The June 2021 issue of Tabletalk magazine contains helpful articles on the historical creeds and confessions of the church, and free copies were handed out by the senior pastor at Sunday school this past Sunday.
The entire church is meeting together in Sunday School over the summer for the continuation of a series studying The Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) taught by Midway’s senior pastor. Happily enough, the June 2021 issue of Tabletalk magazine was dedicated to the creeds and confessions.
The Sunday class kicked off Part 3 of a series that began in the summer of 2018, starting with a review of the previous sessions through the first several chapters of the WCF. Copies of the Tabletalk issue were passed out to anyone who wished to take a copy.
CONFESSIONS AND CHURCH MEMBERSHIP
This article by Paul Levy makes several good points. He notes that confessions provide a standard against which doctrine and actions are judged:
“Second, a confession provides protection for church members. A confession says what is required for membership; it shows what is and what isn’t a case for discipline; it gives criteria by which to hold elders accountable; it provides boundary markers for theological reflection. The confession becomes a method of expressing pastoral care. It shows us the path of theological maturity and so enables pastors and elders to shepherd and encourage members along that path of discipleship but also allows for rebuke and exhortation when those members go astray.”
He also notes that confessions are tools for transforming culture:
“Fourth, a confession of faith gives members tools to live in, think about, and critique a culture that is becoming increasingly hostile to the gospel. The questions that we are being asked today demand fuller, deeper theological reflection. As we go to these Reformed confessions that summarize the teaching of Scripture, we will find ourselves being equipped more and more to give a reason for the hope that is within us.”
Read the whole article online by clicking here: “Confessions and Church Membership,” by Paul Levy.