Chapter 6
Exceptions & Final Prep
Common exceptions and last-mile prep
Study Notes
Exceptions to the Westminster Standards are areas where a candidate takes a stated difference from the confessional wording (e.g. days of creation, recreation on the Sabbath, imprecatory psalms in worship). State them clearly, explain your view, and be ready for follow-up.
Final-Prep Checklist
- Delivery
- Westminster wording first, plain explanation second. Aim for 20–40 seconds per answer.
- Voice
- Slow, calm, confident. If unsure, restate the question briefly to buy a beat, then answer.
- Exceptions
- Prepare 1–2 sentence statements of any personal exceptions with a Scripture rationale.
- Cult questions
- Anchor in Christology and Scripture (Gal. 1:8–9; John 1; Col. 1). Don't argue peripherals.
- Pastoral edge
- For hard questions (suffering, assurance, hell), lead with truth and end with gospel comfort.