The Westminster Standards: the 1647 Text and the 1788 American Revision

1. Lectures Listen to the lectures in order. Those marked supplementary are optional.

   • Westminster and Theonomy Rev. David Silversides 1 h 16 min 16 s Open source Doctrinal Loughbrickland Reformed Presbyterian Church (RPC of Ireland) / SermonAudio Intramural within the Scottish stream: both hold the 1647 text of WCF 23, but Reformed Presbyterians add political dissent from uncovenanted constitutions, which the Free Church tradition (Cunningham, Bannerman, Moncreiff, FP Magazine) rejects. Present both as confessional options under the 1647 text in the Headship...
   • Christ's Kirk (Acts 20:28) and Christian Liberty (Galatians 5:1), lectures 6-7 of a ten-lecture series Prof. Donald Macleod (Free Church of Scotland) Christ's Kirk 1 h 29 min 40 s; Christian Liberty 1 h 20 min 31 s Open source Supplementary Free Church of Scotland (Free Church Legacy audio archive)

   Total: 2.8 hours

2. Reading Read in the order given. Public-domain and free texts are linked; purchases are optional and never required.

   • The Westminster Confession of Faith (1647 text as adopted by the Church of Scotland) Westminster Assembly Open source Primary text 1647. Free online
   • The Westminster Confession of Faith (PDF, 'Edinburgh edition') Westminster Assembly Open source Primary text Free online
   • The Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms as adopted by the Presbyterian Church in America, with proof texts (front matter and preface on the American text) PCA / OPC Committee on Christian Education Open source Source studied 2007 printing (1788 text). Free online
   • A Tale of Two Texts: How the Westminster Confession of Faith Was Changed by American Presbyterians to Reflect a New Understanding of the Civil Magistrate Kevin DeYoung (PCA; Reformed Theological Seminary Charlotte) Open source Supplementary 2024. Free online PCA minister who subscribes to the 1788 American text; his articles argue the 1647 and 1788 texts of 23.3 contradict each other. Keep as secondary historical analysis of the revision, not as doctrinal instruction; the course teaches the 1647 text.
   • Does the American Revision of the Westminster Confession Contradict the Original Version on the Doctrine of the Civil Magistrate? Kevin DeYoung Open source Supplementary 2025. Free online PCA minister who subscribes to the 1788 American text; his articles argue the 1647 and 1788 texts of 23.3 contradict each other. Keep as secondary historical analysis of the revision, not as doctrinal instruction; the course teaches the 1647 text.
   • An Exposition of the Confession of Faith of the Westminster Assembly of Divines (ch. 20, 23, 31) Robert Shaw (Free Church of Scotland) 404 scanned pages (archive.org imagecount) Open source Doctrinal 1857 ed.. Public domain
   • Discussions on Church Principles: Popish, Erastian, and Presbyterian William Cunningham (Free Church of Scotland) 602 scanned pages (archive.org imagecount) Open source Doctrinal 1863. Public domain

3. Assignment Write a research paper of 30 pages on a topic drawn from the lectures and readings of this course. Argue from Scripture, the Westminster Standards (1647 text) and the Three Forms of Unity, cite the primary sources you read, and state the points on which the sources differ.

   Open the assignment

4. In Spanish (supplementary) Spanish-language lectures and readings, supplementary. The English lectures above remain the core; strong English lectures are translated rather than replaced by weaker Spanish ones.

   • Credos, confesiones y catecismos, leccion 11: Westminster, historia Larry Trotter (Lawrence C. Trotter N., Ph.D.) 51 min (3075 s, ffprobe) Open source Supplementary Seminario Reformado Guadalajara; Trotter is pastor of Florida Coast Church (PCA) and adjunct at Knox Theological Seminary PCA minister (confirmed on floridacoastchurch.org: 'Florida Coast Church (PCA)'), so a Westminster subscriber on the 1788 American text; the seminary serves the Iglesia Nacional Presbiteriana de Mexico (Presbiterio del Bajio), which also uses the American 23.3. His lectures on WCF chs. 20, 23 and 31 are therefore...
   • Credos, confesiones y catecismos, leccion 12: Confesion de Westminster 1 Larry Trotter (Lawrence C. Trotter N., Ph.D.) 54 min (3268 s, ffprobe) Open source Supplementary Read as comparison Seminario Reformado Guadalajara; Trotter is pastor of Florida Coast Church (PCA) and adjunct at Knox Theological Seminary PCA minister (confirmed on floridacoastchurch.org: 'Florida Coast Church (PCA)'), so a Westminster subscriber on the 1788 American text; the seminary serves the Iglesia Nacional Presbiteriana de Mexico (Presbiterio del Bajio), which also uses the American 23.3. His lectures on WCF chs. 20, 23 and 31 are therefore...
   • Credos, confesiones y catecismos, leccion 13: Confesion de Westminster 2 Larry Trotter (Lawrence C. Trotter N., Ph.D.) 53 min (3198 s, ffprobe) Open source Supplementary Read as comparison Seminario Reformado Guadalajara; Trotter is pastor of Florida Coast Church (PCA) and adjunct at Knox Theological Seminary PCA minister (confirmed on floridacoastchurch.org: 'Florida Coast Church (PCA)'), so a Westminster subscriber on the 1788 American text; the seminary serves the Iglesia Nacional Presbiteriana de Mexico (Presbiterio del Bajio), which also uses the American 23.3. His lectures on WCF chs. 20, 23 and 31 are therefore...
   • Credos, confesiones y catecismos, leccion 14: Confesion de Westminster 3 Larry Trotter (Lawrence C. Trotter N., Ph.D.) 54 min (3253 s, ffprobe) Open source Supplementary Read as comparison Seminario Reformado Guadalajara; Trotter is pastor of Florida Coast Church (PCA) and adjunct at Knox Theological Seminary PCA minister (confirmed on floridacoastchurch.org: 'Florida Coast Church (PCA)'), so a Westminster subscriber on the 1788 American text; the seminary serves the Iglesia Nacional Presbiteriana de Mexico (Presbiterio del Bajio), which also uses the American 23.3. His lectures on WCF chs. 20, 23 and 31 are therefore...
   • Credos, confesiones y catecismos, leccion 15: Confesion de Westminster 4 Larry Trotter (Lawrence C. Trotter N., Ph.D.) 47 min (2848 s, ffprobe) Open source Supplementary Read as comparison Seminario Reformado Guadalajara; Trotter is pastor of Florida Coast Church (PCA) and adjunct at Knox Theological Seminary PCA minister (confirmed on floridacoastchurch.org: 'Florida Coast Church (PCA)'), so a Westminster subscriber on the 1788 American text; the seminary serves the Iglesia Nacional Presbiteriana de Mexico (Presbiterio del Bajio), which also uses the American 23.3. His lectures on WCF chs. 20, 23 and 31 are therefore...
   • Credos, confesiones y catecismos, leccion 16: Catecismos de Westminster Larry Trotter (Lawrence C. Trotter N., Ph.D.) 41 min (2450 s, ffprobe) Open source Supplementary Read as comparison Seminario Reformado Guadalajara; Trotter is pastor of Florida Coast Church (PCA) and adjunct at Knox Theological Seminary PCA minister (confirmed on floridacoastchurch.org: 'Florida Coast Church (PCA)'), so a Westminster subscriber on the 1788 American text; the seminary serves the Iglesia Nacional Presbiteriana de Mexico (Presbiterio del Bajio), which also uses the American 23.3. His lectures on WCF chs. 20, 23 and 31 are therefore...
   • Confesion de Fe de Westminster, CLIR edition (PDF, 1647 text with American footnotes) Westminster Assembly; trans. Confraternidad Latinoamericana de Iglesias Reformadas (CLIR) Confession only; 1.6 MB PDF (page count not printed in the item metadata) Open source Supplementary 2010. Free
   • Confesion de Fe de Westminster 1643-1648 y Catecismo Menor, FELiRe edition (PDF) Westminster Assembly; Fundacion Editorial de Literatura Reformada (FELiRe) Confession with Shorter Catechism; 609 KB PDF Open source Supplementary 2013 (2a edicion). Free PCA minister (American text). The Decalogue series' 'Descansa' episode does not teach the WCF 21.7-8 / Directory Sabbath and the second-commandment episodes do not teach exclusive psalmody or Dort art. 69. No Spanish advocate of exclusive psalmody, of the Dort 69 position, of the establishment principle or of...
   • La Confesion de Fe de Westminster (Ligonier web text) trans. CLIR (2010), published by Ministerios Ligonier 33 chapters Open source Supplementary Read as comparison 2010 translation. Free PCA minister (American text). The Decalogue series' 'Descansa' episode does not teach the WCF 21.7-8 / Directory Sabbath and the second-commandment episodes do not teach exclusive psalmody or Dort art. 69. No Spanish advocate of exclusive psalmody, of the Dort 69 position, of the establishment principle or of...
   • El Catecismo Mayor de Westminster trans. CLIR (2010), published by Ministerios Ligonier 196 questions Open source Supplementary 2010 translation. Free PCA minister (American text). The Decalogue series' 'Descansa' episode does not teach the WCF 21.7-8 / Directory Sabbath and the second-commandment episodes do not teach exclusive psalmody or Dort art. 69. No Spanish advocate of exclusive psalmody, of the Dort 69 position, of the establishment principle or of...
   • El Catecismo Menor de Westminster trans. CLIR (2010), published by Ministerios Ligonier 107 questions Open source Supplementary 2010 translation. Free PCA minister (American text). The Decalogue series' 'Descansa' episode does not teach the WCF 21.7-8 / Directory Sabbath and the second-commandment episodes do not teach exclusive psalmody or Dort art. 69. No Spanish advocate of exclusive psalmody, of the Dort 69 position, of the establishment principle or of...
   • Comentario de la Confesion de Fe de Westminster de la Iglesia Presbiteriana Archibald Alexander Hodge; trans. Plutarco Arellano xxii + 379 pages (414 scanned images); PDF, EPUB and OCR text Open source Supplementary Read as comparison 1897 (Mexico, Imprenta Universal de David C. Smith). Public domain

Every lecture and reading carries its role. "Under review" means the teacher's subscription to the Westminster Standards or the Three Forms of Unity is not yet established; "Read as comparison" means the material teaches the 1788 American text of WCF 20.4, 23 or 31 or of Larger Catechism Q.109, which the school reads beside the 1647 text. Nothing has been removed.