Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary - Theological Distinctives

Theological Distinctives

1. The seminary strictly adheres to the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms and to the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort. In any perceived tension between the Westminster Standards and the Three Forms of Unity, the Westminster Standards are considered to be the final interpretation. The seminary's commitment to what it calls its "theological distinctives" is spelled out in the following words taken from the current Catalog:

“Believing that the Church is constantly in need of a sound ministry, committed to the Bible and the Confessional Standards of the Church, Greenville Seminary is dedicated to the following distinctive principles:

‘Belief in the plenary verbal inspiration of Scripture resulting in an inerrant Word as it was originally given by God, and that it is, therefore, the only infallible rule of faith and practice. As a seminary that takes God’s Word seriously, Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary is committed to instructing men in the original languages of Scripture, so that they can read the original text of the Word. The Seminary emphasizes the proper rules of biblical interpretation. Along with this emphasis, attention is given to the study of textual criticism, so that the student can learn to make sound judgments about the original text of the Word.

‘Belief in the Reformed Faith as set forth in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms. The Seminary stands firmly on these historic standards as they set forth the biblical faith. Full subscription to the whole of these Standards is the Seminary’s position.

‘Belief that the biblical form of Church government is Presbyterianism, which is essential to the well-being of the Church, though not necessary to its being.

‘Belief in the Great Commission as the one and only mission of the Church. Christ gave but one Great Commission to the Church, namely, to evangelize the world and to teach all things that He taught. The Christian, individually and in association with others, has obligations to function in all spheres of life by developing and practicing the full implications of the Christian world and life view in every human relationship and in all aspects of life and society under the Lordship of Christ. The Church, on the other hand, should not presume to enter into spheres of activity where it has neither calling nor competence.’”

Annually all members of the Board of Trustees and all active faculty members, including adjuncts, take the following vow:

“Believing that there is but one, the living and true God, and that there are three persons in the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and that these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory, and with solemn awareness of the accountability to Him in all that we feel, think, say, and do, the undersigned engages in and subscribes to this declaration:

‘All Scripture is self-attesting, and being Truth, requires the human mind wholeheartedly to subject itself in all its activities to the authority of Scripture complete as the Word of God, standing written in the 66 books of the Holy bible, all therein being verbally inspired by Almighty God, and therefore without error in the original autographs.

‘Reformed Theology as set forth in the Westminster Confession of Faith & the Larger and Shorter Catechisms as adopted by the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, is the system of doctrine taught in Scripture, and therefore is to be learned, taught, and proclaimed for the edification and government of Christian people, for the propagation of the faith, and for the evangelization of the world by the power of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

‘And I do solemnly promise and engage not to inculcate, sanction, teach or insinuate anything which shall appear to me to contradict or contravene, either directly or implicitly, any element of that system of doctrine.

‘Now, therefore, the undersigned, in the presence of God, states and signifies that he consents, agrees, and binds himself to all of the foregoing without any reservations whatsoever, and that he further obligates himself immediately to notify in writing the Board of Trustees should a change of any kind take place in his belief and feeling not in accord with this Statement, Amen’”

2. All theological instruction is governed by the Westminster Standards.

3. Students are required to memorize either the Westminster Shorter Catechism or the Heidelberg Catechism.