Confessional

[TwinMommy]

It has been suggest to me to check out Presbyterian churches. When it is state as "confessional" what does that mean? Does it mean one confesses to a Rev/Pastor/Priest as it is done in Catholic churches?

 

[kenrapoza]

Hello and welcome. The term "confessional" does not in any way imply confession of sin to a pastor. When a church is confessional, that is a way of saying that it holds to the beliefs and practices of it's historical "confessions of faith". These are very detailed and systematic doctrinal statements. For Presbyterian churches, those are the Westminster Standards, which includes the Westminster Confession along with the Longer and Shorter Catechisms. These were originally formulated in 1646, although a couple variations have been created since then with minor differences on secondary items. I suggest that you check out the confession for yourself, the link that I provided above is to an online version.

 

[TwinMommy]

Hello and welcome. The term "confessional" does not in any way imply confession of sin to a pastor. When a church is confessional, that is a way of saying that it holds to the beliefs and practices of it's historical "confessions of faith". These are very detailed and systematic doctrinal statements. For Presbyterian churches, those are the Westminster Standards, which includes the Westminster Confession along with the Longer and Shorter Catechisms. These were originally formulated in 1646, although a couple variations have been created since then with minor differences on secondary items. I suggest that you check out the confession for yourself, the link that I provided above is to an online version.

Thank you. Catechisms is very foreign to me. As of right now I do not understand why they are used. Could you give me some insight into that?

 

[AMR]

Thank you. Catechisms is very foreign to me. As of right now I do not understand why they are used. Could you give me some insight into that?

The Catechisms are summaries of the confessional document, the WCF, which is an accurate summary of the major doctrines in Scripture that unites the church members. The catechisms are in question and answer format to aid in the teaching of young persons as well as adults. No one is going to ask you to memorize the catechisms, but new potential members will certainly be given introductions to them in membership sessions.

[FONT=&quot]The Confessions are a means of defining the unity of faith of the believers in the local church. They also serve as an effective (organized, precise, correct) means of instructing the believer or as apologetic sources for discussions with the non-believer/heterodox, as they distill and capture the doctrinal essence of major doctrines from the Scriptures, and, lastly they are also a means of administering discipline within the local church. These Confessions are viewed as authoritative only so long as they are found to be faithful summaries of the teachings of Scripture. This point bears repeating, the authority of our Confessions is not intrinsic, but rather the authority of our Confessions is derived from Scripture and Scripture alone.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Confessions were never intended to remove personal responsibility from the believer, but a way of transmitting wisdom and thought from one generation to another. Behind the Confessions are prayers, and study, and debate. To believe that they are not a source of Godly wisdom, even though they might be wrong is to argue for a No Creed but Christ, and No book but the Bible mentality. There is no need to reinvent every doctrine by every believer. Unfortunately there is a great deal of chronological snobbery (a phrase coined by C. S. Lewis), that is, that those who live in the present have greater insight than those who lived in the past. This attitude blinds many from recognizing that most of Christianity’s greatest theologians, philosophers, and apologists lived in the past. Moreover, and contrary to what we often hear in the churches today, doctrine and theology are vital to one’s walk of faith. Our Confessions are not to tell us what to say or believe, but to tell us how to say what we believe. Without all our Creeds and Confessions, much confusion arises. One need only spend a few minutes speaking with a Jehovah Witness or Mormon, to immediately recognize how vital the precision of the words of a Creed or Confession are needed.

The Larger Catechism can be reviewed here:
http://www.reformed.org/documents/wlc_w_proofs/index.html

The Shorter Catechism can be reviewed here:
http://www.reformed.org/documents/wsc/index.html

See the link in Kenrapoza's post above for the full text of the WCF. The catechisms are but short summaries of the WCF. The WCF has been called one of the greatest summaries of the major doctrines of the Bible and is a worthwhile read for anyone wanting to know more about the topics the WCF discusses. A useful exposition of the WCF can be read here: http://www.reformed.org/documents/shaw/
[/FONT]

 

[Jeffriesw]

The Catechisms are summaries of the confessional document, the WCF, which is an accurate summary of the major doctrines in Scripture that unites the church members. The catechisms are in question and answer format to aid in the teaching of young persons as well as adults. No one is going to ask you to memorize the catechisms, but new potential members will certainly be given introductions to them in membership sessions.

[FONT=&quot]The Confessions are a means of defining the unity of faith of the believers in the local church. They also serve as an effective (organized, precise, correct) means of instructing the believer or as apologetic sources for discussions with the non-believer/heterodox, as they distill and capture the doctrinal essence of major doctrines from the Scriptures, and, lastly they are also a means of administering discipline within the local church. These Confessions are viewed as authoritative only so long as they are found to be faithful summaries of the teachings of Scripture. This point bears repeating, the authority of our Confessions is not intrinsic, but rather the authority of our Confessions is derived from Scripture and Scripture alone.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]Confessions were never intended to remove personal responsibility from the believer, but a way of transmitting wisdom and thought from one generation to another. Behind the Confessions are prayers, and study, and debate. To believe that they are not a source of Godly wisdom, even though they might be wrong is to argue for a No Creed but Christ, and No book but the Bible mentality. There is no need to reinvent every doctrine by every believer. Unfortunately there is a great deal of chronological snobbery (a phrase coined by C. S. Lewis), that is, that those who live in the present have greater insight than those who lived in the past. This attitude blinds many from recognizing that most of Christianity’s greatest theologians, philosophers, and apologists lived in the past. Moreover, and contrary to what we often hear in the churches today, doctrine and theology are vital to one’s walk of faith. Our Confessions are not to tell us what to say or believe, but to tell us how to say what we believe. Without all our Creeds and Confessions, much confusion arises. One need only spend a few minutes speaking with a Jehovah Witness or Mormon, to immediately recognize how vital the precision of the words of a Creed or Confession are needed.[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The Larger Catechism can be reviewed here:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Westminster Larger Catechism[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]The Shorter Catechism can be reviewed here:[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Westminster Shorter Catechism[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]See the link in Kenrapoza's post above for the full text of the WCF. The catechisms are but short summaries of the WCF. The WCF has been called one of the greatest summaries of the major doctrines of the Bible and is a worthwhile read for anyone wanting to know more about the topics the WCF discusses. A useful exposition of the WCF can be read here: An Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith[/FONT]

A Most Helpful and Excellent post.