Thursday, September 13, 2018

Dead Theologians Society: St John Chrysostom

An early church father who was later declared a Doctor of the Church, John was born in 349. Ordained a deacon in 381, he became known as a compelling and insightful public speaker, earning the nickname "Golden Mouth" (Chrystotom). He became the Archbishop of Constantinople in 397, and died a decade later.

Many of his teachings and sermons survive, and many of these writing are worth revisiting. This is a quote from him, about how to best deal with sinner.

"For Christians above all men are forbidden to correct the stumblings of sinners by force...it is necessary to make a man better not by force but by persuasion. We neither have authority granted us by law to restrain sinners, nor, if it were, should we know how to use it, since God gives the crown to those who are kept from evil, not by force, but by choice."

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