A Protestant tradition that confesses the Trinity and the deity of Christ. Many of its members believe the Gospel, and we receive them as brethren in Christ. But on baptism, church order, and other parts of the whole counsel of God its teaching departs from Scripture, and that affects whether we can serve together in church practice.
Where It Came From
Presbyterianism grew from John Calvin's reform in Geneva and from John Knox's reform of doctrine and worship in Scotland, where the Scottish Parliament rejected the pope's authority in 1560. Presbyterians hold that the Reformation restored the Gospel and the biblical pattern of government by elders. Theologica holds that the Gospel was never lost from Christ's churches. The Reformed churches of Geneva and Scotland kept infant baptism and were established by civil authority as state churches. The Westminster Assembly, called by the English Parliament and meeting from 1643, produced the Confession of Faith and Catechisms that became the standard of English-speaking Presbyterianism.
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In Their Own Words
This profile describes the tradition from its own official documents and standard teaching:
- The Westminster Confession of Faith (1646)
- The Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms (1647)
- The Book of Church Order of the Presbyterian Church in America