The Reformed Church in the United States (RCUS) is a small Christian denomination in the German Reformed theological heritage. The RCUS is descended from German settlers in 18th-century America who originally affiliated with the Dutch Reformed Church (now the Reformed Church in America) but formed their own synod by the end of the century. The 19th century saw controversy as the German Reformed Church debated issues such as revivalism and especially the Mercersburg Theology of John Nevin and Philip Schaff. A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ. ... A religious denomination, (also simply denomination) is a large, long-established subgroup within a religion that has existed for many years. ... The Reformed churches are a group of Protestant denominations historically related by a similar Zwinglian or Calvinist system of doctrine but organizationally independent. ... The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a Calvinist Reformed Protestant denomination that was formerly known as the Dutch Reformed Church. ... A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A German-American theological movement begun in the mid-1800s that is often seen as a reaction to the Revivalism of the same era. ... Philip Schaff (January 1, 1819-1893), was a Swiss-born, German-educated theologian and a historian of the Christian church, who, after his education, lived and taught in the United States. ...

Ecumenical Activity

The twentieth century saw the RCUS move toward ecumenism and higher criticism of the Bible. Some who were more conservative in their theology united to form the Eureka Classis of the RCUS to continue classical Reformed worship and polity. The word ecumenism (also oecumenism, œcumenism) (IPA: ) is derived from the Greek oikoumene, which means the inhabited world. In its broadest meaning ecumenism is the religious initiative towards world-wide unity. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with The Historical-Critical Method. ... The Bible (Hebrew: תנ״ך tanakh, Greek: η Βίβλος hē biblos) (sometimes The Holy Bible, The Book, Word of God, The Word Scripture, Scripture), from Greek (τα) βίβλια, (ta) biblia, (the) books, is the name used by Jews and Christians for their (differing but overlapping) canons of sacred texts. ...

The RCUS merged with the Evangelical Synod of North America in 1934 to form the Evangelical and Reformed Church The Eureka classis continued its existence as the "continuing" Reformed Church in the United States. Later, the Evangelical and Reformed Church merged with the Congregational Christian Churches (itself a combination of Congregational and Restorationist churches) in 1957 to become the United Church of Christ. The Evangelical Synod of North America (originally known as the German Evangelical Synod of North America) was a denominational body of Protestant churches in the United States existing from the mid-1800s until its 1934 merger with the Reformed Church in the United States to form the Evangelical and Reformed... The Evangelical and Reformed Church was an American Protestant denomination formed in 1934 by the merger of the Reformed Church in the United States (aka the German Reformed Church) with the Evangelical Synod of North America (itself formed by a union of Lutheran and German Reformed churches in 1840). ... Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation indepedently and autonomously runs its own affairs. ... Congregational churches are Protestant Christian churches practicing congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation indepedently and autonomously runs its own affairs. ... For information related to Dispensational Christian views regarding Jewish people in the End times see Restorationism The Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement (or simply, Restoration Movement) is a religious reform movement born in the early 1800s in the United States. ... Emblem of the UCC The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States, generally considered within the Reformed tradition, and formed in 1957 by the merger of two denominations, the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches. ...

The Current RCUS

The present RCUS is one of the most conservative denominations in the United States. There are around fifty congregations with about five thousand members across the country. The old RCUS as well as the continuing RCUS originally held only to the Heidelberg Catechism as its statement of faith, but the 1995 Synod meeting officially adopted the Belgic Confession of Faith and the Canons of Dordt, which along with Heidelberg are known as the Three Forms of Unity. By holding strictly to these standards, the RCUS maintains a strong Calvinism. The Heidelberg Catechism is a document taking the form of a series of questions and answers, for use in teaching Reformed Christian doctrine. ... The Confession of Faith, popularly known as the Belgic Confession, following the seventeenth-century Latin designation Confessio Belgica. ... The Canons of Dort is one of the confessional standards of the Netherlands. ... Historic creeds of the Reformed Churches developed during the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation. ... Calvinism is a system of Christian theology and an approach to Christian life and thought, articulated by John Calvin, a Protestant Reformer in the 16th century, and subsequently by successors, associates, followers and admirers of Calvin and his interpretation of Scripture. ...

The Reformed Church in the United States is a member of the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council as well as the International Conference of Reformed Churches. The International Conference of Reformed Churches is a federation of calvinist churches in several continents. ...

External links

• Reformed Church in the United States Official homepage