When it comes to books I am usually reading more than just one at a time. Perhaps this is ADD, but regardless, I just can't seem to read one at a time. This is in addition to my almost daily Bible readings. I just finished the book of Ezra today and it brought to mind the question what does it mean to be Reformed? I am a member of the PCA but it seems that even conservative Presbyterians don't seem to be very Presbyterian any more. It used to be that Presbyterians were Presbyterian not because they were sectarian but because they actually believed that to be the best Christian was in fact to be Presbyterian and Reformed. At a minimum this meant subscribing to the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Shorter and Larger Catechisms. So, what, if anything, does it mean to be Reformed or Presbyterian today? I have a few simple questions that I believe would go along way in answering the question "is my church Reformed or is it merely a Baptist church that baptizes babies?". In point of fact, most PCA churches are exactly that. So, I pose the following questions as a simple test of whether or not (or to what extent) your church is Reformed and Presbyterian:
1. What percentage of your church membership has actually read the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms?
2. How many in your church could actually give the Catechism answer in defining sin?
3. How many in your church could name the Ten Commandments) and can tell you where to find them in the Bible?
4. How many in your church can recite the Apostles' Creed (or even know what it is for that matter)?
5. How many in your church know the acronym TULIP, can explain what each letter stands for, and why it is important?
6. How many in your church can give any Biblical reason for why we baptize infants?
7. How many in your church know the difference between deacons and elders?
8. How many in your church know the three offices of Christ?
9. How many in your church know the threefold use of the Law of God? (I know I am pushing the envelope with this one but I couldn't make the test too easy, now could I?)
10. How many in your church can recite the Lord's prayer?
11. How many in your church can discuss any of the "Solas" of the Reformation and why they are significant in the Christian life?
I could go on, but believe this would be a good start to answering the question of whether or not your church is Reformed or Presbyterian. If the answer is no for most of your congregants (which I suspect it is) then I say you should not call yourself a Reformed or Presbyterian church, because if you do you are not only lying to yourselves, but lying to the rest of the world who might actually take english seriously. A good term for this used to be hypocrisy, or claiming to be something you are not. But, of course, lies no longer matter in the Christian life, or Truth for that matter, because all that matters is the story, right?
Finally, ask yourself the same questions above but about the leadership of your church. How many of the elders and deacons at your church (assuming you have them) could answer any of those questions? If they can't, then is it any wonder that our congregations are at a loss? The real question is not whether we claim to be Reformed (or Christian), but whether the label actual fits the reality in our heads, our hearts, and our hands. But it all starts with the head. For if Reformed means nothing else it at least means subscribing to the classic Reformed confessions of faith. Without that we may be Christian, but certainly not Reformed. And, to be Christian without being Reformed is to be a sort of "spiritual retard" if you will. That term is not meant to be disrespectful to retards, but simply to point out that if in fact to be Reformed is to be the most truly Christian (and I believe it is), then to be less than Reformed is to have a distorted understanding of Christianity, and thus to be something less than a Biblical Christian. Note, I am not saying non-Reformed Christians aren't going to heaven just that they have a distorted view of what it means to be Christian.
I realize that is not PC but I really don't care about being PC. I care about the truth, and the truth is what it is. So, before you go judging my conclusions it might be good if you actually took a minute and considered the merits of the Reformed faith for yourself. If the Reformed faith is true, then you have an obligation before God to believe it (uh, oh, there I go again using logic!). If not, well then you have an obligation to reject it. Either way, if this entry gets you to think a little about your faith then I have succeeded in bringing about some good. By the way, just for the record, the first commandment is not "Thou shalt be nice to thy neighbor" even though that is pretty much the only "sin" most Christians these days do seem to believe in. "Love your neighbor" and "being nice to your neighbor" are not the same things. If you don't realize that, then perhaps you need to stop blogging, and look up a few words in Webster's Dictionary. That is, of course, assuming you believe words have any meaning at all and that you actually own a dictionary. If not, add one to next year's Christmas list.
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