I love the 1689. I hold to the 1689.
There is a wisdom to those historic documents. They remind us that it is not "just me and my bible" but that the church of God has existed for ages and these confessions are part of our historic corporate witness.
Yet, I feel just fine that my friends do not adopt the 1689, but instead make their own church confessions. Some hold to the 1644. If they have church problems I do not suggest that they get more confessional.
I am thus confessional. But I do not advocate confessionalism as a solution to problems.
I would even rather see local churches craft their own confessions of faith rather than merely adopt the 1689. Although adoption of the 1689 as one preaches through it might also be a good strategy (if the church "owns it").
If I planted US churches, I would not always push for them to adopt the 1689. Certainly any church confession we personally wrote and owned would agree with the 1689, but would not need to even closely resemble it.
Am I somehow "sub-confessional" then?
It appears that there is a difference in being confessional and desiring confessionalism.
While it is trite to say, "We do not need the confessions, we need the Scripture.." because, of course, we would not adopt such a confession if we did not believe it a good summary of Scripture. However, a greater push towards confessionalism does not seem to be the answer.
I have not personally seen any difference between those churches that hold to an old, tradition confession than one that writes and owns its own. In fact, entire denominations have fallen away - even despite the confessions.
Thoughts?
P.S. this seems to be another dividing line between where the BR and TRs divide (broadly reformed and tighlty reformed or truly reformed). I am exploring this dynamic a little deeper. There is quite a large vareity in folsk who are confessional and reformed it seems. Help me to explore these issues further.
There is a wisdom to those historic documents. They remind us that it is not "just me and my bible" but that the church of God has existed for ages and these confessions are part of our historic corporate witness.
Yet, I feel just fine that my friends do not adopt the 1689, but instead make their own church confessions. Some hold to the 1644. If they have church problems I do not suggest that they get more confessional.
I am thus confessional. But I do not advocate confessionalism as a solution to problems.
I would even rather see local churches craft their own confessions of faith rather than merely adopt the 1689. Although adoption of the 1689 as one preaches through it might also be a good strategy (if the church "owns it").
If I planted US churches, I would not always push for them to adopt the 1689. Certainly any church confession we personally wrote and owned would agree with the 1689, but would not need to even closely resemble it.
Am I somehow "sub-confessional" then?
It appears that there is a difference in being confessional and desiring confessionalism.
While it is trite to say, "We do not need the confessions, we need the Scripture.." because, of course, we would not adopt such a confession if we did not believe it a good summary of Scripture. However, a greater push towards confessionalism does not seem to be the answer.
I have not personally seen any difference between those churches that hold to an old, tradition confession than one that writes and owns its own. In fact, entire denominations have fallen away - even despite the confessions.
Thoughts?
P.S. this seems to be another dividing line between where the BR and TRs divide (broadly reformed and tighlty reformed or truly reformed). I am exploring this dynamic a little deeper. There is quite a large vareity in folsk who are confessional and reformed it seems. Help me to explore these issues further.