Twenty years ago, the “Young, Restless, and Reformed” moment was all about God’s sovereignty in salvation, with an emphasis on preaching.
As this young, excitable generation matured, worship practices became a central point of focus, with an emphasis on liturgy.
But liturgy is rooted in belief, and because the Reformed faith encompasses much more than the five points of Calvinism a new emphasis is emerging: Confessionalism.
What Is Confessionalism?
What is confessionalism, and why should I care?
As the contemporary Reformed movement continues to rediscover its rich heritage, these are two important questions that the average church member will need answered—even if they don’t think to ask. D. Blair Smith’s accessible and winsome little book Reformed Confessionalism provides an ideal answer.
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Smith defines confessionalism as adherence to creeds, confessions, and catechisms. As he (briefly!) explains the history and use of those terms, Smith emphasizes that these historic documents serve several important purposes in the life of the church. These purposes are something every church member should care about:
- Unity. The “first function” of confessionalism “is to bring together those who hold common beliefs” (p. 31).
- Discipleship. “When Jesus asks, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ [Mt 16:15], he’s asking his disciples. If they, and we with them, are to follow him, we need to be able to say who he is” (p. 35).
- Faith. “Faith has a need and a duty to express itself… true faith has a mouth. It speaks, confessing what the heart believes” (p. 40).
- Clarity. “Creeds, confessions, and catechisms exist because faith seeks clarity… Often, in confessional standards, and in theology more generally, words not found in Scripture are used for teaching purposes. These words are designed not to take us away from Scripture but to take us deeper into it by explaining its full meaning” (pp. 41-42).
- Balance. “Creeds, confessions, and catechisms keep us from one-sidedness because they require us to pay attention to the whole of biblical truth. Mature disciples seek to be as balanced and comprehensive in their doctrinal knowledge as Scripture itself” (pp. 42-43).
Confessionalism—the succinct creeds, the robust confessions, and the topical Q&As of catechisms—accomplishes all of these tasks when used wisely by the church. The church can do this, Smith says, by treasuring and using their confessions as means of guarding and of blessing.
Doctrinally, confessions guard the church by protecting her from heresy. Practically, confessions bless the church by building her up in the essentials of the faith.
It’s this last emphasis at which Smith’s book excels. Chapter Four lists no less than eleven ways the church’s confession serves as a blessing. These include the blessings of direction, maturity, comfort, a firm foundation, and many more. As he articulates these blessings, Smith helps bring the idea of confessional standards out from stodgy, exacting formalism and into a vibrant, healthy relevance to the contemporary church.
The book contains an introduction, five chapters, and a very helpful Q&A at the end. At only ~120 pages of reading material, it’s an easy five-week study.
As a Reformed Baptist, I recommend this book heartily, with the caveat that Smith occasionally highlights his own confessional heritage as a Presbyterian subscribing to the Westminster Standards. He only ever-so-lightly pushes Presbyterianism, and honors the confessional heritage of others. For your context, you will just want to make clear your own doctrinal distinctives when using this book for discipleship.
Use for Counseling & Discipleship
This is an ideal book for new Christians, those new to the confessions, and for equipping lay leaders to be able to articulate the blessings of confessionalism.
It’s written in an engaging and understandable way, so you can simply hand it out and be confident that any reader will benefit from it.
For deeper, richer discussions, get together with individuals or small groups and work through the book in five weeks. There are helpful discussion questions at the end of each chapter, and you can get my supplemental study guide, which includes “homework assignments,” here:
