Confessionalist

/kənˈfɛʃənəlɪst/ noun

Definition

A person who adheres to confessionalism; someone who emphasizes formal doctrinal confessions and their binding authority in religious matters.

Etymology

From confessionalism + -ist (Greek -istes, denoting a follower or practitioner). This suffix pattern creates agent nouns from -ism words: socialist, realist, specialist, feminist.

Kelly Says

Confessionalists were the doctrinal watchdogs of their era—they believed writing down exactly what you believed and requiring everyone to sign on was the way to maintain religious truth, unlike more flexible theological approaches that developed later.

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