Christian Publication and Ecclesiastical Judgment

Revision note: Substantially revised July 20, 2026. The argument has been reordered according to the classical rhetorical movement, compressed where necessary, and given one consolidated Notes and Further Reading section.

A Christian publication is not a church.

It possesses no keys of the kingdom, administers no sacraments, ordains no officers, exercises no pastoral jurisdiction, and pronounces no ecclesiastical censure. It cannot admit anyone to the Lord’s Table, suspend a minister, depose an elder, or excommunicate a church member. Yet a Christian publication may still teach, argue, document, criticize, warn, and confess.

These two truths must be maintained together. If the first is neglected, a lay publication may begin acting as though its conclusions carry ecclesiastical authority. If the second is denied, church office becomes an intellectual licensing system under which ordinary Christians may speak only with clerical permission.

The proper distinction is not between elders who may judge and laymen who may never judge. Scripture requires every Christian to exercise righteous judgment according to his calling. The distinction concerns the kind of judgment being exercised, the authority attached to it, and the consequences it is permitted to impose. Criticism is not censure. Argument is not adjudication. Publication is not ordination.

Christ Has Given Government to His Church

The Westminster Confession teaches:

“The Lord Jesus, as King and Head of his church, hath therein appointed a government, in the hand of church officers.”

Christ has not left the government of his church to self-appointed teachers, private associations, publishing houses, or internet audiences. He has established officers and courts to exercise lawful ecclesiastical authority. The keys of the kingdom belong to the church acting through the officers Christ has appointed. This includes the authoritative preaching of the Word, administration of the sacraments, admission to and exclusion from ecclesiastical privileges, pastoral government, and church discipline.

A website cannot acquire these powers by becoming popular.

Ten thousand readers do not create a presbytery. A large social-media following does not constitute ordination. Thorough theological research does not confer pastoral jurisdiction. Correct conclusions do not transform private publication into ecclesiastical office. Even when a website is right and a church court is wrong, the website does not become a church court.

This limitation should be stated repeatedly because influence can tempt a publication to exceed its calling. Readers may begin treating its authors as substitute pastors. Writers may begin speaking as though their conclusions bind the consciences of Christians simply because those conclusions have been published forcefully. They do not. Only God’s truth binds the conscience absolutely. The publication’s task is to demonstrate that truth from Scripture, not to demand submission to itself.

The Church’s Authority Is Ministerial

Ecclesiastical authority is real, but it is ministerial rather than magisterial. The church does not create truth. It receives, confesses, teaches, defends, and applies the truth God has revealed. Its judgments possess lawful authority within their proper sphere, but they remain subordinate to Scripture. The Westminster Confession says that synods and councils may “ministerially” determine controversies of faith and cases of conscience. It also acknowledges that councils may err and therefore cannot be made the infallible rule of faith or practice.

This protects against two contrary mistakes.

The first reduces church judgments to mere advice. Christ has given real government to his church, and Christians must not treat lawful ecclesiastical authority contemptuously. The second turns ecclesiastical judgment into an authority beyond examination. Since church courts may err, their decisions remain subject to Scripture and to lawful processes of protest, complaint, and appeal.

A layman may therefore be required to submit to an ecclesiastical judgment within its lawful sphere while continuing to believe that the judgment is mistaken and pursuing an orderly appeal. Submission and agreement are not always identical. But no church officer can make a proposition true by commanding that it be believed. The authority of the church remains the authority to minister Christ’s Word, not to replace it.¹

Several Different Kinds of Judgment

The word judgment is used broadly and must be distinguished according to context.

Factual judgment

A person may conclude that a historical date is incorrect, a quotation is inaccurate, or a manuscript has been misidentified. Such judgments depend upon evidence and do not require ecclesiastical office.

Logical judgment

A person may determine that an argument is invalid, that premises contradict one another, or that a stated position entails a particular conclusion. Again, ordination is not required to reason.

Doctrinal judgment

A Christian may compare teaching with Scripture and conclude that it is false. He may compare a minister’s public statement with the confession to which that minister subscribes and identify a contradiction. Every Christian must exercise some doctrinal judgment because every Christian must believe truth and reject error.

Moral judgment

A Christian may conclude that a public action violates a divine command. Such judgment requires careful attention to the action, circumstances, evidence, and degree of knowledge involved.

Prudential judgment

A person may believe that a particular method, publication strategy, or response is unwise. Prudential judgments should be distinguished from declarations of sin unless Scripture clearly settles the matter.

Ecclesiastical judgment

An ecclesiastical court may formally determine whether a member has committed a disciplinable offense, whether a minister’s doctrine violates his ordination vows, whether censure should be imposed, or whether an officer remains qualified. This final category possesses an authority and effect the others do not. A website can exercise the first five forms of judgment according to its competence. It cannot exercise the sixth.

“Judge Not” Does Not Mean “Exercise No Discernment”

Christ’s command, “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1), is often treated as though it prohibited every negative conclusion about doctrine or conduct. But the surrounding passage condemns hypocritical judgment. The man with a beam in his own eye must first remove it so that he may see clearly to remove the mote from his brother’s eye. Christ does not command permanent blindness. He commands self-examination and righteous judgment.

Elsewhere Christ says:

“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24).

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1. Westminster Confession of Faith 20.2, 30.1–3, and 31.3–4 distinguishes Christian liberty, the keys of the kingdom, church censures, and ministerial judgments. See the OPC text. ↩

Christians must judge teaching because false prophets are known by their fruits. They must test spirits, prove all things, mark those who cause divisions contrary to apostolic doctrine, and reject another gospel. The question is not whether Christians will judge. The question is whether they will judge according to Scripture, within their competence, and without claiming authority God has not given them.

The Ordinary Christian’s Right to Publish

No one needs ordination merely to own a printing press, write a book, maintain a website, or present a theological argument. Scripture commands Christians to confess Christ, search the Scriptures, prove all things, teach and admonish one another, give an answer for their hope, and contend for the faith. These duties do not belong exclusively to church officers.

When persecution scattered the Jerusalem church, those dispersed “went every where preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). This did not make every believer an ordained minister. It shows that communicating divine truth is not confined to ecclesiastical officers. Likewise, Aquila and Priscilla explained the way of God more perfectly to Apollos. Ordinary believers instructed one another, confessed truth in their households and vocations, and reasoned with those who asked concerning their faith.

Reformed theology has always distinguished the special teaching office from the general duties of Christians. Ministers are specially called to preach authoritatively, administer the sacraments, shepherd the flock, and govern the church. Ordinary Christians may still communicate, defend, and apply biblical truth. Publication is one means by which they may do so.

That liberty does not prove that every Christian should maintain a theological website. James warns that teachers will receive stricter judgment. Publication requires competence, self-government, honesty, and willingness to be corrected. But lack of wisdom must be demonstrated. It cannot be inferred merely from lack of ordination.²

Liberty, Limits, and Accountability

Within its proper sphere, a lay theological publication may:

• expound Scripture;
• explain the Reformed confessions;
• recover and republish historical sources;
• examine public theological arguments;
• test methods and presuppositions;
• identify factual inaccuracies;
• demonstrate logical contradictions;
• trace necessary consequences;
• warn about practical tendencies;
• compare public teaching with confessional standards;
• defend doctrines neglected by prominent teachers;
• answer public criticism of confessional bibliology;
• invite correction and publish responses;
• and request that appropriate ecclesiastical authorities examine serious matters.

None of these acts inherently exercises the keys of the kingdom. When the website says, “This argument contradicts Westminster Confession 1.8,” it offers a confessional analysis. When it says, “This method undermines the doctrine of providential preservation,” it presents a theological conclusion. When it says, “This teaching appears incompatible with Titus 1:9,” it raises a question concerning ministerial qualification. Readers and church courts must examine the evidence. The website’s conclusions persuade only to the extent that they are proved. The publication must not:

• claim divine inspiration;
• present its interpretations as infallible;
• claim pastoral jurisdiction over readers;
• administer ecclesiastical discipline;
• pronounce deposition or excommunication;
• create an online substitute for church membership;
• encourage Christians to despise lawful church authority;
• treat every disagreement as evidence of apostasy;
• demand submission to its editors;
• publish private accusations as though they had been judicially established;
• or imply that reading the website can replace worship, sacraments, shepherding, and membership in a faithful local church.

The site may argue that a man appears unqualified for office. It may not act as though it has removed him. It may conclude that a doctrine is materially heretical. It may not pretend that this conclusion is an ecclesiastical sentence against every person associated with it.

It may recommend investigation. It may not stage an imitation trial in which publication replaces lawful process. It may call the church to exercise its authority. It may not seize that authority for itself. A Christian who writes publicly remains accountable to his local church.

The existence of an independent publication does not place him beyond pastoral correction. If he lies, slanders, promotes heresy, violates lawful vows, or engages in scandalous conduct through the website, his elders may admonish him and, if necessary, address the matter through established ecclesiastical process.

A website is not a sanctuary from discipline. But accountability to the church does not mean that elders possess direct managerial control over every lawful vocation or publication undertaken by church members. A Christian businessman is subject to church discipline if he commits fraud. That does not make the session the board of directors of his company. A Christian historian may be corrected if he slanders someone. That does not make the session the editor of every book he writes.

Similarly, a Christian publisher remains accountable for sinful conduct without requiring prior ecclesiastical permission for every article. An elder may strongly counsel a writer to seek review. That counsel may be wise and should not be dismissed merely because it is not a command. But pastoral counsel and ecclesiastical law are not identical.

If an elder says that a website’s argument is factually false, exegetically unsound, confessionally unacceptable, slanderous, or disorderly, the criticism must be taken seriously and examined. If the entire objection is that the author is not ordained, the objection has not established wrongdoing. Pastoral authority cannot invent an ecclesiastical office of theological licensor without biblical or constitutional warrant. The phrase “under authority” can conceal considerable ambiguity.

Every Christian is under Christ’s absolute authority. Every church member is under the lawful government of the church to which he belongs. Every person also lives under various lawful civil, familial, vocational, and contractual authorities. But being “under authority” does not mean being under the personal control of another individual in every aspect of life.³

A lay writer is not required to find an elder who agrees with him and place every article under that man’s approval before publication. Such an arrangement may be voluntarily adopted as an editorial structure, but it cannot be imposed as a universal divine requirement without scriptural proof.

Likewise, placing the website under the authority of an elder selected because he agrees with a particular theological position may create the appearance of accountability without supplying genuine ecclesiastical jurisdiction. An informal sponsor is not automatically a session. A theological adviser is not necessarily a church court. Agreement is not jurisdiction. Real ecclesiastical accountability arises from actual church membership and lawful church government—not from attaching an approving clergyman’s name to a website. The relevant questions are:

• Is the writer a member of a faithful local church?
• Is he subject to its lawful discipline?
• Does the church possess actual jurisdiction over him?
• Has a specific biblical or confessional violation been identified?
• Is there an established process through which the matter may be heard and appealed?

These questions are more meaningful than a vague demand that a publication be “under an elder.” A church member must not respond contemptuously when elders challenge his conduct. Even when he believes they are mistaken, he should listen, answer respectfully, provide evidence, and use the lawful means available within his church’s polity.

Orderly appeal is not rebellion.

Reformed church government ordinarily recognizes that lower courts may err. Systems of review, complaint, protest, and appeal exist precisely because office-bearers are fallible. A member may honor authority by using the process established for correcting misuse of authority. At the same time, no appeal process may require the Christian to confess what he believes is false merely because the matter remains unresolved. He may be required to submit to certain lawful external consequences while continuing to petition for correction.

The exact duties will depend upon the church’s constitution and the nature of the judgment. But neither “submission” nor “conscience” should be used as a slogan. The elder must identify the lawful authority being exercised. The member must identify the biblical ground upon which he believes the authority has exceeded its limits.

Both stand under Christ. A person who teaches publicly should expect public examination. If a book, article, podcast, or video influences the public, a response may address the same public. The critic does not acquire jurisdiction over the teacher by responding. He simply enters the same sphere of public argument.

Matthew 18 does not require every public doctrinal criticism to begin as a private conversation. That passage addresses a brother sinning against another and establishes a process culminating in church judgment. It is not a universal copyright giving public teachers private control over responses to their published arguments. Private contact may still be wise. It can clarify ambiguity, prevent unnecessary conflict, or allow a simple correction. But lack of private contact does not automatically make a public theological response sinful. The governing considerations include:

• whether the material was public;
• whether the facts are already verifiable;
• whether clarification is needed;
• whether immediate warning is necessary;
• and whether the response alleges personal sin or merely answers an argument.

The website should never claim that public availability eliminates every duty of charity. It should likewise reject the claim that public teaching may receive a public answer only with the teacher’s permission. When criticism moves from argument to alleged ecclesiastical offense, the evidentiary responsibility increases.⁴

Saying, “This exegesis is wrong,” differs from saying, “This minister knowingly violated his ordination vows.” Saying, “This method has dangerous consequences,” differs from saying, “This elder is a false teacher who should be deposed.” The latter claims affect character and office. They require substantial evidence, precise categories, and appropriate ecclesiastical process. If the website believes public evidence raises a credible question of disqualification, it may:

1. Document the public statements.
2. Identify the relevant biblical and confessional standards.
3. Distinguish direct teaching from necessary consequence.
4. Invite clarification or correction when appropriate.
5. State the concern in proportionate terms.
6. Refer the matter to the church possessing jurisdiction.
7. Report the outcome accurately, including any correction or exoneration.

The website should not presume that the court will reach its preferred conclusion. It may later evaluate that conclusion, but it must not pretend that referral and adjudication are the same act. A faithful church court should not resent the existence of publicly verifiable evidence merely because a layman assembled it.

The court may determine that the layman misunderstood the doctrine, omitted relevant context, or applied the wrong standard. If so, it should explain the error. But the standing of the person presenting evidence does not alter the evidence itself. Church courts should be particularly careful not to punish the exposure of error merely because the exposure is embarrassing. The honor of Christ and protection of the flock matter more than preservation of institutional appearance.

Likewise, critics should not interpret every adverse ecclesiastical decision as proof of corruption. Courts may possess evidence unavailable to the public. They may make distinctions the critic has overlooked. Their explanations should be heard and evaluated in their strongest form. Neither side should demand immunity from examination. This website may exist because ordinary Christians possess both the right and duty to confess truth, study Scripture, use lawful means of publication, and answer public teaching.

Its existence does not depend upon the claim that elders are unnecessary. On the contrary, faithful elders are gifts of Christ to his church. The website should encourage membership in faithful churches, honor sound pastors, and benefit from their correction. Its existence does not depend upon the author being infallible. Every article remains open to documented correction.

Its existence does not depend upon academic superiority. Technical claims must be demonstrated from appropriate evidence. Its existence does not depend upon ecclesiastical jurisdiction. The website does not discipline anyone. It exists because public arguments concerning Scripture matter. Methods have presuppositions. Inconsistencies have consequences. Influential teachers can be wrong. Elders can fail to speak. Laymen can discover relevant evidence. Historical sources can be recovered. Confessions can be explained. Public claims can receive public answers. When that work is done biblically, truthfully, and within the proper sphere, lack of ordination does not make it unlawful.

A Permanent Declaration of Identity

The website should therefore make the following declaration substantially and permanently visible:

Confessional Bibliology is a lay theological publication. It is not a church, ecclesiastical court, or substitute for pastoral government. It exercises no keys of the kingdom and pronounces no church censure.

Its supreme standard is the Word of God. It receives the historic Reformed confessions as subordinate standards and seeks to evaluate public teaching according to Scripture, confession, evidence, and sound reasoning.

It reserves the right to examine public theological claims, identify errors and inconsistencies, trace necessary consequences, warn of dangerous tendencies, and request appropriate ecclesiastical examination when public evidence warrants it.

Its conclusions bind no conscience by the authority of the publication itself. Every claim remains subject to correction by Scripture and to examination through publicly verifiable evidence.

The publication’s writers remain accountable to Christ, to the moral law, and to the lawful government of the churches in which they are members. That accountability does not transform church officers into prior licensors of every lawful act of Christian publication.

The website will distinguish theological criticism from ecclesiastical judgment, public argument from personal accusation, and calls for church action from the exercise of church authority.

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1. Westminster Confession of Faith 20.2, 30.1–3, and 31.3–4 distinguishes Christian liberty, the keys of the kingdom, church censures, and ministerial judgments. See the OPC text. ↩
2. Acts 17:10–12; 1 Corinthians 14:29; 1 Thessalonians 5:21; and 1 John 4:1 establish the believer’s duty to test public teaching. ↩
3. Galatians 2:11–14; Matthew 18:15–20; and 1 Timothy 5:19–20 distinguish public doctrinal contradiction, private trespass, evidence, office, and due process. ↩
4. John Owen, ‘How We May Bring Our Hearts to Bear Reproofs,’ in The Works of John Owen, vol. 16, distinguishes authoritative, fraternal, and friendly reproof. ↩

That declaration places both the website’s liberty and its limitations in plain view.

Under the Word, Not Above the Church

A lay publication should not position itself over the church. Neither should it be placed beneath the private control of every office-bearer whose public argument it examines.

Its proper place is alongside other lawful Christian vocations and institutions, serving the truth while remaining distinct from the government Christ instituted in his church. It may assist the church. It may correct claims made by church officers. It may itself be corrected by church officers. It may call church courts to act. It may evaluate whether their public reasoning agrees with Scripture. But it must never confuse any of these activities with possessing the keys of the kingdom. This is the boundary that preserves both Christian liberty and ecclesiastical order. The website is free to argue, but not to censure.

The church is authorized to govern, but not to create truth. The layman may criticize, but not depose. The elder may correct, but not demand implicit faith. The publication may warn the flock, but it is not the shepherd of the flock. Each must remain within the calling God has given. Each must be willing to receive correction. Each must answer finally to the same supreme authority.

Not the academy.

Not the platform.

Not the elder.

Not the layman.

But the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scriptures.

Notes and Further Reading