English

Noun

Churchianity ‎(uncountable)

1. (pejorative) Any practices of Christianity that are viewed as placing a larger emphasis on the habits of church life or the institutional traditions of the church than on theology and spiritual teachings of Jesus; the quality of being too church-focused.
   • 1789, Samuel Parr, John Johnstone, editor, The works of Samuel Parr, ...: With memoirs of his life and writings, and a selection from his correspondence, volume 1, published 1828, page 341:

     In October, 1789 (says Dr. Parr in the Sequel, p.99), when I preached for the Charity Schools at Birmingham, I earnestly recommended to the audience two admirable sermons which Dr. Priestley had written, &c. &c. / This commendation gave great offence; the name of the arch-heritic was poison to the orthodox ears of many of the congregation. One of them in the vestry, immediately after the sermon, ventured even to expostulate with the preacher; and to represent to him that the sermon recommended might he admirable and good Christian doctrine, but that the author was an enemy to the Church, and therefore ought never to be named within its sacred precincts. Parr heard him out, and then calmly replied, "Sir, you are the best vindicator of Churchianity I ever knew."

   • 1852, Edwin Paxton Hood, Lamps of the temple: shadows from the lights of the modern pulpit, page 329:

     Such religion is Churchianity; it is not Christianity. Christianity means the religion where Christ is all; Churchianity, the religion where the Church is all

   • 2002, Charles Jenkins, Keeping Sane in a Crazy World, page 84:

     The Priest and Levite represent Churchly Movements, They represented Churchianity that is powerless to lift suffering humanity. What is wrong with the world today is that we have too much Churchianity and too little Christianity

See also

• Churchianity on Wikipedia.Wikipedia