The Importance of Catechism

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Clik here to view.Ingrained in the history of the church is a healthy and long tradition of catechesis. Catechism literally means “to teach orally.” Catechesis has taken various forms through history, but far from being a Roman Catholic innovation, it has been the foundational discipleship method throughout the church. Many Early Christians in fact were labeled as catechumen, which gave a period of instruction, examination and doctrinal grounding before they were admitted to Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

Such ideas sound foreign to our ears in a culture where everything we do is to just “get them in” and present Christianity as the easiest fix for everyone’s problems. America has presented a Christianity that requires no commitment, no loyalty and definitely no intellectual work. We have been left with sentimentality, and instead of clinging to eternal truths we rather reach inside for an emotional “personal relationship.” For many the mere mention of a word like “doctrine” invokes an idea of being cold, dry, dead, and pointless debates. However, without doctrine Christianity would not exist. Doctrine simply means the teachings or beliefs of the church or even of a particular group. Christianity without a set of beliefs is no Christianity at all. Below are five reasons why teaching the Catechism is important.

1. It provides a basis for a proper view of life. There are questions that plague people when they are brave enough to turn off the constant barrage of electronic input. These are answered in a proper Catechism. The ultimate question that troubles many is “What is the meaning of life?” Those who are catechized will have that answer at the ready “Q. What is the chief end of man? A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” From whom God is, to the nature of man, the church, salvation and sin the Catechism provides us with a ready instruction from the scriptures on the most important questions. This gives us a proper worldview through which to interpret and understand the world we live in.

2. It provides a basis for proper understanding of preaching. When I read the sermons of Jonathan Edwards I am always amazed at the level of depth and theological precision that he utilized in his preaching. I have a master’s degree in theology and I have to focus in order to understand the depth of much of what he says. But, Jonathan Edwards was not mainly preaching to seminary graduates, not distinguished professors for most of his sermons. He was preaching in church, to laymen, who not only understood but benefited through his exposition of the word. How could they follow along with such theological competence? At least one major component to the answer is catechism. In homes since children they had learned the truths of Christianity, as well as hearing preaching week in and week out throughout their lives. This provided a base of knowledge that a preacher could build on for his congregation through the years more than just the basic truths of the faith. I venture to say that the average person properly Catechized knows more of proper Christian understanding than the average bible college graduate today.

3. It provides a basis for proper hermeneutics. The Bible is not interpreted in a vacuum and most of the interpretive problems that arise come from a basic misunderstanding of Christian truths. Take for instance the too often used objection to Christianity based on shellfish restrictions in the Old Testament. “Q. Did God leave all mankind to perish in the estate of sin and misery? A. God, out of His mere good pleasure, from all eternity, having chosen a people to everlasting life, did enter into a covenant of grace, to deliver them out of the estate of sin and misery, and to bring them into an estate of salvation, by a Redeemer.” So we understand that after the fall all other steps and measure taken in the Old Testament were pointing to that Covenant of Grace that was fulfilled in Christ for the saving of his people. We can understand the Bible then, not as disconnected rules that change at a whim, but as a unified whole of God’s redemptive grace.

4. It is a means by which many come to saving faith. We are to teach the truths of the faith to others and God uses this teaching, this shaping of the mind, to bring many of his people to him. An understanding of sin, judgment, forgiveness, the work of Christ, and the nature of faith are all developed many times before a profession of faith is made. Catechesis evangelizes our children and gives them a proper view of God. It a means by which God draws, instructs, chastens, convicts, reshapes, and forms many of his people. In fact, it is never to soon to start a Catechism with your children, letting their little ears be saturated in the truths of God.

5. It provides grounding in objective, fundamental truths. Many are lost in the tumultuous sea of emotion and personal preference. Their religion is whatever their current state of their idolatrous heart wants it to be. They find purpose in themselves, a purpose which then will die with them and have no greater significance than them. Some try to attribute such subjective purposes with God, understanding him as the only real authority, but do so with talk of “visions” “mission statements” or other buzz words that are rampant in Christianity today. I need not wonder about God’s promises or will for my life, I can simply open his word and he will reveal it. Not, in a mystical talisman sort of way, but in that while it may not answer the question I want, it gives me the answers that are needed. Catechism gives us these truths in short order, so that when questions come or doubts arise, we can look back to the objective truths of scripture and find solace and comfort.

There may be an objection that a Catechism is too formal and difficult to understand, but remember, these where written for children. Children for centuries have learned and memorized the reformed catechisms, it is not that they are too complex, rather it is that we have too low of a doctrinal standard that we want to pass on. It is time that we raise the bar, not to a new extreme level, but simply to that of old in which he held the truths of Christ to be of prime importance to pass on to the next generation. These are also excellent tools for new converts or those who have known nothing but a doctrinally anemic Christianity to grow in an understanding of what the scriptures teaches. Catechism is also a way in which we can carry out the final task of the Great Commission[1], “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

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