This book provides clergy, laity, and students with a thorough introduction to their faith as set forth in the Book of Confessions. Jack Rogers explains technical terms and places current issues in perspective by examining the meaning of the creeds, confessions, and declarations found in the Book of Confessions. He examines their role in history, their full meaning, and their continued relevance to the Christian community.
Creeds and confessions throughout Christian history provide a unique vantage point from which to study the Christian faith. To this end, Donald Fairbairn and Ryan Reeves construct a story that captures both the central importance of creeds and confessions over the centuries and their unrealized potential to introduce readers to the overall sweep of church history. The book features texts of classic creeds and confessions as well as informational sidebars.
Understand Foundations of the Christian Church through These Historic Statements of Faith For centuries, followers of Jesus have used creeds and confessions to express their Christian beliefs. Summarizing key truths from Scripture into succinct statements, these words have shaped the church for generations and continue to teach and inspire believers today. Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms gathers 13 historic statements of faith—including the Apostles' Creed, the Belgic Confession, and the Heidelberg Catechism—into one beautiful collection. Each text includes an introduction from editor Chad Van Dixhoorn that explains its origins and significance to the early church. By learning and revisiting these timeless confessions of faith, readers can grow spiritually and learn more about Christian history. Great Resource for Daily Reading and Study: Includes early church creeds and major Protestant statements, historical context from editor Chad Van Dixhoorn, and a Scripture index Accessible: Useful for pastors and laypeople, seminary students, church groups, or anyone seeking to learn about the foundations of Christianity 13 Christian Creeds and Confessions: Includes The Apostles' Creed, The Nicene Creed, The Athanasian Creed, The Chalcedonian Definition, The Augsburg Confession, The Belgic Confession, The Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, The Canons of Dort, The Westminster Confession of Faith, The London Baptist Confession, The Heidelberg Catechism, The Westminster Larger Catechism, and The Westminster Shorter Catechism Adapted from the ESV Bible with Creeds and Confessions
This brief, accessible invitation to the historic creeds and confessions makes a biblical and historical case for their necessity and shows why they are essential for Christian faith and practice today. J. V. Fesko, a leading Reformed theologian with a broad readership in the academy and the church, demonstrates that creeds are not just any human documents but biblically commended resources for the well-being of the church, as long as they remain subordinate to biblical authority. He also explains how the current skepticism and even hostility toward creeds and confessions came about.
This revised study edition of the Book of Confessions contains the official creeds, catechisms, and confessional statements of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), including the new Confession of Belhar that was added at the 222nd General Assembly (2016). Each text is introduced by an informative essay providing in-depth historical and theological background information. The book also includes two appendixes that explore the purpose of confessions. This study edition is ideal for seminarians and leaders looking for more extensive information about the history and theology of the confessions along with the official documents, all conveniently located in one volume.
"An excellent compendium of Christian creeds. Especially valuable are the informative notes and comments by the editor which introduce both creedal sections and individual creeds".----Presbyterian Journal
"Scots Confession" from John Knox. Scottish religious reformer who played the lead part in reforming the Church in Scotland in a Presbyterian manner (1510-1572).
Fourteen Presbyterian scholars enter into conversations with the confessions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and examine the major theological themes that make the confessions such foundational commitments of faith. This collection of insightful essays provides readers with a clear understanding of the confessions from different periods of the church's life. These conversations with the confessions found in the PC(USA)'s Book of Confessions include some illuminating commentary on why they were written and demonstrate how they can be used to address major theological issues. This important work will help scholars, pastors, and church leaders interested in studying the Reformed tradition appreciate the role of the confessions in shaping Christian life and faith today.
