Statement of faith
The school’s doctrinal standard is the Westminster Standards in the 1647 text and the Three Forms of Unity. All teaching conforms to them.
The doctrinal standard
We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the Word of God, the only rule of faith and obedience. We receive the following confessions as faithful summaries of the doctrine taught in Scripture:
The Westminster Standards, 1647 text
- The Westminster Confession of Faith, as adopted by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1647.
- The Larger Catechism and the Shorter Catechism.
The school teaches the 1647 text, not the American revision of 1788. Where the two differ (chapters 20.4, 23.3 and 31, and Larger Catechism 109), the reader shows the difference beside the text.
The Three Forms of Unity
- The Belgic Confession, in its original 1561/1619 text, including the unrevised article 36 on the civil magistrate.
- The Heidelberg Catechism.
- The Canons of Dort (1618-1619). Their text will be added to the reader.
Documents studied as our heritage
These documents are studied in the courses as part of the tradition, under the standard above: the Scots Confession (1560), the First and Second Books of Discipline, the Directory for Public Worship, the Form of Presbyterial Church Government, the National Covenant, the Solemn League and Covenant, the Church Order of Dort (1619), the Second Helvetic Confession and the Gallican Confession.
Where the two traditions differ
The Scottish and continental churches agree on the substance of the faith but differ on some points of practice. The school names these openly and has taken a position on each:
| Point | Scottish (1647 line) | Continental (Three Forms line) |
|---|---|---|
| Songs of worship | Exclusive psalmody, unaccompanied | Psalms, with the songs allowed by Church Order of Dort art. 69 |
| Holy days | Rejected (Directory, appendix) | Christmas, Easter and Pentecost kept (Church Order of Dort art. 67) |
| The Sabbath | Whole-day rest, recreations forbidden (WCF 21.7-8) | Rest and worship (Heidelberg Lord’s Day 38) |
| The civil magistrate | WCF 23.3 and 31.2 (1647) | The original Belgic article 36 |
| Liturgy | Free prayer guided by the Directory | Fixed liturgical forms |
Songs of worship: the school teaches both perspectives. Exclusive psalmody and the practice of Dort art. 69 are each presented from their own best advocates, and students are not bound to one.
The civil magistrate: the establishment principle of the Free Church and the political dissent of the Covenanters are both taught as positions held under the 1647 text of chapter 23.
On the order of the decrees, and between Cocceius and Voetius, both positions stand within Westminster chapter 3 and the first head of Dort.
Students
Students affirm this statement of faith when they enroll in a program. Teachers whose material is used to teach doctrine subscribe to the Westminster Standards or the Three Forms, or are historic divines of that line. See the confessional policy for sources.