Fort Square Presbyterian
Church is part of the Boston Presbytery of the
Presbyterian Church (USA). We have recently become amongst those who
have signed the "Declaration of Faith" as we seek to see renewal of
Biblical theology in our denomination.
The Presbyterian Church (USA) comes out of a long heritage that
originates
in the Protestant Reformation with the teaching of Martin
Luther and
John Calvin. Luther's emphasis on justification by grace through faith
alone has always been a foundation of Presbyterian teaching. In
addition, the Presbyterian Church has long emphasized the uniqueness of
the Scriptures as the unique authority in the church and for our faith.
John Calvin is
known for two aspects of his teaching. The first is an
emphasis on the sovereignty of God, that is that God is a God who is in
control and has a plan and purpose for his children and his church. The
second is the belief that our faith should affect every area of our
life; that is, what we believe should affect everything we do,
including our family, business and public life.
John Knox
established the Presbyterian Church in Scotland, bringing a
form of government to the church that establishes elders as leaders in
the local church and clergy as "teaching" elders. Local churches relate
to one another by being part of a larger body "the presbytery", a
regional group called "the synod" and "the general assembly", a
national gathering.
The Presbyterian Church
has long been a "confessional" church, using
agreed upon confessions as subordinate authorities to the Scripture as
a means of communicating common truth understood by Presbyterians.
Originally fathered around the Westminster
Confession and Westminster Catechisms,
the Presbyterian Book of Confessions now includes confessions from the Apostles'
Creed to contemporary expressions of "the faith once
delivered to the saints."
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