Abstract:
With a view to the theme of church renewal, this article explores the role of a well-known
and popular phrase in the Reformed tradition within Protestantism, that is, ecclesia reformata
semper reformanda [‘the reformed church should always be reformed’]. Is this a helpful slogan
when considering the possibilities and the limitations of church renewal? Firstly, the historical
background of this phrase is described: it is rooted in the Dutch Reformed tradition, and only
in the 20th century it was widely recognised in Reformed circles. Against this background
the hermeneutical problem, linked with the principle of sola Scriptura, is presented, and put
into an ecumenical ecclesiological perspective: the church is grounded in the gospel. Finally,
the article focuses on church polity as an important field of renewal, taking into account
Karl Barth’s interpretation of this phrase. From this perspective, a balanced and ecumenical
approach of church renewal is possible.
Description:
This article is a revised version
of the author’s publication
in the ‘Review of Ecumenical
Studies. The Journal of Lucian
Blaga University of Sibiu’,
Rumania. Permission for
publication is granted by the
author, Prof. Dr Leo Koffeman.
The author is Professor
Extraordinarius, in the
Department of Church History
and Church Polity, at the
Faculty of Theology, University
of Pretoria, South Africa.
