Explaining why the Church of Scotland is issuing its first Book of Confessions

The Rev. Kristin Hutson and the Rev. Joseph Morrow at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Downtown Chicago. Photo: Gerald Farinas.

The Church of Scotland, our motherchurch as Presbyterians, is making a historic change, publishing a new Book of Confessions that redefines its core doctrinal standards.

This decision marks a significant shift away from the Westminster Confession of Faith being the sole, foundational expression of its beliefs. It's a move to provide a more comprehensive and accessible account of Christian faith for the 21st century.

Why the change from a single confession?

For centuries, the Westminster Confession of Faith, written in the 1640s, served as the principal "subordinate standard" of the Church of Scotland, meaning it was the main document that expressed the Church's understanding of what the Bible taught. However, relying only on this single document became increasingly problematic in the modern world.

First, the Westminster Confession, though a remarkable summary of Reformed theology, is very long, detailed, and uses language from nearly 400 years ago. Many ministers, elders, and ordinary members found it difficult to read, understand, or assent to in full. Requiring new church officers to agree with such a dense, historical document was seen as a barrier rather than a clear statement of common belief.

Second, certain specific doctrines within the Westminster Confession have caused long-standing disagreement among modern Christians. A primary example is the detailed teaching on predestination, which some feel presents God’s scope of salvation in a way that is too narrow or limiting compared to the full message of Scripture.

Additionally, some statements in the Westminster Confession were explicitly written to oppose the beliefs of the 17th-century Roman Catholic Church, such as the claim that the Pope is the Antichrist, which are now viewed as outdated and unhelpful for ecumenical discussion. This acknowledges that the Pope is now, in a modern context, an elder like their own elders—not an enemy of the Church.

The new Book of Confessions, by setting the Westminster document alongside others, affirms that the ultimate authority remains the Word of God in Scripture, not any single human-made interpretation.

PCUSA made a similar move decades ago

Our own denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA), undertook a similar, pivotal change decades ago.

In 1967, one of the predecessor denominations to the PCUSA, the United Presbyterian Church in the USA, officially adopted its own Book of Confessions. 

Like the current situation in Scotland, this change in the US was driven by a desire to address the limitations of the Westminster Confession as a sole, defining statement for the church in the modern era.

At the time, the Church felt a need for a fresh statement that spoke directly to 20th-century problems like racism, war, and poverty, which led to the creation of the Confession of 1967.

Crucially, the decision to adopt a Book of Confessions, rather than just a single confession, was a move toward ecumenical unity.

It was a way to affirm that Presbyterian faith is not merely a 17th-century product but is rooted in the faith of the universal church.

This meant officially including ancient statements like the Nicene Creed and the Apostles' Creed alongside the historic Reformed documents.

The preface to a later document in the Book, the Brief Statement of Faith (1990), even explicitly notes its intention to confess the Catholic faith. 

Moving closer to the universal Christian faith

For both the PCUSA and now the Church of Scotland, adopting a Book of Confessions moves the Church closer to the faith of the wider, universal Church, including the Catholic faith—by reaching back to shared, ancient heritage.

By giving the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed an official place of importance, both churches affirm that their life is rooted in the fundamental Christian faith that has been held by believers across all traditions for two thousand years. 

These two creeds state the essential core doctrines shared by almost all Christians worldwide, such as the belief in the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), the Incarnation (Jesus as fully God and fully human), and the Resurrection.

This ecumenical approach emphasizes what all Christians hold in common, helping to bridge the theological divide that has existed since the Reformation.

In the end, this is just a step bringing us closer to bringing the one holy Catholic and apostolic Church together again.