Catechisms
Apr 19th, 2006 by admin
I just read this post by Tim Challies on catechisms and thought it was a good reflection on how this great tool (not the Bible, but a great tool nonetheless) has been lost in the church. I have been teaching my kids the Shorter Catechism through a book called Big Truths for Little Kids and it has been really great. Also, our church has been trying to teach catechisms as well and that has been a real blessing.
Tim Challies quotes Sinclair Ferguson which I’ll restate here:
Christians in an earlier generation rarely thought of writing books on guidance. There is a reason for that (just as there is a reason why so many of us today are drawn to books that will tell us how to find God’s will). Our forefathers in the faith were catechised, and they taught catechisms to their children. Often as much as half of the catechism would be devoted to an exposition of the answers to questions like the following: Question: Where do we find God’s will? Answer: In the Scriptures. Question: Where in particular in the Scriptures? Answer: In the Commandments that God has given to us.
Why were these questions and answers so important? Because these Christians understood that God’s law provides basic guidelines that cover the whole of life. Indeed, in the vast majority of instances, the answer to the question ‘What does God want me to do?’ will be found by answering the question: ‘How does the law of God apply to this situation? What does the Lord require of me here in his word?’
These are some poignant words but oh so sadly true.
- The Rebirth of Discerning Reader
- Great Children’s Literature
- Electromagnetic Fields
- Have You Read All of These Books?
- T4G Statement
Which is your favorite, Sam? I’m partial to Heidelberg. Donna and I are doing the Shorter as well.
Really? TO be honest, I have only worked with the Shorter. I need to explore more of them!
Sam, I figured your favorite was Calvin’s Institutes …
Is Institutes a catechism?
Wasn’t it written for training young Christians?
I could be wrong on this, but I thought Institutes was written while Calvin was in hiding during the time of the persecution of the Hugenots. I had always heard it was Calvin’s apologetic to the Roman Church as to why the Hugenots should not have been attacked. And in many ways, the Institutes were the justification of the Hugenot cause.
But I could be wrong.
Sam, do you think the intent behind the Institutes changed over the course of its “life”? Didn’t the Institutes go through some major reworkings?
Other catechisms/confessions I like: John Owens’s, Spurgeon’s, London Baptist Confession of 1689, Westminster “Longer” & Confession.
Sam, maybe a “catechsim” we could take on as Bibliophiles is _Generous Orhtodoxy_. I’ve heard it referred to as the EC’s systematic theology …
Ugh Tim…I don’t feel like reading EC stuff. Any other suggestions? What about GK Chesteron’s book, Orthodoxy.
I agree on the EC; just checking to see if you were/are reading : ). Uhhh, Chesteron … I tried him and couldn’t get into his writing.
Who do you suggest?
Oy, I dunno. Will have to think on that one.
Ok, I’ll wait for a suggestion.