Savoy Declaration facts for kids
The Savoy Declaration is an important document created by a group of Christian churches called Congregationalists. It's like a rulebook or a statement of what they believe and how they organize their churches. Its full name is A Declaration of the Faith and Order owned and practised in the Congregational Churches in England.
This declaration was written in October 1658. It was put together by English Independents and Congregationalists. They met at a place called the Savoy Hospital in London to create it.
How the Savoy Declaration Was Made
The meeting where the Savoy Declaration was created is known as the Savoy Assembly. This meeting lasted for about eleven or twelve days, starting on October 12, 1658. It's important not to confuse it with another meeting called the Savoy Conference that happened a few years later.
Many people attended the Savoy Assembly. Representatives from over one hundred independent churches were there. Most of these representatives were regular church members, not just church leaders.
Two important leaders helped create the declaration: Thomas Goodwin and John Owen. They were part of a special committee of six religious scholars chosen to write the statement of faith.
The writers looked at other church documents for ideas. They were influenced by the Cambridge Platform. This was a statement about how churches should be run, created by Congregational churches in New England. They also used the Westminster Confession of Faith from 1647 as a main guide. This Westminster Confession was a major statement of beliefs for the Church of England.
What the Savoy Declaration Says
Thomas Goodwin, who also helped write the Westminster Confession of Faith, saw the Savoy Declaration as an updated version of it. He thought it was the "latest and best" statement of their beliefs.
The people who wrote the Savoy Declaration mostly kept the same religious definitions as the Westminster Confession. They made only a few small changes. The biggest changes were to the parts about how churches should be governed.
The main goal of the Savoy Assembly was to confirm the theology (religious beliefs) found in the Westminster Confession. However, they added a brand new chapter. This chapter was called Of the Gospel, and of the Extent of the Grace Thereof.
Other changes included replacing two chapters from the Westminster Confession, chapters 30 and 31. These new chapters focused on Congregational church government. They clearly stated that local churches should be independent and make their own decisions.
The Savoy Declaration also added specific words to chapter 11, which is about "Justification." It included the words "Christ's active obedience." This made it clear that both Christ's active and passive obedience were needed for a person to be considered righteous by God.
