Church discipline and shunning
- T26.1 Judgment exercised in the assembly (Tertullian) (medium)
- T26.2 Avoidance of notorious heretics (John and Polycarp, in Irenaeus) (medium)
Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 2 questions each rests on; ⚠ marks coverage more than 10 points below the median, a less certain rank). This doctrine is third-order (tier weight 1). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation
Closeness to Scripture
Closeness to the fathers
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
- c. 180 Irenaeus T26.2
- c. 205 Tertullian T26.1
- 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian
- 1672 Confession of Dositheus Orthodox
T26 · Church discipline and shunning
Who excommunicates; avoiding the excommunicated.
Tier: Third-order (scoring weight 1). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Method: conventions. Traditions’ sources: confessional sources.
In short
Who removes an unrepentant member, and should others avoid them? Jesus said ’tell it to the church’, and Paul acted when the church was assembled. Tertullian describes the sinner being cut off from the congregation’s prayer. Paul says not even to eat with such a person, yet to warn them as a brother. Anabaptists made this shunning central; the Anglican Articles say the excommunicate is to be treated as ‘an Heathen and Publican’.
Plan
Questions: T26.1 who exercises excommunication: the gathered church or its ministers?; T26.2 should the excommunicated be avoided in ordinary social life? Scripture: Matt 18:15–17; 1 Cor 5:4–13; 2 Cor 2:6–8; 2 Thess 3:14–15; Titus 3:10. Fathers: Tertullian, Apology 39; Irenaeus, Against Heresies III.3.4.
Questions
- T26.1 Who excommunicates: the gathered church or its ministers?
- T26.2 Shunning: should the excommunicated be avoided socially?
Verdicts and trace
Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father eras I–IV.
T26.1 · Who excommunicates: the gathered church or its ministers?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T26.1 | Judgment exercised in the assembly (Tertullian) | Medium | T26.1.1 · T26.1.3 weighing | tertullian-t26-s1 | T26.1.4: medium |
T26.2 · Shunning: should the excommunicated be avoided socially?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T26.2 | Avoidance of notorious heretics (John and Polycarp, in Irenaeus) | Medium | T26.2.1 · T26.2.3 weighing | irenaeus-t26-s1 | T26.2.4: high |
Post-750 development
Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes; exact scores and bases are in the reasoning.
| Tradition | Closest to the fathers on | Departs or sharpens on |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | — | — |
| Orthodox | T26.1 | partly T26.1 |
| Oriental Orthodox | — | — |
| Lutheran | partly T26.1 | — |
| Anglican | partly T26.1, T26.2 | — |
| Presbyterian | partly T26.1 | — |
| Reformed Baptist | T26.1 | — |
| General Baptist | partly T26.1 | — |
| Anabaptist | T26.1, T26.2 | — |
Overall verdict
T26.1: discipline is an act of the gathered church under its leaders (Scripture, Era II). T26.2: withdrawal of fellowship from the unrepentant is biblical and Era II; only the Anglican and Anabaptist confessions address it.
Verification status
Dositheus 10, AC XXVIII, Art. XXXIII, WCF XXX.2, 1689 26.7, Orthodox Creed XXXIV, Schleitheim 2 and Dordrecht XVI–XVII are verified. Catholic and Oriental Orthodox T26.1 cells are not assessed; most T26.2 cells are ’not addressed'.