Editing Confessing Movement (section)

{{Short description|Conservative movement within Mainline Protestantism}}
{{About|the conservative movement within mainline Protestantism|the Anti-Nazi movement in Germany|Confessing Church|the evangelical parachurch organization|Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals|the strict adherence to religious doctrine more broadly|Confessionalism (religion)}}{{verification|date=December 2024}}

The '''Confessing Movement''' is a largely [[laity|lay-led]] [[Conservative Christianity|theologically conservative]] Christian movement that opposes the influence of [[liberal Christianity|theological liberalism]] and [[progressive Christianity|theological progressivism]] currently within several [[mainline Protestant]] [[Christian denomination|denominations]] and seeks to return those denominations to its view of [[orthodoxy#Christianity|orthodox doctrine]] or to form new denominations and [[ecclesiastical separatism|disfellowship]] them if the situation becomes untenable. Those who eventually deem dealing with theological liberalism and theological progressivism within their churches and denominations as not being tenable anymore would later join or start [[Confessionalism (religion)|Confessional churches]] and/or [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical churches]] that continue with the traditions of their respective denominations and maintaining orthodox doctrine while being ecclesiastically separate from the Mainline Protestant denominations. Youth aligned with the Confessing Movement have viewed their project as being an 'Operation Reconquista'.<ref name="Wingfield2023"/>

It overlaps with other conservative Christian movements including [[Evangelicalism]], and within [[Methodism]] specifically, the [[Holiness movement]]. Its members have stated their commitment to work to change their home denominations from within rather than establishing new ones, even if they are unable to regain full influence. It also has overlaps with [[Confessionalism (religion)|Confessionalism]] which is identified with the belief in the importance of full and unambiguous assent to the whole of a religious movements' or denominations' teachings such as those found in Confessions of Faith which they see as accurate summaries of the teachings found in Scripture and accurately shows their distinction from other groups. Confessionalism is most visible among [[Lutheranism|Lutherans]] known as [[Confessional Lutheranism|Confessional Lutherans]]. The Confessing Movement places particular weight on the role of [[evangelism]] and traditional Bible teachings concerning the deity of Christ and holds conservative, historical Christian views on [[human sexuality|sexuality]], especially [[homosexuality]].