Posted By Rebekah Zuñiga on Sep 22, 2020 | 6 comments

During the latter part of Queen Victoria’s reign, educational philosopher Charlotte Mason astutely observed, “The wonder that Almighty God can endure so far to leave the making of an immortal being in the hands of human parents is only matched by the wonder that human parents can accept this divine trust with hardly a thought of its significance.”^[1] A bit harsh perhaps, especially considering that Mason never had any children herself. She did, however, teach poor children in West Sussex, England, for more than ten years and organized a union for parents wishing to educate their children at home. Perhaps her familiarity with children, severed from the blindness that parental affection can bring, gave her a special vantage point into how tragic thoughtless parenting can be. I would like to consider Ms. Mason’s words and reflect on a particular aspect of parenting’s significance.

In his book, Shepherding a Child’s Heart, Tedd Tripp clears up any confusion about the purpose of parenting:

Parenting is not just providing good input. It is not just creating a constructive home atmosphere and positive interaction between a child and his parent. . . . [T]he parent’s task is to shepherd [his child] as a creature who worships, pointing him to the One who alone is worthy of his worship. The question is not “will he worship?” It is always “whom will he worship?”^[2]

The first step in shepherding a child toward worship of the true God is to teach him of the true God; as we see patterned in the Psalms, calls to worship are followed by proclamations of God’s character and nature. While several avenues exist for teaching a child about the God whom he ought to worship—including faithful church attendance, Bible reading and instruction, prayer, and your own living example—I would like to reintroduce a method that has fallen on hard times in the past of evangelicalism but now is experiencing a revival in some quarters: catechesis.

What Is a Catechism?

Catechesis comes from a Greek word meaning “instruction.” It simply refers to methodical religious teaching, and a catechism is a document used for that teaching. It traditionally consists of four parts: the Ten Commandments; the Lord’s Prayer; the Apostles’ Creed; and the sacraments/ordinances; with explanation for each part. For many, the word catechism implies something Roman Catholic. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is taught to children before their confirmation.

However, the practice of catechizing new believers in the fundamentals of the faith before their baptism dates back to the early church. Written catechisms proliferated during the Reformation period, and the Reformers believed that they were rescuing a practice that had been corrupted by the church in Rome.Martin Luther popularized a question and answer format for catechisms, which is suited nicely for use by a parent and child. In the introduction to his Short Catechism, Luther expects exactly that: for parents—and pastors and church leaders additionally—to teach their children the biblical truths organized and condensed in the catechism.^[3]

In some ways, we can liken a catechism to a confession of faith. While not infallible or inerrant like the Word of God, catechisms are useful tools for synthesizing and organizing what we believe the Bible to teach. Reformation catechisms teach doctrines of the faith in beautiful language. Many may be familiar with the first question and answer of the Westminster Shorter Catechism: “What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” A personal favorite is the first question of the Heidelberg Catechism: “What is your only comfort in life and death? That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.” Many of these catechisms were designed for children and those who could not read, so that the catechumens (persons receiving instruction) could memorize the truths therein and be able to participate fully in the church teaching on Sundays.^[4]

Why a Catechism?

Won’t Sunday school and storybook Bibles be enough to teach our children the faith? The unfortunate statistics tell us no.^[5] As contributors to the Helwys Society Forum have noted through the years, stories teach and shape us in powerful ways—no less those divine stories from God’s Word. However, a catechism is a concise and thorough way to synthesize the truth of the Bible that a child may otherwise experience in a fragmented form—in snippets from Sunday school, preaching, and bedtime devotions. Additionally, the question/answer format of a catechism is well-suited to memorization, meaning that children can carry the truths they’ve been taught with them as they grow and encounter increasingly complex experiences.

I found a catechism to be especially useful when I taught a children’s Sunday school class populated with children of unbelieving parents. Though they listened carefully to the Bible stories that we discussed every week, they continually had peripheral concerns over issues like the relationship between the Lord Jesus and God the Father, where God “lives,” or the origin of sin. Week by week we discussed one question and answer from the Catechism for Young Children, and we had many fruitful discussions about the nature of God and humanity, the authors and Author of Scripture, sin, and salvation. I found that using the catechism gave me words and direction in answering my students’ difficult questions, in addition to making our Bible reading time more focused and meaningful.

Increasingly in the United States, our children encounter few children and adults who know what the Bible actually teaches. Our culture is confused about the nature of personhood, sexuality, sin, justice, and the supernatural. We cannot count on the fact that they will absorb from the world the truth that they have an eternal soul, or that God made the entire world to bring Him glory. In this scenario, where the culture is as shifting sand beneath us, our children must know that first rock of truth: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” However, in learning the catechism, our children can be explicitly reminded: “Who made you? God made you.”^[6]

Finally, a catechism can be a wonderful guide for parents; teaching children can be daunting, because they want to know everything, and they can call a bluff a mile away! A catechism can help a parent or teacher feel confident that they are providing truthful answers to complicated questions. Use of a catechism ensures that all the basics of Christian doctrine are introduced, rather than a few prized favorites or random bits dictated by situation and convenience.

Why in the Home?

If catechesis is so important, why not leave it up to the experts in church? Certainly our church leaders should be familiar with and eager to teach the doctrines of the catechism when the opportunity arises. As in my own experience, teaching a catechism in church was a blessing to my students and myself. Let us not give in to the temptation to believe, though, that our children’s instruction in the faith is primarily the responsibility of the church. Passing the faith happens firstly, and most effectively, in the home. John Chrysostom goes so far as to call the home itself a “little Church.”^[7] Luther prefaces the sections of his Small Catechism with the words: “The head of the family should teach . . . in a simple way to his household.”

We have a wealth of materials from which to draw in the catechesis of our children. Many helpful catechisms are available online in the public domain that, excepting one or two questions, would not contradict our Free Will Baptist theological positions, such as the Catechism for Boys and Girls, and the New City Catechism (which also has an application for mobile devices). Songs for Saplings has even put catechism questions to music. Thankfully for Free Will Baptists, Paul Harrison has also authored a sixty-question catechism that reflects the distinctives of our own tradition. We can easily integrate these resources into a bedtime routine, listen to them in the car, or discuss them over breakfast. One question a week would be the perfect seed to lodge in the heart of a child; over time, Lord willing, it will bear fruit.

Conclusion

Will some sections of a catechism seem a bit heavy for your six-year-old? Perhaps. Certainly they will not totally comprehend the truth the moment they put it to memory. However, to give them less than what they can understand is to short-change them. To provide children with a deep truth, the profundity of which they will plumb throughout their life, honors the fact of their personhood and prepares them to “travel where [their] arms won’t reach/ . . . On a journey of [their] own.”^[8] As Mason puts it, “We spread an abundant and delicate feast . . . and each small guest assimilates what he can.”^[9] Recovering catechesis in our homes can help us to obey the admonition of Chrysostom: “Give [children] the great things, not the little things.”^[10]

^[1]Charlotte Mason, Home Education, 333; https://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/vol1complete.html; accessed June 30, 2020; Internet.

^[2]Tedd Tripp, Shepherding a Child’s Heart (Wapwallopen, PA: Shepherd Press, 1995), 22.

^[3]Martin Luther, Luther’s Small Catechism (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1986); http://bookofconcord.org/smallcatechism.php; accessed June 30, 2020; Internet.

^[4]Martin Luther, Luther’s Two Catechisms Explained by Himself (Minneapolis, MN: The Luther Press, 1908), 191.

^[5]R. Albert Mohler Jr., “The Scandal of Biblical Illiteracy: It’s our Problem,” Albert Mohler, January 20, 2016; https://albertmohler.com/2016/01/20/the-scandal-of-biblical-illiteracy-its-our-problem-4/; accessed June 30, 2020; Internet.

^[6]A Catechsim for Boys and Girls; https://chapellibrary.org:8443/pdf/books/cfba.pdf; accessed July 16, 2020; Internet. This catechism is a revision of the Westminster Shorter Catechism for Children, updated to reflect Baptist distinctives.

^[7]John Chrysostom, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, vol. 13, Homily 20 on Ephesians, ed. Philip Schaff, trans. Gross Alexander (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature, 1889); rev./ed. Kevin Knight; http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2301.htm; accessed June 30, 2020; Internet.

^[8]Keith and Kristyn Getty, “A Mother’s Prayer,” Hymns for the Christian Life (Getty Music Label, LLC: 2012).

^[9]Charlotte Mason, Towards a Philosophy of Education, 183; https://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/vol6complete.html; accessed July 16, 2020; Internet.

^[10]Chrysostom, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Homily 21 on Ephesians; http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2301.htm; accessed June 30, 2020; Internet.

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