Abstract:
This paper communicates the results of an investigation conducted during the Master of Theology course, in the area of concentration Religion and Education and in the line of Research: Reading and Teaching the Bible. Its general objective is to recover the biblical meaning of the Ecclesiastical Discipline among members and Christian spiritual leaders, especially because, in the historical period in which we live, marked by individualism, pluralism, relativism, among others, the tendency is to neglect its importance in the formation of individuals and / or give it a punitive character. From this follows the central question of the research: Given that the principles of postmodernism are present in the church, would the teaching and application of ecclesiastical discipline still be relevant to the spiritual life of church members? This question unfolds in four specific objectives that contribute to its elucidation: 1. Mapping the narratives about Discipline in the texts of the Reformed Church and in the more contemporary Ecclesiastical Manuals in different Protestant churches; 2. Analysis of the biblical texts in the New Testament in which the subject of Discipline is protagonist; 3. Reflection on the main characteristics of so-called Postmodernity and their relationship with the most current impasses involving the application of the discipline; Finally, 4. Proposition of teaching material that contributes to the study of discipline in Adventist Christian communities where I am inserted as a pastor. The methodological choices adopted to carry out the study involve a qualitative, exploratory approach of applied nature. The results obtained allow us to conclude that: 1. Discipline is an important biblical theme that has been present in the different historical periods of the Christian Church during its existence; 2. In the Ecclesiastical-Administrative Regulations Manuals of the IECLB, IASD, IPB, and Methodist churches the discipline is narrated as a safeguard to protect membership. They establish rules that, if followed by the ecclesial leader, can standardize the disciplinary process and prevent church abuse of authority; 3. In the New Testament the most general idea prevails that every disciplinary process should have as its final and sole purpose the repentance of the wrongful member and that every effort to save him should be made by the leadership and members of the community. Ecclesiastical Discipline, biblically, has a redemptive role, the aim of which is to prevent the removal of the offending member from the Church; 4. Given the challenges posed to Christians by postmodernity, Discipline needs to be embraced today through an approach that involves discipleship and teaching. From this perspective, the Ecclesiastical Discipline gains the dimension of care, shepherding, love of neighbor and love of Christ, and enables the participation of brothers and pastors who, as educators, participate more actively in the life of the members, instructing them before punishing them.
