# Bastion of Truth Reformed Churches in the Philippines

The Bastion of Truth Reformed Churches in the Philippines is a denomination of Christian churches located in Southern Luzon, the Philippines.

## Origin

In April 2004, representatives from three former Pentecostal-Charismatic churches and a group with an Arminian Baptist background convened to establish a separate denomination of Reformed Churches. The Bastion of Truth Reformed Churches (B.T.R.C.) emerged in the tradition of the 16th-century Protestant Reformation.
Their formation as a Reformed denomination stemmed from doctrinal conflicts within the Church of the Foursquare Gospel in the Philippines, a Pentecostal-Charismatic and fundamentally Arminian denomination founded in the United States by Aimee Semple McPherson. The primary theological dispute centered on God's sovereignty in salvation, particularly regarding the believer's preservation or perseverance in faith until the end, as well as the biblical practice of Christ-centered preaching. The Foursquare denomination ultimately rejected both doctrines.
These Reformed (Calvinistic) ideals gradually influenced one of the denomination’s Bible colleges through exposure to Reformed literature and a growing awareness of church history, particularly the Protestant Reformation. Pastor Ronald R. Santos—the Associate Pastor at Capitol City Foursquare Church, and director and instructor at Foursquare Bible College of Quezon City—stood for the Reformed doctrines, and refusing to retract from said beliefs, he opted to resign his office. As the doctrinal divide deepened, other pastors resigned from their positions, while several Bible college students abandoned their ministerial training.

## Beliefs

The Bastion of Truth Reformed Churches profess to defend God's only and true Gospel of "sovereign particular irresistible grace", which is his “power” unto the salvation of those who believe (Romans 1:16, 17; 1 Corinthians 15:1, 2). They proclaim that the substance of the Gospel is being obscured and corrupted, and the true church must declare an unambiguous and absolute message, believing that salvation is impossible without a sure and certain knowledge of the truth.
The B.T.R.C.s acknowledge, as their official statement of faith, the historic Reformed creeds known as the “Three Forms of Unity”: The Belgic Confession of Faith (1561), the Heidelberg Catechism (1563) and the Canons of Dordt (1618–1619).
The churches acknowledge that the bearer of the glorious Gospel in the last 450 years is the historic Reformed faith, proclaimed by faithful Reformed and Presbyterian churches holding fast to the faith of the apostolic church. The B.T.R.C.s identify themselves as “Reformed” Churches although the term “Reformed” has been claimed by so many apostate modern Protestant churches. Their reason for this is that the significant and colossal battles for Biblical truth were bound within the historical circumstances of the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century.

## Church Government

The doctrinal standards, church government and worship of the Bastion of Truth Reformed Churches are set forth in their Church Order. Although the church believes in the priesthood of all believers, they maintain that God calls certain men (Romans 10:14, 15; 1 Timothy 3:1-13) through the church to fulfill the tasks of the distinct Biblical offices. Office-bearers (i.e. pastors [or ministers of the Word], ruling elders, and deacons) are required to subscribe to this church order. The denomination holds to the Presbyterian form of church government and convene on significant occasions as a single classis. The B.T.R.C.s emphasize that each congregation is self-governed by a body of elders chosen out of the congregation in compliance with the principle of the “autonomy of the local congregation”. Hence, the name of the denomination—not “Church” (singular), but “Churches” (plural). The B.T.R.C.s do not allow women to be preachers, elders or deacons.

## Worship

The church uses a simple liturgy—consisting of prayer, singing, preaching, and giving. As a matter of Biblical principle, the B.T.R.C.s do not offer human entertainment in their worship services. As a church that derives from Pentecostalism/Charismaticism, they denounce man-centered and entertainment-motivated styles of worship. For this reason the B.T.R.C.s practice the Biblical heritage of Psalm singing without the accompaniment of musical instruments.