The Value of Creeds
What is the value of creeds and confessions? They define the beliefs of a communion of churches, protect from false teaching, and give testimony to the world.
What is the value of creeds and confessions? They define the beliefs of a communion of churches, protect from false teaching, and give testimony to the world.
What role should creeds, confessions, and catechisms play in the church? It is this question that this article deals with.
What is the relationship between the New Testament church and the Old Testament people of God? Can we speak in any way of an Old Testament church? The thesis of this article is that throughout the history of the church there was a strong emphasis on the unity of the church with the Old Testament people of God. These convictions are expressed in most of the confessions produced in the time of the Reformation.
The author makes a strong case for reading Augustine's Confessions. He indicates that this work is not just a memoir; it is a mixed-genre book, including narrative elements and prayers.
Quite a few confessions were born out of the Reformation of the 16th century. The author looks at the Lutheran confessions, the Reformed confessions, the Canons of Dort, and the Westminster Standards.
In order for true unity and ecumenicity to exist within the churches, there needs to be a convincing confession of faith. This article looks at the role confessions and creeds play in shaping such unity of churches. Attention is given to the need for confessions, the problems and challenges of adopting confessions, and the method for formulating them.
What should preaching that is based on the confessions look like? This article provides three approaches for preaching from the confessions that are used within reformed churches.
The confessions and the catechism have an important place in the church. Neglecting and changing some of the confessions resulted in the formation of the Christian Reformed Church as members separated from the Reformed Church of America.
It is a common practice in many Reformed Churches that elders and deacons sign the Formula of Subscription. Why practice this tradition? Two reasons: the adoption of and adherence to Reformed confessions, and to maintain and promote Reformed church government. If this is so, then the confessions must be binding, and discipline must be exercised on those who depart from them.
It is a common practice in many Reformed Churches that elders and deacons sign the Formula of Subscription. Why practice this tradition? Two reasons: the adoption of and adherence to Reformed confessions, and to maintain and promote Reformed church government. This article focuses on what the Form of Subscription requires from individuals.
It is a common practice in many Reformed Churches that elders and deacons sign the Formula of Subscription. Why practice this tradition? Two reasons: the adoption of and adherence to Reformed confessions, and to maintain and promote Reformed church government. This article focuses on the history behind the Form of Subscription.
It is a common practice in many Reformed Churches that elders and deacons sign the Formula of Subscription. Why practice this tradition? Two reasons: the adoption of and adherence to Reformed confessions, and to maintain and promote Reformed church government. This article focuses on the importance of adhering to the Reformed confessions.
Confessions display the core of Christian doctrines and reveal the unity of the church. This article looks at the Westminster Confession - its history and its exposition of the doctrine of God and redemptive history - showing how it can guide the church in upholding the teaching of scripture.
Bridging the gap between those who resist any use of creeds and those who uphold creeds above scripture, this article proposes a healthy way of viewing creeds. The author maintains that creeds should be viewed historically (unifying the church of all times and places) and doctrinally (identifying the cores of the Christian faith). Having this perspective on the creeds, however, does not mean that confessions cannot ever be improved or changed.
This article links the need for creeds to the biblical call to confess Christ individually and corporately, the work of the Spirit in guiding the church in the truth, and the call to the church to uphold biblical doctrine. Confessions are important for the unity of the church, defense of the faith, resolving disputes, catechetical use, and pastoral care. The author calls the church to intentionally use the creeds.
This article looks at what creeds and confessions are, where we find creeds in the Bible, if they are necessary, and how creeds and confessions are practically used.
This article is about confessions and church unity. Multi-confessional standards, the purpose of confessions, creeds and liturgy, and the use of confessions in defending the faith are all discussed in this article. Non-confessional churches are also mentioned by the author.
Throughout the history of the church, heretics often protested against orthodox confessions on the ground of the so-called "non-scriptural language" of the orthodox creed. They pointed out that phrases such as “of one essence with the Father,” and “one substance with the Father” were not to be found in Scripture. Heretics often used the argument “no creed but the Bible” precisely so that they could use biblical language to evade biblical truth.