Back to Protestant Movements Overview Confessions & Catechisms

Creeds for a protesting movement.

Protestants rejected some inherited authorities, then wrote confessions and catechisms to define what they taught. From Augsburg and Geneva to Dort and Westminster, these documents became the public boundaries of each tradition. This page maps the confessions and their uses.

Protestant ClaimConfessions summarize the church's reading of Scripture and guard teaching without claiming the pope's infallibility.

Main ReceiptsAugsburg Confession, Geneva Catechism, Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic Confession, Canons of Dort, Westminster Standards.

Live DisputeAre confessions binding? Can they be revised? Traditions differ, and some Protestant groups reject confessions altogether.

Component Map

Six pieces that have to be kept distinct.

Augsburg ConfessionThe 1530 Lutheran statement of faith, still central to Lutheran identity.

Reformed ConfessionsGeneva, Scots, Belgic, and Heidelberg documents express the Reformed family's theology.

Anglican FormulariesThe Thirty-Nine Articles and the Book of Common Prayer define Anglican doctrine and worship.

Westminster StandardsThe Confession, Larger Catechism, and Shorter Catechism shaped English-speaking Reformed faith.

CatechismsSmall Catechism, Geneva Catechism, Heidelberg Catechism, and Westminster catechisms teach doctrine in question-and-answer form.

Using ConfessionsConfessions are subordinate to Scripture and are designed to be tested, taught, and subscribed.

Receipt Trail

Start here before drawing conclusions.

Augsburg ConfessionThe founding Lutheran confession and the model of political-theological self-defense.

Heidelberg CatechismA warm pastoral Reformed catechism organized around guilt, grace, and gratitude.

Westminster Confession and CatechismsThe summit of English-speaking Reformed confessional theology.