What It Means to Be Reformed (12): Reformed Is Being “Confessional”
Barry Gritters argues that to be truly Reformed, a church must officially adopt and bind itself to Reformed confessions (creeds), not merely hold Reformed doctrinal positions informally. He uses this requirement to distinguish genuinely Reformed churches from Baptist and other evangelical communities that may affirm Calvinist soteriology but lack Reformed ecclesiastical and sacramental confessions. This article is essential for understanding what constitutes authentic Reformed identity within the Protestant Reformed tradition.
Previous article in this series: December 1, 2015, p. 101. As we now pass the 90th anniversary of the Protestant Reformed Churches, I remind us that these editorials began as a call to be faithful to our name and our roots. I have been explaining that to be Reformed, a church must be Covenantal, Calvinistic, Confessional, and have a proper view of both the Church and of the Christian life. For the sake of memory, these five essential elements begin with the letter "C." Elders and ministers...
Full article available on sb.rfpa.org