Why Catechisms?

My thoughts on the historical value of catechisms and why catechisms need to become so much more important to us in this modern age.

Why Yesterday?

Catechisms have performed a valuable service to the Church in the past, especially right at the Reformation. Local churches found themselves in a desperate situation. They had not the educational and ministerial institutions to train the presbytery demanded by the exploding influx of new congregants. They were being confronted on all sides by false doctrines and interpretations. False rumors were being spread by antagonists as to what they did and did not believe. And they were being called to task by the official Roman Church as to what kind of doctrine and anathema they were spreading forth. It only makes sense that these catechisms and confessionals were the most productive answer to all of this.

Why Today?

We find ourselves in a hauntingly similar situation here today.

The modern Church is also in a desperate situation; it is being tugged at from all sides and from within. The difference now is that there is not an explosion of people trying to get in, there is an explosion of people getting out. People are not raised in the Church as in previous generations and there has been a very effective campaign to portray it as archaic, phobic, bigoted. The few who remain still believe but no longer know what they believe nor how to defend it. Bible schools and seminaries have long been infested with post modern liberalism. Individuals must take the initiative to properly school themselves in order to reverse these trends. Enter any one of several long established scripture based catechisms or confessions; at least as a starting place.

Why Tomorrow?

Those of you that know of my other writings know that I am very concerned about the very near future, of American Christianity especially. I believe that our country heading unmistakably toward an evolved/hybrid form of soft and hard totalitarianism. Christians once again will have to go underground. Preaching and assembly will be punishable as hate speech and or insurrection. Pastors will be easy pray, underground will mean small/local and distributed. Printed and electronic bible resources will be few and far between. Neighbors and surveillance technologies will be the ones to turn us in. Once again, the easiest/safest answer to all of this is hidden bibles supplimented by catechisms. In some places short catechisms (or memorized) may be all that we have left.

Conclussions:

I could go on and on about the need and value and utility of sound doctrine and catechisms. As Christians we have become far too lazy about our faith and left the "meat and potato" heavy lifting to our trained pastorate. That pastorate is not of the sturdy and valiant stock that it once was. In part that is because in order to push their numbers they have allowed us to get away from fundamental resources like the historic catechisms. We have been allowed to become fat with a million constantly changing fiction and non-fiction tasty morsels distributed by a monopoly of so called Christian publishers. We are not Christians in the classic sense, we are only Christian consumers. The price for this will be ours to pay.

I'm not saying that the catechisms got all doctrine correct, or that they are infallible as is the Holy Word. I'm saying that for the most part they are close, they are the starting point, they are a unifying teaching platform, each doctrine must be examined in the light of much scripture. Then the individual must make their final conclusions. For new and old believer alike it is now or never, I hate to have to put it to you that stark.

Comment Board: WhyCatechisms

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