Suscripción al confesionario

Strict subscription, sometimes called "full subscription", means that subscribers must agree to everything in the confession, without exception. This was the original approach in the Church of Scotland: in 1693, it required all ministers to affirm, "I do sincerely own and declare the above Confession of Faith... to be a Confession of my faith, and that I own the doctrine contained therein to be the true doctrine." However, minor reservations regarding government and church/state relations were allowed.^[3] In 1711, this was changed to requiring that ministers believe "the whole doctrine of the Confession... to be the truths of God, contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments".^[4] In 1889, this was changed back to something very similar to the original wording: "I declare the Confession of Faith ... to be the Confession of my faith."^[5][6]

A good faith subscription allows subscribers to make certain exceptions to things according to confessional standards. In presbyterian denominations, these exceptions are normally approved by a presbytery. This is the position of the Presbyterian Church in America, adopted in 2002.^[7] Its Book of Common Order says,^[8]

The court may grant an exception to any difference of doctrine only if, in the court’s judgment, the applicant’s declared difference is not in accord with any fundamental of our system of doctrine because the difference is neither hostile to the system nor strikes at the vitals of religion.

In a system subscription (sometimes called "loose subscription"), a subscriber is required to agree with the "system of doctrine" of the confessional standard. According to Morton H. Smith, "System subscription holds to the adoption of all the fundamental and essential doctrines of the system. Other expressions of the Confessions and Catechisms are not considered essential to the system of doctrine as a matter of indifference, whether the ordinand adopts them or not."^[9]

This was the approach adopted by the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America from its founding in 1789: ministers promised to "sincerely receive and adopt the confession of faith of this church, as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Holy Scriptures."^[10] This is still the form of vow used in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.^[11]

Charles Hodge señaló que la frase «sistema de doctrina» se interpretaba de tres maneras distintas: (1) «cada proposición de la Confesión» (equivalente a la suscripción estricta descrita anteriormente); (2) las doctrinas «propias de» las iglesias reformadas ; (3) las «doctrinas esenciales del cristianismo». Respecto a la primera, Hodge argumentó que «tal regla de interpretación jamás podrá llevarse a cabo en la práctica sin dividir a la Iglesia en innumerables fragmentos. Es imposible que un cuerpo de varios miles de ministros y ancianos piense de la misma manera sobre todos los temas que abarca una fórmula de fe tan extensa y minuciosa». ^{[ 12 ]} La tercera, afirmó, «se ha intentado y se ha comprobado que produce el mayor desorden y contienda». Por lo tanto, Hodge concluyó que la única interpretación viable era la segunda. ^{[ 13 ]}