Confessional subscription

Last updated November 06, 2023

In confessional churches, office-bearers (such as ministers and elders) are required to "subscribe" (or agree) to the church's confession of faith. In Presbyterian denominations, this is the Westminster Confession of Faith , while in Confessional Lutheranism it is the Book of Concord . The degree to which subscribers are required to agree with the confession varies from denomination to denomination.

History

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland wrestled with the issue of confessional subscription in the early 18th century. In 1726, the Synod of Ulster expelled ministers who refused to subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith – this group formed the Synod of Antrim, which eventually became the Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland. In the American colonies, the Synod of Philadelphia originally did not have a confession of faith: while the Scots-Irish stressed precise theological formulation, professional ministry, and the orderly and authoritarian nature of church government, the New Englanders emphasized "spontaneity, vital impulse, adaptability."^[1] The Scots-Irish believed that confessional subscription would preserve Reformed orthodoxy from the threat of rationalistic ideas, while the New England party preferred declaring the Bible to be the common standard for faith and practice. The impasse was resolved with passage of the Adopting Act of 1729. This was a compromise that required subscription to the "essential and necessary" parts of the Westminster Standards – what was deemed to be essential and necessary was left to individual presbyteries to determine.^[2]

Levels of subscription

Strict subscription

Strict subscription, sometimes called "full subscription", means that subscribers must agree to everything in the confession, without exception. This was the original approach in the Church of Scotland: in 1693 it required all ministers to affirm, "I do sincerely own and declare the above Confession of Faith... to be a Confession of my faith, and that I own the doctrine contained therein to be the true doctrine". However, minor reservations regarding government and church/state relations were allowed.^[3] In 1711 this was changed to requiring that ministers believe "the whole doctrine of the Confession... to be the truths of God, contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments".^[4] In 1889 this was changed back to something very similar to the original wording: "I declare the Confession of Faith . . . to be the Confession of my faith."^[5]^[6]

Good faith subscription

Good faith subscription allows subscribers to take certain exceptions to things in the confessional standard. In presbyterian denominations, these exceptions are normally approved by a presbytery. This is the position of the Presbyterian Church in America, adopted in 2002.^[7] Its Book of Common Order says,^[8]

The court may grant an exception to any difference of doctrine only if in the court’s judgment the applicant’s declared difference is not out of accord with any fundamental of our system of doctrine because the difference is neither hostile to the system nor strikes at the vitals of religion.

System subscription

In system subscription (sometimes called "loose subscription") a subscriber is required to agree with the "system of doctrine" of the confessional standard. According to Morton H. Smith, "System subscription holds to the adoption of all the fundamental and essential doctrines of the system. Other expressions of the Confessions and Catechisms are not judged to be essential to the system of doctrine as a matter of indifference, whether the ordinand adopts them or not."^[9]

This was the approach adopted by the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America from its founding in 1789: ministers promised to "sincerely receive and adopt the confession of faith of this church, as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures".^[10] This is still the form of vow used in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.^[11]

Charles Hodge noted that the phrase "system of doctrine" was interpreted in three different ways: (1) "every proposition of the Confession" (equivalent to strict subscription described above); (2) the doctrines "peculiar to" the Reformed churches; (3) the "essential doctrines of Christianity". Of the first, Hodge argued that "Such a rule of interpretation can never be practically carried out, without dividing the Church into innumerable fragments. It is impossible that a body of several thousand ministers and elders should think alike on all the topics embraced in such an extended and minute formula of belief."^[12] The third, he said, "has been tried, and found to produce the greatest disorder and contention." Thus, Hodge concluded that the only viable view was the second one.^[13]

Declaratory statements

Some Presbyterian denominations have added a declaratory statement to the Westminster Confession of Faith in order to clarify, modify, or soften its teaching, and thus make it easier for office-bearers to subscribe without scruples. Many of these statements include a clause granting liberty of opinion on matters deemed non-essential.

"Quia" versus "Quatenus" subscription

In Confessional Lutheranism, a model of "quia" subscription is used. From the Latin for "because", the Book of Concord is adhered to because it is faithful to the Scriptures – the subscriber believes that there is no contradiction between the Book of Concord and the Scriptures. The alternative, "quatenus" (Latin for "insofar as") subscription means there might be a contradiction of the Scriptures in the Book of Concord, in which case the subscriber would hold to the Scriptures against the Book of Concord.^[14]

Related Research Articles

Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church. Presbyterian churches derive their name from the presbyterian form of church government by representative assemblies of elders. Many Reformed churches are organised this way, but the word Presbyterian, when capitalized, is often applied to churches that trace their roots to the Church of Scotland or to English Dissenter groups that formed during the English Civil War.

The Westminster Confession of Faith, or simply the Westminster Confession, is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the "subordinate standard" of doctrine in the Church of Scotland and has been influential within Presbyterian churches worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America</span> Historical Presbyterian organization

The United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (UPCUSA) was the largest branch of Presbyterianism in the United States from May 28, 1958, to 1983. It was formed by the union of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA), often referred to as the "Northern" Presbyterian Church, with the United Presbyterian Church of North America (UPCNA), a smaller church of Covenanter-Seceder tradition at a conference in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in May 1958. Vigorous ecumenical activity on the part of PCUSA leaders led to this merger, something of a reunion of two long-separated branches of the larger Presbyterian family deriving from the British Isles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland</span>

The Non-subscribing Presbyterian Church of Ireland is a non-creedal Christian Church, which maintains a great emphasis on individual conscience in matters of Christian faith.

The United Reformed Churches in North America (URCNA) is a theologically conservative federation of Reformed churches founded in 1996. Many churches joined the URCNA after splitting from the Christian Reformed Church in North America denomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evangelical Presbyterian Church (United States)</span> Protestant Reformed Evangelical church body

The Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) is an American church body holding to presbyterian governance and Reformed theology. It is a conservative Calvinist denomination. It is most distinctive for its approach to the way it balances certain liberties across congregations on "non-essential" doctrines, such as egalitarianism in marriage or the ordination of women, alongside an affirmation of core "essential" doctrinal standards.

Confessional Lutheranism is a name used by Lutherans to designate those who believe in the doctrines taught in the Book of Concord of 1580 in their entirety. Confessional Lutherans maintain that faithfulness to the Book of Concord, which is a summary of the teachings found in Scripture, requires attention to how that faith is actually being preached, taught, and put into practice. Confessional Lutherans believe that this is a vital part of their identity as Lutherans.

The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) was a Presbyterian denomination existing from 1789 to 1958. In that year, the PCUSA merged with the United Presbyterian Church of North America. The new church was named the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. It was a predecessor to the contemporary Presbyterian Church (USA).

Calvinist confessions of faith are the confessions of faith of various Calvinist churches. These documents express consensus on doctrine for the church adopting the confession. A few confessions are shared as subordinate standards by many denominations, which have made their choices from among the various creeds for primarily historical reasons. Some of the common Calvinist confessions are :

The Westminster Standards is a collective name for the documents drawn up by the Westminster Assembly (1643–1649). These include the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the Westminster Larger Catechism, the Directory of Public Worship, and the Form of Church Government, and represent the doctrine and church polity of 17th century English and Scottish Presbyterianism. The Westminster Confession of Faith and Larger and Shorter Catechism have been adopted as doctrinal standards by a number of Reformed and Presbyterian Christian denominations, but not the Church of Scotland nor those derived directly from it.

The Reformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly (RPCGA) is a Presbyterian church body and conservative denomination in the United States established in 1991. The RPCGA was founded by members of the Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States.

In Presbyterianism, a declaratory statement is a statement attached to the Westminster Confession of Faith in order to modify or clarify the confessional standard of the church. A number of denominations adopted them around the turn of the 20th century, and some are still in use today.

John Thomson or Thompson was born in Ireland and became a minister in the Presbytery of Philadelphia, later the Synod of Philadelphia. He served as a missionary in both Virginia and North Carolina, where he died a natural death in 1753. He is buried in the cemetery of Centre Presbyterian Church in Mooresville, North Carolina.

The Old Side–New Side controversy occurred within the Presbyterian Church in Colonial America and was part of the wider theological controversy surrounding the First Great Awakening. The Old and New Side Presbyterians existed as separate churches from 1741 until 1758. The name of Old Side–New Side is usually meant as specifically referring to the Presbyterian Church. When one is referring to the debate as a whole, Old and New Light is usually used.

The Presbyterian Church in Ireland is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the Republic of Ireland, and the largest Protestant denomination in Northern Ireland. Like most Christian churches in Ireland, it is organised on an all-island basis, in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The church has approximately 210,000 members.

ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians is an evangelical Presbyterian denomination in the United States. As a Presbyterian church, ECO adheres to Reformed theology and Presbyterian polity. It was established in 2012 by former congregations and members of the Presbyterian Church (USA), abbreviated PC(USA). Denominational disputes over theology—particularly ordination of practicing homosexuals as pastors and gay marriage—and bureaucracy led to the founding of ECO. In 2018, ECO has over 383 congregations, 103,425 covenant partners and over 500 pastors. ECO churches are egalitarian in beliefs and ordain women as pastors and elders.

A subordinate standard is a Reformed confession of faith, catechism or other doctrinal or regulatory statement subscribed to by a Protestant church, setting out key elements of religious belief and church governance. It is subordinate to the Bible as the supreme standard, which is held as divinely inspired and without error.

Presbyterianism has had a presence in the United States since colonial times and has exerted an important influence over broader American religion and culture.

The Adopting Act of 1729 was an act of the Synod of Philadelphia that made the Westminster Standards, particularly the Westminster Confession of Faith, the official confessional statements for Presbyterian churches in colonial America. Presbyterian ministers were required to believe or "subscribe" to the "essential and necessary" parts of the standards, but defining what was essential and necessary was left to individual presbyteries to determine.

The Faith Presbytery, Bible Presbyterian Church (FPBPC) is a Reformed Christian denomination formed in 2008 by conservative Presbyterian clergy and churches who disassociated from the Bible Presbyterian Synod Synod. Faith Presbytery continues in the same spirit and stand taken by the Bible Presbyterian Church since its founding in 1937.

References

↑ Loetscher, Lefferts A. (2016). The Broadening Church: A Study of Theological Issues in the Presbyterian Church Since 1869. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 1. ISBN 9781512803747 . Retrieved 31 October 2023.
↑ Longfield, Bradley J. (2013). Presbyterians and American Culture: A History. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 6. ISBN 9780664231569 . Retrieved 31 October 2023.
↑ Fortson, S. Donald (2007). "The Adopting Act Compromise". Colonial Presbyterianism: Old Faith in a New Land. Wipf and Stock. p. 64. ISBN 9781597525312 . Retrieved 31 October 2023.
↑ Cooper, James (1906). Confessions of Faith and Formulas of Subscription in the Reformed Churches of Great Britain and Ireland, Especially in the Church of Scotland. James MacLehose. p. 64. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
↑ James Cooper, Confessions of Faith and Formulas of Subscription, p. 75.
↑ Macleod, John (1926). "The Reformed Faith in Modern Scotland". Free Church of Scotland (Continuing) . Retrieved 1 November 2023.
↑ Strain, David (29 June 2021). "Good Faith Subscription? (Part 2)". Gospel Reformation Network. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
↑ Book of Common Order, 19-2. Presbyterian Church in America.
↑ Smith, Morton H. (1993). "Subscription to the Westminster Standards in the Presbyterian Church in America" (PDF). Mid America Journal of Theology . 9 (1): 47. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
↑ "The Historical Development of the Book of Church Order: Chapter 21: The Ordination and Installation of Ministers". PCA Historical Center. Presbyterian Church in America . Retrieved 1 November 2023.
↑ "Confession and Catechisms". Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
↑ Hodge, Charles. "What is the "System of Doctrine"?". PCA Historical Center. Presbyterian Church in America . Retrieved 4 November 2023.
↑ Williamson, G. I. (2004). "What Does It Mean to Subscribe to the Westminster Standards?" (PDF). Ordained Servant . 13 (1): 8. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
↑ Preus, Robert, Confession Subscription, archived from the original on 2006-06-29.