The Westminster Standards for Today

The Westminster Standards—the 1649 Confession of Faith, the Larger and Shorter Catechism—are presented here in a lightly modernized English, intended to allow the twenty-first century reader to grasp the meaning of the original without introducing any changes. In addition, the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, Athanasian Creed and Definition of the Council of Chalcedon are included.

Essays to help the reader understand the importance of the Westminster Standards are also included:

Extraordinary Providences of an Enduring Standard (Richard D Phillips).

The Westminster Standards in the Making: Stanley Gower, a Westminster Divine (Kevin J Bidwell)

The Westminster Standards and Public Worship (David E Gilbert)

The Westminster Standards and the Christian Sabbath (George Swinnock, with an introduction by Kevin J Bidwell)

The Westminster Standards and the Sacraments (Andy J Young)

The Westminster Standards and Family Worship: Maintaining True Religion in the Home (Chad T Bailey)

The Westminster Standards and Church Government (Guy Prentiss Waters)

As Joel Beeke says in his Preface to this book: The God-centered Christianity summarized in the Westminster Standards energizes the worship, holiness, and missions of Reformed Christians to this day. Therefore, it is a delight to see this volume come to print May God use the modernized English edition of the Westminster Standards to help new generations to embrace their heritage of Reformation truth derived from God’s holy word.

Endorsements:

When I was being trained for the ministry I was required to render a portion of the Westminster Standards into modern English. As a test of comprehension and communication the assignment was much harder than first appeared. This volume is the product of similar pains, and those who find the Standards more intelligible as a result have a debt of thanks to pay! That debt will double as readers discover the second part of the book: scholarly reflections urging the best of puritan piety for the good of the church today. Easy-to-read texts and need-to-read essays: seize the opportunity to deepen your faith!
Rev. Dr Chad Van Dixhoorn

An updated edition of a classic standard might be a daunting task. While we hesitate to dub the fine college of authors of this volume ‘The Westminster Divines 2.0,’ we can heartily endorse this work and commend it to churches and leaders. Indeed, it is faithful to the original‚ both a compliment to the original authors‚ faithfulness and to these latter disciples, separated by many generations and miles but virtually indistinguishable in substance and heartbeat. For this we are profoundly grateful. Both the essays and the editorial work are fine contributions to the church.
David W. Hall, Sr. Pastor Midway Presbyterian Church and author of Windows on Wesminster

If anyone doubts the ongoing significance of the 17th¬century Westminster Standards, let them dip into this outstanding work that brings this classic document into words that suit the 21st-century. The introductory articles are in themselves worth the price of the book. While relativism and contemporary queries confuse reality, the solid truths of God’s infallible Word as clearly formulated in the works of the Westminster divines continue to stand the test of time.
O Palmer Robertson