In praise of catechisms

Posted on June 16, 2025 
Filed under Resources

“No names, no identifying details but in a Sunday School of mostly church kids the teacher asked ‘what is a Christian?’ And answer came there none.

Which got me thinking – maybe we need a catechism.

That’s a fancy word for a teaching document – often in Q and A form. The word Catechism is from the Greek katechein, which means ‘to teach orally or to instruct by word of mouth’…”

– At The Other Cheek, John Sandeman praises the idea of using a catechism in helping young people – and older ones – to know the Scriptures and know what Christians believe.

Of course, he’s not alone:

In 2012, Tim Keller made the case for catechesis –

“…in the evangelical Christian world today the practice of catechesis, particularly among adults, has been almost completely lost. Modern discipleship programs are usually superficial when it comes to doctrine. Even systematic Bible studies can be weak in drawing doctrinal conclusions. In contrast, catechisms take students step by step through the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer – a perfect balance of biblical theology and doctrine, practical ethics, and spiritual experience.

Catechesis is an intense way of doing instruction. The catechetical discipline of memorization drives concepts in deep, encouraging meditation on truth. …”

Our own Mark Earngey wrote in The Australian Church Record 18 months ago –

“Catechesis is the necessary bridge between the baptism of children and their later confirmation in the faith. The Book of Common Prayer baptismal service concludes with the explicit (and lengthy) command to godparents that they would teach the children the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Decalogue. Indeed, that the child would be ‘further instructed in the Church Catechism set forth for that purpose.’ The Church Catechism in the BCP is explicitly subtitled: ‘An instruction to be learned of every person before he be brought to be confirmed by the Bishop.’…

The decline in catechetical emphasis and the disappearance of the traditional catechetical elements (e.g. the Decalogue) would have surprised the theologians of the Reformation. …”

and back in 2010, J I Packer and Gary Parrett spoke with Michael Horton at The White Horse Inn on their book Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way. (The interview is well-worth hearing.)

It’s a very real challenge for churches and all of us as 21st century Christians.