Reform School

Reformed faith, Reformed Tradition, the Reformation...what the heck are we talking about??

For many people, the term ‘Reformed’, as it relates to religion, will bring to mind Martin Luther, the German monk who questioned certain teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church during the early 1500’s. Luther’s efforts came to be known as ‘the Reformation’.  He and others, such as Huldrych Zwingli, Heinrich Bullinger and John Calvin, strongly believed that every church doctrine must have its source in Scripture (the Bible)- that all other means of understanding God must be subordinate to Scripture. [sola scriptura] One key understanding of this movement is that grace is a gift from God,[sola gratia] (we can’t earn it), and is available to all by faith alone [sola fide] (not by deeds or rites).  Luther also objected to the selling of indulgences, a practice which had regressed into professional pardoners selling the ‘remission of temporal punishment’ in order to fund building projects in Rome!

Reformers like Calvin (who greatly influenced those who would later form the Presbyterian Church) - agreed with Luther’s concerns about the authority of Scripture, but disagreed on other aspects of the church, including how to understand and practice communion, and how to structure the governance of the church. Both Lutherans and Presbyterians, however, are confessing churches; in the PC [USA], we include the Book of Confessions along with our Book of Order as the basis for our Constitution.   *if you’ve never read through the Book of Confessions, you can now do so on-line. Just click the link.

Being part of the Reformed Tradition (being Protestant) does not mean that every Reformed denomination shares identical views on theology. Presbyterians differ from Lutherans, who differ from Baptists, etc.   We will review some of these differences in upcoming posts. It is important to note that all major Christian traditions--both Protestant and Catholic -- do share a common understanding of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, as the Trinity.

God is love.

McKim, Donald K.  Presbyterian Beliefs. Louisville, KY:  Geneva press2003