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.
Which is your favorite, Sam? I’m partial to Heidelberg. Donna and I are doing the Shorter as well.
Posted by TimK | April 21, 2006, 5:30 pmReally? TO be honest, I have only worked with the Shorter. I need to explore more of them!
Posted by admin | April 21, 2006, 11:14 pmSam, I figured your favorite was Calvin’s Institutes …
Posted by TimK | April 22, 2006, 12:23 pmIs Institutes a catechism?
Posted by admin | April 22, 2006, 7:27 pmWasn’t it written for training young Christians?
Posted by TimK | April 23, 2006, 5:30 amI 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.
Posted by admin | April 23, 2006, 9:02 amSam, 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.
Posted by TimK | April 24, 2006, 6:47 pmSam, maybe a “catechsim” we could take on as Bibliophiles is _Generous Orhtodoxy_. I’ve heard it referred to as the EC’s systematic theology …
Posted by TimK | May 1, 2006, 7:29 pmUgh Tim…I don’t feel like reading EC stuff. Any other suggestions? What about GK Chesteron’s book, Orthodoxy.
Posted by admin | May 2, 2006, 9:13 amI 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.
Posted by TimK | May 2, 2006, 2:01 pmWho do you suggest?
Posted by admin | May 2, 2006, 2:05 pmOy, I dunno. Will have to think on that one.
Posted by TimK | May 2, 2006, 5:21 pmOk, I’ll wait for a suggestion.
Posted by admin | May 3, 2006, 9:34 am