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Outreach
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The Protestant Reformed tradition in Christianity derives from the Bible and three doctrinal confessions that have provided the core of Reformed identity since its inception in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. We also affirm four doctrinal Creeds that we share in common with other Christians wherever our faith endures.
The Apostles' Creed, or Symbolum Apostolorum, was developed between the 2nd and 9th centuries AD and initially used to instruct baptismal candidates in the churches of Rome. Elegant in its simplicity, the Creed is an important testament of Western Christianity.
The Heidelberg Catechism, fondly known as "the book of comfort", was adopted in Heidelberg in 1563. Intended to unify Protestant teaching and spread the Reformation, the work contains over 700 scriptural references for instructing youth and guiding pastors and teachers. Beloved for its clarity and warmth, the Catechism remains the most widely used and warmly praised catechism of the Reformation period.
The Belgic Confession of 1561 was first offered as a stirring defense of the Reformers' faith against persecution by the Roman Catholic government. Although it failed to secure its author's freedom and led to his martyrdom, the Confession remains one of the vital expositions of Reformed faith.
The Canons of Dort (or "the Five Articles Against the Remonstrants") emerged as a legal finding by a religious Synod held at Dordrecht in 1618-1619. Called to repudiate followers of Jacobus Arminius, a Dutch theologian whom the council found in error on central tenets of Christian doctrine, the Canons confirm our essential reliance on God's sovereign grace. |
