Are There Any Protestants?

WHAT IT MEANS

And now in fact and in truth what does this word “Protestant” mean? By the open evidence of the plain story— ATAP 3.7

It means protest against the burning or otherwise destroying of either the men or the writings of the men who are found to disagree in religion or faith with other men either in a church or a state. ATAP 3.8

It means protest against arbitrary and unjust procedure of ecclesiastical combines. ATAP 3.9

It means protest against any denunciation or condemnation of men in their absence, and without their being heard. ATAP 3.10

It means protest against any alliance or connection whatever between the ecclesiastical and the civil power. ATAP 3.11

It means protest against any assertion or claim of any power or right of any majority in matters of religion or faith. ATAP 3.12

It means protest against any intrusion whatever of the civil power, under whatever plea, in any matter that in any way partakes of religion or faith. ATAP 3.13

It means protest against all arbitrary authority of the church under whatever form, name or claim. ATAP 3.14

In this is means protest against any exercise of ecclesiastical authority or power in any other wise than only by the ministry of the word of God. ATAP 3.15

It means protest against any restriction whatever, or any kind, on the full preaching of the word of God, even on “controverted points,” to every creature everywhere and always. ATAP 3.16

It means protest against any restriction whatever, of any kind, on the full and free exercise and enjoyment of the right of any individual at any time to embrace any doctrine that he may choose to believe. ATAP 3.17

It proclaims and defends the full and complete liberty of every individual, himself alone. ATAP 3.18

In this it proclaims and defends the perfect individuality of every soul. ATAP 3.19

And in this it proclaims and defends the sole and complete responsibility of the individual soul to God only, in all things pertaining to religion or faith. ATAP 3.20

It rests in an proclaims the word of God alone, as in the Bible of the Old and New Testaments as all-sufficient in all things pertaining to religion and faith. ATAP 3.21

That, all of that, and nothing less than that, in truth and in fact, is what the word “Protestant” means. And that is what the Federal Council of churches repudiated when it repudiated the word “Protestant.” ATAP 3.22