Ecclesia semper reformanda est

Ecclesia semper reformanda est (Latin for "the Church must always be reformed", often shortened to Ecclesia semper reformanda) is a phrase first greatly popularized^[1] by the Swiss Reformed theologian Karl Barth in 1947, allegedly deriving from a saying of St. Augustine.^[2] It most often refers to the conviction of certain Reformed Protestant theologians that the Christian Church must continually re-examine itself in order to maintain its purity of doctrine and practice.

^ Steve Perisho: "Semper reformanda," at http://spu.libguides.com/DCL2017/Reformation#s-lg-box-wrapper-18675181, citing himself (August Bauer in 1893) but more importantly J. N. Mouthaan, "Besprekingsartikel: Ecclesia semper reformanda: modern of premodern?," Documentatieblad Nadere Reformatie 38, no. 1 (2014): 88 (86– 89), who cites Abraham Kuyper in 1892, and observes that this means both that "The formulation ecclesia semper reformanda is much older than 1947", and that "The origin of this formulation lies therefore even earlier [than in] Kuyper."
^ . Theodor Mahlmann: "Ecclesia semper reformanda". Eine historische Aufarbeitung. Neue Bearbeitung, in: Torbjörn Johansson, Robert Kolb, Johann Anselm Steiger (Hrsg.): Hermeneutica Sacra. Studien zur Auslegung der Heiligen Schrift im 16. und 17. Jahrhundert, Berlin – New York 2010, pp. 382–441, here pp. 384–88.

[1] Steve Perisho: "Semper reformanda," at http://spu.libguides.com/DCL2017/Reformation#s-lg-box-wrapper-18675181, citing himself (August Bauer in 1893) but more importantly J. N. Mouthaan, "Besprekingsartikel: Ecclesia semper reformanda: modern of premodern?," Documentatieblad Nadere Reformatie 38, no. 1 (2014): 88 (86– 89), who cites Abraham Kuyper in 1892, and observes that this means both that "The formulation ecclesia semper reformanda is much older than 1947", and that "The origin of this formulation lies therefore even earlier [than in] Kuyper."

[2] . Theodor Mahlmann: "Ecclesia semper reformanda". Eine historische Aufarbeitung. Neue Bearbeitung, in: Torbjörn Johansson, Robert Kolb, Johann Anselm Steiger (Hrsg.): Hermeneutica Sacra. Studien zur Auslegung der Heiligen Schrift im 16. und 17. Jahrhundert, Berlin – New York 2010, pp. 382–441, here pp. 384–88.

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