The Language of the Church: Westminster in Review

Abstract

This paper reflects on the recent decision of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland to reconsider the role of the Westminster Confession as its subordinate standard.  A number of objections to the Overture were raised at the Assembly citing church decline as a matter of greater importance than theological reflections on a 400-year-old document.  The paper argues however that church decline is precisely the reason the Church ought to re-examine its doctrinal statements.  It begins by reflecting on the use of the Book of Confessions in the PC(USA) and suggests that the framework justifying the development of creedal statements in the US Church is apropos in the Scottish context as well.  Following on, it offers a more extended reflection on the purpose of doctrine by borrowing two of McGrath’s four categories (social demarcator and interpretation of experience) followed by a third category, sapience.

Note: This paper was originally published in Theology in Scotland vol. 26, no. 1 (2019)