Tier 2: Confessional

What it means for a church

Scored only against the seeker's chosen lens.

Topics in this tier

This is where each topic sits by default. A particular position on a topic, or a chosen lens, can place it differently.

• Holiness & assurance

  Perseverance, assurance, and standards of conduct.

• Law & gospel

  The role of God's law for the believer.

• Marriage & sexuality

  Marriage and sexual ethics. Default Tier 2; the Reformed lens promotes it to Tier 1.

• Sanctification

  How believers grow in holiness.

• Sex & gender identity

  Sex and gender. Default Tier 2; the Reformed lens promotes it to Tier 1.

• Church government

  How a church is governed.

• Covenant framework

  How a church reads the unity of the Bible.

• Spiritual gifts

  Continuation of the sign gifts.

• Women deacons

  Whether women hold the diaconate.

• Women in leadership

  Who may hold office and preach.

• Age of the earth

  How a church reads the timing of creation. Default tier 2/3: Tier 2 for lenses that bind it, otherwise Tier 3.

• Sovereignty & human responsibility

  Election, grace, and the human will.

• Baptism

  Subjects, mode, and meaning of baptism.

• Lord's Day

  The first day of the week.

• Lord's Supper

  Meaning, frequency, and admission to the Table.

• Worship

  What governs public worship.