What the word Protestant means

There is a widespread misunderstanding regarding the definition of Protestant. Protestant is a noun when it refers to Christians. It means one who confesses, or gives witness to, the Word of God. It doesn't mean one who protests 'X', 'Y', or 'Z'.

Liberal theologians and Roman Catholics like to put forward the lie that Protestant simply means people who are in protest against something, and hence merely some ongoing movement always in need of, and always seeking, something to be against. Liberal theologians benefit from this lie because it enables them to belittle Protestantism as being, if anything, beyond it's initial reason-for-being. Roman Catholics benefit from this lie because it enables them to pose as the mainstay institution of which Protestantism is merely a breakaway protest and hence ephemeral and of a satellite nature to the 'real thing.'

When you see that Protestant means one who confesses, or gives witness to, the Word of God you see that Protestants are simply real Christians confessing and practicing real Christianity. The classical, historical Protestant confessions of faith and catechisms - a practice unique to Protestants from the beginning - have in common that they contain apostolic biblical doctrine. Whether the Apostles' Creed and other early biblical creeds or the Westminster Standards or the Three Forms of Unity or the London Baptist Confession of Faith or the Second Helvetic or the handful of others (which only differ in areas such as church polity and sacramental issues, doctrine that the Word of God is not clear cut on, and hence intentionally not clear cut on; i.e. doctrine that applies differently to different eras in the history of redemption, or doctrine that applies differently to the different stages of development as the Holy Spirit guides individual Christians in their active, progressive sanctification). They define, in their totality, Protestantism. Protestants are Christians that uniquely fear God only and give witness to the Word of God rather than the words of man.