostles, Prophets and the 5-fold ministry interpret Ephesians 2:20?. I encourage the reader to read ...
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How do Christians who believe in current-day Apostles, Prophets and the 5-fold ministry interpret Ephesians 2:20?
The idea of a 5-fold ministry originally comes from Ephesians 4:11-13:
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ...
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What is the biblical basis for the belief that Paul was the last to be called to be an apostle?
Many Christians believe that the office of apostleship ended in the first century with the apostle Paul, and that after Paul there have not been any more people called by God/Jesus Himself (through ...
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What is the Reformed perspective on how the Holy Spirit is present or is growing a church at the institutional level?
With my Pentecostal friends I often hear comments like these:
There is God's presence in the church worship today.
The Holy Spirit has moved from church A to church B since church B is growing ...
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Why is the Church of England planning a formal “act of repentance” to apologise to the Jewish community for the expulsion of Jews in 1290?
The 1222 Synod of Oxford approved of two canons aimed against Jews living in England. The Synod was held on the 11th of June, and presided over by Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury and ...
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The gates of hell won't prevail against the church (Matt 16:18), but the beast is given authority to conquer the saints (Rev 13:7)
How would someone who doesn't believe in a pretribulation rapture harmonize the following two verses?
"...and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against ...
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Authentic reasons to leave Roman Catholicism?
What are some reasons the Roman Catholic Church would consider authentic reasons for leaving the Roman Catholicism for another community in the Church of Christ?
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Have any 20th/21st century Ecclesiologists developed a framework/models for describing/categorising the functions of the visible church?
I'm a researcher for an Anglican charity, and I'm conducting a literature review. I'd like to develop a coding frame that's able to adequately describe felt changes to the different facets of church ...
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Are there theological explanations for why God chose the Church to preach the gospel instead of more effective and efficient alternatives?
If the end goal is the preaching of the gospel to every human on the planet, then it shouldn't be too hard to come up with very efficient and effective methods to do so. For example, God could send ...
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What are biblical arguments for congregationalist church polity?
The Orthodox and Roman-Catholic Churches argue that the episcopal church polity is the only valid one, citing first and second Timothy and early church fathers like Ignatius of Antioch.
What are some ...
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How do Protestants answer the Catholic accusation of historicity?
The Roman Catholic Church has a claim of apostolic succession, from St. Peter transited by the laying on of hands.
Most Protestants reject this understanding of apostolic succession, and instead teach ...
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What were the Laodicean church members supposed to do?
In light of this exhortation, neglecting not the gathering together to meet and assemble
“not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as ...
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How did Eastern Orthodoxy view mental illness before modern times?
In Eastern-Orthodoxy, in the medieval times like the Byzantine Empire, Russian Empire. etc.
How did the Church and the priest saw people who today we know suffer from mental illness like bipolar, ...
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Was Calvin's statements on church membership consistent across all his versions of the Institutes?
We know that Calvin wrote on church membership:
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But as here full certainty was not necessary, he has in its place substituted the judgment of charity, by which we acknowledge all as members of ...
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What is the status of Eunuchs now in the Church and also in the world to come?
Eunuchs, who are considered to be the third gender, are also human beings. Some eunuchs are made by other human beings, particularly in the ancient times. Some people voluntarily become eunuchs as an ...
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Do Reformed theologians understand the Catholic Church and the Papacy to have been true heirs of Peter until the Reformation?
In other words, say, in the fourth century, were they "on track" and the legitimate heirs of the reins of Christianity, so to speak but then went off track toward the middle ages? Or do they ...
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According to Catholics, who are "the elect"?
Calvinists believe that God unconditionally elects certain people to believe, these are His "elect"
I am trying to figure what Catholics believe. This article states "A true biblical understanding of ...
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In Catholicism since when did willfully violating Sunday Mass obligation become mortal sin?
In the history of the Catholic Church, what led to the classification of willfully violating Sunday Mass obligation to be mortal sin? I'm looking for the origin of canon law, council document, ...
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How does one explain that the Church is the Bride of Christ?
Allow me to explain my view first:
Matthew 9:15
KJV: And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when ...
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According to Catholicism, what is meant by the Church being indefectible?
One of the properties of the Church according to Catholicism is indefectibility. What does this mean and where does this doctrine originate?
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Was there a time when bishops were not appointed to other sees and did not generally ever relocate?
Today it is common for bishops to relocate to another (probably more prestigious) episcopal see. For example Rainer Wölki was first titular Bishop of Scampa, then Archbishop of Berlin and is now ...
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How do those against the traditional monepiscopacy deal with Ignatius of Antioch?
It's often claimed that 'Ignatius is the first to believe in the monepiscopacy' (that a bishop runs a church region with the assistance of presbyters/elders) or that 'churches were simply run by a ...
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Where does the principle of applying the concept of model to the Church come from?
Avery Cardinal Dulles applies the concept of model to the Church in his book "Models of the Church".
I want to understand where this principle originates from. As far as I understand, this requires ...
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