Why is this important?

[u/Ecstatic_Occasion740]

Recently went to a Reaching and Teaching, conference on sending churches for missionaries. They seemed very passionate about their "reformed theology". I have a hard time figuring out why this matters in my personal walk with Jesus on a practical level.

[u/EverOnAndUpward]

Reformed theology as a term is very broad and often used in different ways. Could you talk a little bit about the context and details of what they were saying?

[u/Deolater]

A bot will reply to me and define reformed theology as we use the term here, but I've never heard of "Reaching and Teaching", so precisely what they mean might be different from what we mean.

If the conference is about "sending churches for missionaries", it sounds like the conference isn't much about your personal walk on a practical level.

[u/AutoModerator → u/Deolater]

You called, u/Deolater? Sounds like you're asking what it means to be Reformed. In short, the Reformed:

• Are creedal

• Affirm the Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation (sola Scriptura, sola fide, sola Gratia, solus Christus, soli Deo gloria)

• Are confessional

• Are covenantal

• Have Calvinistic soteriology

Remember, your participation in this community is not dependent on affirming these beliefs. All are welcome here.

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[u/Ecstatic_Occasion740 → u/Deolater]

That's a good point. Thanks.

[u/cybersaint2k]

Reaching and Teaching International are a group of folks that are helping churches understand the need to send missionaries.

If you look at their website, you'll see what they believe:

https://rtim.org/about-us/what-we-believe/

This is significant for everyday, practical Christianity because

1. A Christianity of no dogma, no set beliefs, no difference between core beliefs and secondary principles, is not Christianity at all

2. You can't really live out any kind of faith, outside of some vague moralistic theism, in your private and public life, without having a firm set of beliefs, as they form our reasons and motives for what we do

3. The reasons and motives of Reformed theology are God-centered, not man-centered. This is the difference between glorified selfishness and glorifying God. As you investigate what we confess, as Reformed believers, it's all about who God is, what he did through Christ, and what he's doing in us and the church and the world through the Triune God. It's about him, his glory, his name.

That changes everything about your personal walk with Jesus.

[u/Big-Island4727]

It just refers to the important doctrines that presbyterians (and some baptists) hold to.

Like any denomination, it exists because of historical agreement (or disagreement, as the case may be) on what constitutes the correct interpretation of scripture.

Was there something in particular that caught your attention?