A Book of Discipline (or in its shortened form Discipline)[1] is a book detailing the beliefs, standards, doctrines, canon law, and polity of a particular Christian denomination.[2][3] They are often re-written by the governing body of the church concerned due to changes in society and in the denomination itself.[4] As many Christian denominations are global, a Book of Discipline may be multilingual.
By Christian denomination
editMethodism
editMethodist connexions have been using a Book of Discipline since 1784, which contains canon law and doctrine:[5]
- The Discipline of the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection[6]
- The Discipline of the Evangelical Wesleyan Church[7]
- Book of Discipline of the Free Methodist Church[8]
- Book of Discipline for the United Methodist Church
- Discipline of the Immanuel Missionary Church[9]
- The Discipline of the Wesleyan Methodist Connection[10]
Presbyterianism
edit- Book of Discipline of the Church of Scotland and Book of Common Order of the Church of Scotland
Quakerism
editWithin Quaker Christianity, the text may be known as a Book of Discipline or a Manual of Faith and Practice:
- Book of Discipline of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) - each Yearly Meeting (national organisation of Quakers) publishes its own Book of Discipline, which may be titled the Book of Discipline or Faith and Practice or some other name.
See also
edit- Code of conduct, a set of rules outlining the norms, rules, and responsibilities or proper practices of an individual party or an organization.
- Confessionalism (religion), belief that full assent to official teachings is important
- Creed, a statement of the shared beliefs of a community which summarize its core tenets
- Ordnung, the set of rules for church members in the Anabaptist tradition
- Rule of life, a ruleset describing a lifeway of a religious group
- Social norm, a shared standard of acceptable behavior by a group
References
edit- ^ "Glossary: Book of Discipline, The". The United Methodist Church. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
A fundamental book outlining the law, doctrine, administration, organizational work and procedures of The United Methodist Church. Each General Conference amends The Book of Discipline, and the actions of the General Conference are reflected in the quadrennial revision. Often referred to as The Discipline.
- ^ Neely, Thomas Benjamin (1924). Vital Points in the Methodist Episcopal Church. E. A. Yeakel. p. 121.
Throughout all the ecclesiastical changes under James VI, Knox' Book of Common Order and the Second Book of Discipline had held their place as containing the authorative declaration of the polity and ritual of the Church.
- ^ Ward, Sir Adolphus William (1907). Cambridge Modern History. Macmillan. p. 494.
- ^ Dunlap-Berg, Barbara (20 June 2012). "GC2012: How Book of Discipline comes to be". United Methodist News Service. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- ^ Sigler, R. Matthew (4 July 2018). Methodist Worship: Mediating the Wesleyan Liturgical Heritage. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-429-95992-9.
Since 1784, American Methodists have followed a Book of Discipline under various titles in maters of church law and doctrine.
- ^ The Discipline of the Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection (Original Allegheny Conference). Salem: Allegheny Wesleyan Methodist Connection. 2014.
- ^ The Discipline of the Evangelical Wesleyan Church. Evangelical Wesleyan Church. 2015.
- ^ Doe, Norman (12 September 2013). Christian Law: Contemporary Principles. Cambridge University Press. p. 407. ISBN 978-1-107-46986-0.
- ^ Discipline of the Immanuel Missionary Church. Shoals, Indiana: Immanuel Missionary Church. 1986.
- ^ The Discipline of the Wesleyan Methodist Connection, of America. Wesleyan Methodist Connection of America. 1858.