Distinguishing the Church

As the Protestant Reformers did, so twenty-first-century Christians also recognize the need to distinguish between the true and false church. Thus, they find themselves looking closely at the modern church to determine whether it is a true and faithful church. Today's Christians know that proper criteria are necessary to discern the true church. The most common criteria, wrote John Calvin, are that the Word of God is rightly preached and heard and that the sacraments are administered according to Christ's institution. Moreover, Martin Luther said that suffering is a telltale sign of God's people, while Anabaptist and Reformed Christians included discipline among the distinguishing marks of the church. These standards take on particular poignancy today: The global church continues to live under severe persecution, and the American church, characterized by a lack of discipline, has been wounded by its own sins of chasing sex and power. In this collection of essays, first given at annual meetings of the Evangelical Theological Society, the authors take time to reflect on the Reformational marks of the church in order to help reform Christ's bride.

With contributions from:

Edward W. Klink III
Duane Litfin
J. Stephen Yuille
J. V. Fesko
Keith D. Stanglin
Greg Cochran
Jeremy M. Kimble
Guy Waters
Justin L. McLendon

""The central reason for this book is simply the lack of anything like it. I have dozens of books on ecclesiology on my shelves, but none that give thoughtful reflection on the Reformation marks of the church. I especially appreciate the inclusion of the mark of discipline and the often-overlooked mark of suffering.""
--John Hammett, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary


Greg Peters is Associate Professor of Medieval and Spiritual Theology in the Torrey Honors Institute of Biola University. His books include The Monkhood of All Believers (2018); Marking the Church, coedited with Matt Jenson (Pickwick Publications, 2016); and Reforming the Monastery (Cascade Books, 2014).

Matt Jenson is Associate Professor of Theology in the Torrey Honors Institute of Biola University. He is coeditor with Greg Peters of Marking the Church (Pickwick Publications, 2016), coauthor of The Church (2010), and author of The Gravity of Sin (2007).