South Park
Presbyterian Church
1501 30th Street,
Rock Island, IL 61201
Click [map] to our location
Church Office Hours:
8:00 am - 4:00 pm Mon - Thurs
8:00 am - Noon Friday
Phone: (309) 786-6466
Fax: (309) 786-6470
Click [Web Site Map]
Daily Upper Room
Devotional www.upperroom.org/daily/
South Park Presbyterian Church is a congregation
of
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) www.pcusa.org
The Presbytery
of Great Rivers www.greatriverspby.org
The
Synod of Lincoln Trails www.lincolntrails.org
and is affiliated with
Churches United of the Quad
Cities www.churchesunited.net
Online
community website: www.webjam.com/southpark_pcusa
A Brief Statement of Faith
More About A Brief Statement of Faith from the Book of Confessions, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
In 1983, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was formed by the reunion
of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America and
the Presbyterian Church in the United States. Integral to reunion was the
preparation of a brief statement of faith. While recognizing realities of
diversity and disagreement in both the church and the world, members
of the drafting committee sought to articulate Presbyterians’ common
identity.
Early in its discussions, the committee decided to write a statement of
faith that could be used in worship. The committee drew extensively on
the documents in the Book of Confessions and on Scripture for its formulations,
and arranged them within a trinitarian framework.
The Brief Statement of Faith (statement) is distinctive in several respects.
Unlike the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, which move directly
from Jesus’ birth to his death, the statement emphasizes the significance
of Jesus’ ministry in Judea and Galilee. The Brief Statement of Faith emphasizes
gender-inclusiveness. It underscores the role of both men and
women in God’s covenant, uses feminine as well as masculine imagery
of God, and affirms ordination of both women and men. The statement
also expresses concern for the integrity of God’s creation.
Affirming at its beginning that “In life and death we belong to God”
(10.1, line 1) and, at its end, that “nothing in life or in death can separate
us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord,” (10.05, lines 78, 79)
The Brief Statement concludes liturgically with the church’s familiar
doxology of praise and thanksgiving.
In 1983 the two largest Presbyterian churches in the United States reunited.
The Plan for Reunion called for the preparation of a brief statement
of the Reformed faith for possible inclusion in the Book of Confessions.
This statement is therefore not intended to stand alone, apart from the
other confessions of our church. It does not pretend to be a complete list
of all our beliefs, nor does it explain any of them in detail. It is designed
to be confessed by the whole congregation in the setting of public worship,
and it may also serve pastors and teachers as an aid to Christian instruction.
It celebrates our rediscovery that for all our undoubted diversity,
we are bound together by a common faith and a common task.
The faith we confess unites us with the one, universal church. The most
important beliefs of Presbyterians are those we share with other Christians,
and especially with other evangelical Christians who look to the
Protestant Reformation as a renewal of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Diversity
remains. But we are thankful that in our time the many churches
are learning to accept, and even to affirm, diversity without divisiveness,
since the whole counsel of God is more than the wisdom of any individual
or any one tradition. The Spirit of Truth gives new light to the
churches when they are willing to become pupils together of the Word of
God. This statement therefore intends to confess the catholic faith.
We are convinced that to the Reformed churches a distinctive vision of
the catholic faith has been entrusted for the good of the whole church. Accordingly,
“A Brief Statement of Faith” includes the major themes of the
Reformed tradition (such as those mentioned in the Book of Order, Form
of Government, Chapter 2),2 without claiming them as our private possession,
just as we ourselves hope to learn and to share the wisdom and
insight given to traditions other than our own. And as a confession that
seeks to be both catholic and Reformed, the statement (following the
apostle’s blessing in 2 Cor. 13:14) is a trinitarian confession in which the
grace of Jesus Christ has first place as the foundation of our knowledge
of God’s sovereign love and our life together in the Holy Spirit.
No confession of faith looks merely to the past; every confession seeks
to cast the light of a priceless heritage on the needs of the present moment,
and so to shape the future. Reformed confessions, in particular,
when necessary even reform the tradition itself in the light of the Word
of God. From the first, the Reformed churches have insisted that the renewal
of the church must become visible in the transformation of human
lives and societies. Hence “A Brief Statement of Faith” lifts up concerns
that call most urgently for the church’s attention in our time. The church
is not a refuge from the world; an elect people is chosen for the blessing
of the nations. A sound confession, therefore, proves itself as it nurtures
commitment to the church’s mission, and as the confessing church itself
becomes the body by which Christ continues the blessing of his earthly
ministry.
1The preface and the appendix do not have confessional authority.
2The appendix provides cross-references that will enable the reader to place the affirmations
of “A Brief Statement of Faith” in the context of the Reformed tradition.
The writers of “A Brief Statement of Faith” have endeavored to establish
this confession on the broad base of Scripture as a whole and the consensus
of Reformed theology, not upon isolated or particular texts either
in Scripture or theology.
These cross-references identify sources that have significantly shaped
the specific part of the faith being confessed at the lines indicated. They
show the congruence of “A Brief Statement of Faith” with the teachings
of the Scriptures and of earlier confessional documents. They point to
only a selected few of the passages and contexts that congregations could
study in comparing the ways the faith has been re-confessed in diverse
historical situations.
The verse references and abbreviations for books of the Bible are based
on the Revised Standard Version. Biblical passages are listed in the order
of their occurrence in the English Bible, except that the parallel passages
from the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) have been
grouped together. Portions of the verses cited in italics are quoted or
closely paraphrased in “A Brief Statement of Faith.”
Documents in the Book of Confessions are abbreviated as follows: NC,
Nicene Creed; AC, Apostles’ Creed; SC, Scots Confession; HC, Heidelberg
Catechism; SHC, Second Helvetic Confession; WCF, Westminster
Confession of Faith [numbered according to the edition used by the former
United Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)]; WSC, Westminster Shorter
Catechism; WLC, Westminster Larger Catechism; BD, Theological Declaration
of Barmen; C67, Confession of 1967.
Citations are listed in the order of their occurrence in the Book of
Confessions.
In 1983, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was formed by the reunion
of the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America and
the Presbyterian Church in the United States. Integral to reunion was the
preparation of a brief statement of faith. While recognizing realities of
diversity and disagreement in both the church and the world, members
of the drafting committee sought to articulate Presbyterians’ common
identity.
Early in its discussions, the committee decided to write a statement of
faith that could be used in worship. The committee drew extensively on
the documents in the Book of Confessions and on Scripture for its formulations,
and arranged them within a trinitarian framework.
The Brief Statement of Faith (statement) is distinctive in several respects.
Unlike the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, which move directly
from Jesus’ birth to his death, the statement emphasizes the significance
of Jesus’ ministry in Judea and Galilee. The Brief Statement of Faith emphasizes
gender-inclusiveness. It underscores the role of both men and
women in God’s covenant, uses feminine as well as masculine imagery
of God, and affirms ordination of both women and men. The statement
also expresses concern for the integrity of God’s creation.
Affirming at its beginning that “In life and death we belong to God”
(10.1, line 1) and, at its end, that “nothing in life or in death can separate
us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord,” (10.05, lines 78, 79)
The Brief Statement concludes liturgically with the church’s familiar
doxology of praise and thanksgiving.
PREFACE 1
TO
A BRIEF STATEMENT OF FAITH
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.)
TO
A BRIEF STATEMENT OF FAITH
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.)
In 1983 the two largest Presbyterian churches in the United States reunited.
The Plan for Reunion called for the preparation of a brief statement
of the Reformed faith for possible inclusion in the Book of Confessions.
This statement is therefore not intended to stand alone, apart from the
other confessions of our church. It does not pretend to be a complete list
of all our beliefs, nor does it explain any of them in detail. It is designed
to be confessed by the whole congregation in the setting of public worship,
and it may also serve pastors and teachers as an aid to Christian instruction.
It celebrates our rediscovery that for all our undoubted diversity,
we are bound together by a common faith and a common task.
The faith we confess unites us with the one, universal church. The most
important beliefs of Presbyterians are those we share with other Christians,
and especially with other evangelical Christians who look to the
Protestant Reformation as a renewal of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Diversity
remains. But we are thankful that in our time the many churches
are learning to accept, and even to affirm, diversity without divisiveness,
since the whole counsel of God is more than the wisdom of any individual
or any one tradition. The Spirit of Truth gives new light to the
churches when they are willing to become pupils together of the Word of
God. This statement therefore intends to confess the catholic faith.
We are convinced that to the Reformed churches a distinctive vision of
the catholic faith has been entrusted for the good of the whole church. Accordingly,
“A Brief Statement of Faith” includes the major themes of the
Reformed tradition (such as those mentioned in the Book of Order, Form
of Government, Chapter 2),2 without claiming them as our private possession,
just as we ourselves hope to learn and to share the wisdom and
insight given to traditions other than our own. And as a confession that
seeks to be both catholic and Reformed, the statement (following the
apostle’s blessing in 2 Cor. 13:14) is a trinitarian confession in which the
grace of Jesus Christ has first place as the foundation of our knowledge
of God’s sovereign love and our life together in the Holy Spirit.
No confession of faith looks merely to the past; every confession seeks
to cast the light of a priceless heritage on the needs of the present moment,
and so to shape the future. Reformed confessions, in particular,
when necessary even reform the tradition itself in the light of the Word
of God. From the first, the Reformed churches have insisted that the renewal
of the church must become visible in the transformation of human
lives and societies. Hence “A Brief Statement of Faith” lifts up concerns
that call most urgently for the church’s attention in our time. The church
is not a refuge from the world; an elect people is chosen for the blessing
of the nations. A sound confession, therefore, proves itself as it nurtures
commitment to the church’s mission, and as the confessing church itself
becomes the body by which Christ continues the blessing of his earthly
ministry.
1The preface and the appendix do not have confessional authority.
2The appendix provides cross-references that will enable the reader to place the affirmations
of “A Brief Statement of Faith” in the context of the Reformed tradition.
APPENDIX
TO
A BRIEF STATEMENT OF FAITH—
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.)
Cross-Reference
TO
A BRIEF STATEMENT OF FAITH—
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH (U.S.A.)
Cross-Reference
The writers of “A Brief Statement of Faith” have endeavored to establish
this confession on the broad base of Scripture as a whole and the consensus
of Reformed theology, not upon isolated or particular texts either
in Scripture or theology.
These cross-references identify sources that have significantly shaped
the specific part of the faith being confessed at the lines indicated. They
show the congruence of “A Brief Statement of Faith” with the teachings
of the Scriptures and of earlier confessional documents. They point to
only a selected few of the passages and contexts that congregations could
study in comparing the ways the faith has been re-confessed in diverse
historical situations.
The verse references and abbreviations for books of the Bible are based
on the Revised Standard Version. Biblical passages are listed in the order
of their occurrence in the English Bible, except that the parallel passages
from the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) have been
grouped together. Portions of the verses cited in italics are quoted or
closely paraphrased in “A Brief Statement of Faith.”
Documents in the Book of Confessions are abbreviated as follows: NC,
Nicene Creed; AC, Apostles’ Creed; SC, Scots Confession; HC, Heidelberg
Catechism; SHC, Second Helvetic Confession; WCF, Westminster
Confession of Faith [numbered according to the edition used by the former
United Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)]; WSC, Westminster Shorter
Catechism; WLC, Westminster Larger Catechism; BD, Theological Declaration
of Barmen; C67, Confession of 1967.
Citations are listed in the order of their occurrence in the Book of
Confessions.
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