Reformed Churchmen

We are Confessional Calvinists and a Prayer Book Church-people. In 2012, we remembered the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer; also, we remembered the 450th anniversary of John Jewel's sober, scholarly, and Reformed "An Apology of the Church of England." In 2013, we remembered the publication of the "Heidelberg Catechism" and the influence of Reformed theologians in England, including Heinrich Bullinger's Decades. For 2014: Tyndale's NT translation. For 2015, John Roger, Rowland Taylor and Bishop John Hooper's martyrdom, burned at the stakes. Books of the month. December 2014: Alan Jacob's "Book of Common Prayer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Book-Common-Prayer-Biography-Religious/dp/0691154813/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417814005&sr=8-1&keywords=jacobs+book+of+common+prayer. January 2015: A.F. Pollard's "Thomas Cranmer and the English Reformation: 1489-1556" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-English-Reformation-1489-1556/dp/1592448658/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420055574&sr=8-1&keywords=A.F.+Pollard+Cranmer. February 2015: Jaspar Ridley's "Thomas Cranmer" at: http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Cranmer-Jasper-Ridley/dp/0198212879/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422892154&sr=8-1&keywords=jasper+ridley+cranmer&pebp=1422892151110&peasin=198212879

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

(Mr. Underhile): Contra Mundum: Creeds and Confessions, Practical Implications (Pt. 5)

Contra Mundum: Creeds and Confessions, Practical Implications, Pa...:

Creeds and Confessions, Practical Implications, Part 5

We conclude this series discussing the usefulness of creeds and confession by looking at the final two practical inferences which are derived from our defense of creeds and confessions and our refutation of objections.

In short, the final two inferences are these:
A. It is a duty of great importance for all members, but especially the ministers, to study and to spread the knowledge of their church's creeds and confessions of faith. We pointed out before the creeds and confessions of faith lend themselves to a serious study of scriptural doctrine. Happy is the church which has the backbone and the fortitude to require their minister to believe and preach what he has subscribed to. And happy is the minister who has a doctrinally literate congregation.

And secondly,
 
B. It is a sad mistake to think that by abandoning creeds and confessions we are rendering the Church any essential service. Ever since the days of the apostles, the Church has found it necessary to adopt formal statements of doctrine as a test of orthodoxy for both members and ministers. What service can one possibly render to the Church by removing her ability to delineate between truth and error?

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