The Value of Catechisms
By Jeff Jones
THE VALUE OF CATECHISMS
God's people have always had a need for systematic instruction in God's truth. When God revealed his Law to his Old Covenant people Israel, he commanded them to deliberately and comprehensively pass on the faith to the next generation:
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deut. 6:6-9)
When we turn the page to the New Covenant era, we find Christ's apostles similarly passing along the faith in a concise and organized manner designed for easy memorization. Paul summarized the Good News in his first letter to the Corinthians with these words, which many scholars believe is an early creed or confession that Paul might simply be quoting:
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. (1 Cor. 15:3-7)
Later, in his first letter to his protege Timothy, Paul quotes what may be a very early Christian hymn:
Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. (1 Tim. 3:16)
The pointed, repetitive, almost poetic style of these statements is almost certainly by design—it aids memorization and encourages recitation. No doubt the young apostolic church used these passages in orienting new believers to the truths of the Christian faith.
This process of working through the foundational tenets of the biblical message in a careful, organized, and systematic way is called catechesis. This word comes from the Greek term katecheo, which literally means to “sound down” or “ring in one's ears” and is used to refer to oral instruction and indoctrination. The word itself is found in the New Testament several times; for example, Luke uses it when addressing Theophilus in Luke 1:4, referring to what he had been “taught,” and Paul explains to the Corinthians that he would rather “speak five words with [his] mind in order to instruct (katecheso) others” than speak thousands in a tongue (1 Cor. 14:19). When, later in history, the Christian church developed standard written forms for Christian training, using a question-and-answer format that the learner would memorize as he worked through it with a teacher, these documents became known as catechisms.
So, for almost two thousand years, Christian churches and families have used catechisms to pass along their beliefs to new learners. When the Protestant Reformation, the greatest revival in history, swept across Europe and Protestant believers sought to reinforce their fresh understanding of God's grace in the face of withering Roman opposition, they produced new catechisms that became ingrained not only in the life of the newly reformed churches but in the wider culture they served: the Heidelberg Catechism beloved of the German, Swiss, and Dutch Reformed Churches, the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms produced by an assembly of British theologians and which powerfully shaped the Presbyterian churches, and the Orthodox and Baptist (or Keach's) Catechisms which the Baptist churches adapted for their own use.
Sadly, the use of catechisms has fallen on hard times among evangelical Christians in much of the West. This may be due, in part, to a grave misunderstanding stemming from a noble desire to uphold the Bible as the highest authority in the Christian life. Many well-meaning Christians in modern times are suspicious of creeds, confessions, and, yes, catechisms, seeing them as competing with or undermining biblical authority, or worried that using them might result in a dry and dead formalism.
And yet, in a post-Christendom society where a basic level of biblical knowledge can no longer be taken for granted, there remains a pressing and growing need in our churches and families today for catechesis. A catechism isn’t just something for little children, after all. Simply because it is nothing more than a systematic way of learning the foundational beliefs of the Christian faith, it can benefit everyone no matter their age.
Charles Spurgeon recognized, in his own day, the need for his church to shore up “the fundamentals,” and went to the effort to adapt the Westminster Shorter and Baptist Catechisms to meet that need. Surely the need in twenty-first-century North America is no less urgent than it was in nineteenth-century London!
HOW TO USE A CATECHISM
How do you use a catechism? Here are some practical suggestions.
First, make catechesis a habit. Catechisms tend to be long lists of questions, and without discipline and a plan it will be all too easy to start strong only to peter out. Simply take a few minutes every day—your devotional or quiet time is great for this!—and devote them to the catechism and Bible memory. Try first thing in the morning and just before bed!
Second, take your time. Don’t simply read a catechism through in one sitting! Some catechisms, like the Gospel Coalition’s New City Catechism, are designed to be studied one question-and-answer per week; the Heidelberg Catechism and An Orthodox Catechism are divided into “Lord’s Day” lessons where a few questions are read and discussed each Sunday. Alternatively, and again, you could add a catechism to your regular devotions, reading a question and answer daily. Don’t rush!
Third, meditate on the meaning. Catechisms are, by their nature, summaries of the truths of Scripture—and, being God’s Word, the truths of Scripture are bottomless! Take the time to prayerfully “chew” on the concept or idea that the catechism presents to you, asking the Holy Spirit for illumination and discernment, noting the grammar and vocabulary, asking yourself why the writer might have chosen to put it that way.
Fourth, explore the prooftexts. A good catechism will provide what are called “proof texts” for the ideas and doctrines being discussed—each key concept will have a footnote or parenthetical reference listing one or more Bible passages that connect to the subject under discussion. So make sure you have an open Bible handy when reading a catechism, and look up the references. And not just the verse mentioned—look at the context of that verse in its passage or biblical book. Prooftexts in catechisms can sometimes be the “tip of the iceberg” of a much deeper, richer biblical argument.
Fifth, memorize the questions and answers. Catechisms provide the most benefit when they are committed to memory; they give a logical structure to a theological journey that makes it far easier later in life to connect one’s own, or others,’ questions about the faith to the truth of the Bible. Start by saying the catechism question and answer out loud, several times. Then, try saying the question and repeating it without looking at the page, a few times, and then repeat for the answer. Try walking around while repeating it, or writing it on a piece of paper without looking; combining physical activity and speech helps retention.
And finally, do it with others. Work through the questions and answers with a conversation partner; after all, being arranged in question-and-answer format, catechisms really are theological conversations to begin with! Parents, maybe do a catechism with your kids. Adults and kids alike, consider studying with a peer. Pastors would do well to lead their congregations to learn and review a catechism together. Many churches integrate catechism into their worship liturgy or Sunday School lessons, or one could make a useful addition to small-group Bible studies and youth group teaching times. Treat a catechism as a tool or an opportunity to “stir up one another to love and good works” (Heb. 10:24)!