TheThree Forms of Unity is a collective name for theBelgic Confession, theCanons of Dort, and theHeidelberg Catechism, which reflect the doctrinal concerns ofcontinental Calvinism and are accepted as official statements of doctrine by many Calvinist churches.

From 1618 to 1619, the Dutch government on behalf of theDutch Reformed Church, called and convened theSynod of Dort. Dutch delegates, along with twenty-seven Calvinist representatives from eight other countries, met at thisSynod of Dort, where they collectively summarized their views in what was called the "Canons of Dort".^[1]

This same Synod then added these Canons to two other documents, both of which were in common use by the Dutch Church at the time: theHeidelberg Catechism (1563) and theBelgic Confession (1561).^[1]

In so doing, the Synod sought:

1. to formalize their understanding of theBiblical teachings on theTrinity, theincarnation,predestination,justification, and the church;
2. to allow members to gather together in unity around fundamental, shared beliefs;
3. to relegate certain non-essential ideas (political positions, educational platforms, etc.) to a lower status to prevent the churches from needlessly splitting—the forms also provide a basis upon whichecumenical efforts can proceed based on whether a body accepts the essentials laid out in these forms

The different documents each serve different purposes.

• TheCatechism is written in a question-and-answer format to help explain biblical teaching to children and those new to the faith.
• TheConfession explains various biblical teachings.
• TheCanons are a series of technical responses to specific theological controversies raised by the DutchRemonstrants (seeHistory of the Calvinist-Arminian debate).

Some Reformed denominations have included theWestminster Confession to their confessional standards. These include theChristian Reformed Church of Australia^[2] and theReformed Churches of New Zealand.^[3]

• Text and description of the Three Forms fromPhilip Schaff'sCreeds of the Evangelical Protestant Churches at theChristian Classics Ethereal Library:
  • Belgic Confession (in the original French with a translation into English)
  • Heidelberg Catechism (in the original German with a translation into English)
  • Canons of Dort (in the original Latin with a translation into English)
• Audio Recordings of the Three Forms of Unity in MP3 format

• Three Forms of Unity

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• Use dmy dates from December 2023