Reformed Christian confessions of faith
Encyclopedia
Reformed Christian confessions of faith are documents of the faith of various Reformed churches
. They express their consensus of faith in various creeds. A few creeds are shared by many denominations, which have made their choices from among the various creeds for primarily historical reasons. Some of the common creeds are (with year of writing):
The Three Forms of Unity are common among Reformed churches with origins in the European continent (especially those in the Netherlands).
In addition to these confessions, Continental Reformed leaders responded to the Lutheran Formula of Concord
by releasing their own Harmonia confessionum fidei
(Harmony of the Confessions of Faith) in 1581.
The Westminster Standards are common among Reformed churches (known commonly as the Presbyterian churches) with origins in the British Isles. The largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States
, the Presbyterian Church (USA)
has adopted the Book of Confessions
, which incorporates versions of both Continental and Presbyterian Reformed confessions of faith. The Orthodox Presbyterian Church
and the Presbyterian Church in America
still confess the Westminster Standards.
churches came alongside of the Puritan
movement in England, and in doing so sought to agree as far as conscience allowed, in the Calvinistic form of doctrine which prevailed among the Presbyterians and many Congregationalists. Except for their few exceptions concerning congregational church governance, and adult baptism, these "Particular" Baptists adopted the Reformed faith.
Schaff, Philip The Creeds of Christendom. New York, 1931
Reformed churches
The Reformed churches are a group of Protestant denominations characterized by Calvinist doctrines. They are descended from the Swiss Reformation inaugurated by Huldrych Zwingli but developed more coherently by Martin Bucer, Heinrich Bullinger and especially John Calvin...
. They express their consensus of faith in various creeds. A few creeds are shared by many denominations, which have made their choices from among the various creeds for primarily historical reasons. Some of the common creeds are (with year of writing):
Continental
- Three Forms of UnityThree Forms of UnityThe Three Forms of Unity is a collective name for the Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dort, and the Heidelberg Catechism, which reflect the doctrinal concerns of Continental Calvinism and are accepted as official statements of doctrine by many of the Reformed churches.-History:From 1618 to 1619...
:- Heidelberg CatechismHeidelberg CatechismThe Heidelberg Catechism is a Protestant confessional document taking the form of a series of questions and answers, for use in teaching Reformed Christian doctrine...
(1563) - Belgic ConfessionBelgic ConfessionThe Confession of Faith, popularly known as the Belgic Confession, is a doctrinal standard document to which many of the Reformed churches subscribe. The Confession forms part of the Reformed Three Forms of Unity...
(1566) - Canons of Dordt (1619)
- Heidelberg Catechism
- Gallic ConfessionGallic ConfessionThe Gallic Confession of Faith or Confession de La Rochelle or French Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith....
(1559) - Second Helvetic Confession (1566)
- Theological Declaration of Barmen (1934)
The Three Forms of Unity are common among Reformed churches with origins in the European continent (especially those in the Netherlands).
In addition to these confessions, Continental Reformed leaders responded to the Lutheran Formula of Concord
Formula of Concord
Formula of Concord is an authoritative Lutheran statement of faith that, in its two parts , makes up the final section of the Lutheran Corpus Doctrinae or Body of Doctrine, known as...
by releasing their own Harmonia confessionum fidei
Harmonia confessionum fidei
Published in 1581, the Harmonia confessionum fidei was an early attempt at Protestant comparative dogmatics or symbolics.-Purpose:...
(Harmony of the Confessions of Faith) in 1581.
Presbyterian
- Scots ConfessionScots ConfessionThe Scots Confession is a Confession of Faith written in 1560 by six leaders of the Protestant Reformation in Scotland. The Confession was the first Subordinate Standard for the Protestant church in Scotland....
(1560) - Westminster StandardsWestminster StandardsThe Westminster Standards is a collective name for the documents drawn up by the Westminster Assembly. These include the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the Westminster Larger Catechism, the Directory of Public Worship, and the Form of Church Government, and...
:- Westminster Confession of FaithWestminster Confession of FaithThe Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith, in the Calvinist theological tradition. Although drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly, largely of the Church of England, it became and remains the 'subordinate standard' of doctrine in the Church of Scotland, and has been...
(1646) - Westminster Shorter CatechismWestminster Shorter CatechismThe Westminster Shorter Catechism was written in the 1640s by English and Scottish divines. The assembly also produced the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Westminster Larger Catechism...
(1649) - Westminster Larger CatechismWestminster Larger CatechismThe Westminster Larger Catechism, along with the Westminster Shorter Catechism, is a central catechism of Calvinists in the English tradition throughout the world.- History :...
(1649)
- Westminster Confession of Faith
- A Brief Statement of Faith (1991)
The Westminster Standards are common among Reformed churches (known commonly as the Presbyterian churches) with origins in the British Isles. The largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
has adopted the Book of Confessions
Book of Confessions
The Book of Confessions is the book of doctrinal statements of the Presbyterian Church and is designated "Part 1" of the PCUSA Constitution, "Part 2" being the Book of Order. The BOC consists of eleven ecumenical, Reformed, and modern statements of the Christian faith. These are the updated...
, which incorporates versions of both Continental and Presbyterian Reformed confessions of faith. The Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Orthodox Presbyterian Church
The Orthodox Presbyterian Church is a conservative Presbyterian denomination located primarily in the United States. It was founded by conservative members of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America who strongly objected to the pervasive Modernist theology during the 1930s . Led...
and the Presbyterian Church in America
Presbyterian Church in America
The Presbyterian Church in America is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination, the second largest Presbyterian church body in the United States after the Presbyterian Church . The PCA professes a strong commitment to evangelism, missionary work, and Christian education...
still confess the Westminster Standards.
Congregationalist
The Independents declined from Reformed theology on issues of the role of the magistrate, and the powers of higher church courts, but retained the Calvinist system touching many other issues.- Savoy DeclarationSavoy DeclarationThe Savoy Declaration is a modification of the Westminster Confession of Faith . Its full title is A Declaration of the Faith and Order owned and practiced in the Congregational Churches in England. It was drawn up in October 1658 by English Independents meeting at the Savoy Palace, London.-The...
(1658)
Baptist
Some of the BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
churches came alongside of the Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
movement in England, and in doing so sought to agree as far as conscience allowed, in the Calvinistic form of doctrine which prevailed among the Presbyterians and many Congregationalists. Except for their few exceptions concerning congregational church governance, and adult baptism, these "Particular" Baptists adopted the Reformed faith.
- London Baptist Confession of Faith1689 Baptist Confession of FaithThe 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith was written by Particular Baptists, who held to a Calvinistic Soteriology in England to give a formal expression of their Christian faith from a Baptist perspective...
(1689)
African
- Belhar ConfessionBelhar ConfessionThe Belhar Confession is a Christian statement of belief originally written in Afrikaans in 1982. It was adopted as a confession of faith by the Dutch Reformed Mission Church in South Africa in 1986....
was first adopted in South Africa in 1986 and has since been adopted by many Reformed churches
Further reading
Schaff, Philip The Creeds of Christendom. New York, 1931