"I want to use a catechism, but how do I choose one?"

Where do you find a catechism?

Earlier I explained what a catechism is and why I believe there is value in learning a catechism. In summary to the why question, most Christians do not have a clear and comprehensive understanding of theology (myself included). I wanted my girls to have a growing framework, taken from the inerrancy of the Bible rather than from polite mannerly society or from the politically correct culture, by which to evaluate their beliefs, thoughts, attitudes and actions, and I am convinced that a catechism is a great tool for providing that framework.

So now what? I needed to find a child friendly catechism. I already had one book which contained one so I started by taking that off my shelf. Then I did an online search to discover what else was available. I quickly narrowed it down to three similar catechisms I believed would be well suited for young elementary children.

1.      Truth and Grace Memory Book, book 1: Years ago I bought this catechism upon recommendation from my former women’s ministry director. The book is divided into two parts: (1) the standard question/answer catechism, and (2) Bible verses and theologically rich hymns to memorize. An outline separates the questions/answers and verses into age groups so that you have a more realistic expectation of progress for a 2 year old as compared to a 6 year old (this book is recommended for 2 year olds – 4^th grade).  There are other books in the series geared toward older age levels which build upon what was learned in the previous books. The answers are lengthened, and the memory verses are expanded to multi-verse passages building upon the context of the previously memorized verses, assuming you started with the previous books in the series. I love that this helps to prevent taking verses out of context. This book uses a simplified Shorter Catechism: A Baptist Version based off of the children’s introduction to the Westminster Shorter Catechism but adjusted for the beliefs of the Southern Baptist Convention.

2.      Big Truths for Little Kids by Susan Hunt: Each of the 36 lessons break the catechism down into groups of 2-6 question/answers and includes a short story about a family and their friends to illustrate the questions. The scenarios make the theological questions/answers visibly practical to a child’s daily life rather than mere head knowledge or rote memorization. At the end of each story there are a few discussion questions and a brief prayer. The catechism is a version of the children’s introduction to the Westminster Shorter Catechism listed below.

3.      Catechism for Young Children: An Introduction to the Shorter Catechism : This is available for free online. It is extremely similar to the questions/answers in Big Truths for Little Kids, but there are no stories, memory verses or other instructional recommendations. It is just the catechism.

Which catechism did I select? I chose to use Big Truths for Little Kids by Susan Hunt with my six and eight year old daughters. Well, that is a partial truth. Those of you who know me will not be surprised to learn that I did not use the book completely as is. I tweak, adjust, compile and fill in the gaps on most curriculums.

How did I go about my process?

1.      Before beginning the catechesis process with my daughters I found the three relatively similar catechisms listed above and placed them on a chart with like questions/answers next to each other (I know, I know, seems like an awful lot of work that most people would have no interest in performing, but it was enjoyable for me).

2.      I carefully read each question/answer from all three catechisms, looked up relevant Bible passages and contemplated the meaning and implications behind the wording of the catechisms where it was different.

3.      As stated above, two of the catechisms were based off the Westminster Shorter Catechism which is from a Presbyterian perspective whereas the first catechism is adjusted to conform to a Southern Baptist perspective. There are only a few questions (specifically concerning the practice of infant baptism within a believing family or the practice of believers’ baptism) which are theologically different between those two groups. The other questions are substantially similar across the catechisms. Where they differed theologically I had to make a choice whether to have my daughters memorize answers based on my beliefs concerning baptism or to omit the one or two questions leaving that discussion for another time. I chose to omit the questions concerning who should be baptized because I believe it is not a primary issue for salvation and is legitimately understood differently by people who carefully read the Bible for their instruction in church ordinances. They know already know what baptism is and understand the manner in which it is used in our church as well as in their grandparent’s church and realize there are differences in practice among believers.

4.      Most of the differences between the catechisms did not involve theological distinctions but rather word choice and phrasing. I thoughtfully selected a question and answer for each line on my chart. The words and phrases needed to be conversationally natural and eliminate as much confusion as possible later as my daughters expanded upon their understanding of the answers. For some people this may sound like over-analyzing and an unnecessary process. However, I have one daughter who is just like me in many ways, one of which is her concern for a careful use of vocabulary. She recognizes the subtle differences within word choices. I didn’t want her to become hung up on the implications of an imprecise phrase (I know that we both tend to do so). Let me give you an example. Question #6 is the same across the catechisms and asks “Are there more gods than one?” The answers all come to the same theological conclusion but have one little difference. Two of them say “There is only one God” but one of them says “There is only one true God.” Perhaps the difference does not matter to you, but it would matter to one of my daughters. In school we learn about people from all different cultures and religious traditions. We have read about the Egyptian, Greek and Roman gods and have discussed some of the basics of various world religions bearing in mind how those gods compare and contrast to the character of God revealed in the Bible. They know that when they read “god” in our books it is referring to something different than “God.” My girls understand that just because someone believes in a god does not mean that they are believers in the one true God to whom we come only through faith in Jesus Christ who provided us with the gift of salvation through His blood shed on the cross. “There is only one true God” more clearly allows for these learning and evaluating experiences to continue. Nitpicking? Perhaps, but this type of thing matters to me.

5.      After selecting which question and answer wording I would use for each question number, I copied them into a new list and printed it out.

6.      I said earlier that I chose to use Big Truths for Little Kids so you may be wondering if most of the selections I made came from that catechism. My choices were pretty evenly split among the catechisms, but I chose to use this catechism book for the purpose of the stories. My girls already memorize Bible verses for Awana club at church and occasionally in school so the memorization section of Truth and Grace Memory Book was not needed for us personally at this time. Instead I wanted to use the stories from Big Truths for Little Kids to help explain how to put the truths of Scripture to practice in their everyday circumstances so that this would not be merely an exercise in memorizing head knowledge but in practicing to always allow our knowledge about God to impact our daily lives for His glory.

Practical implementation of the catechism:

At the beginning of the week I read one new lesson from the book and went over the catechism questions from my list that corresponded to the story. The rest of the week we spent a few minutes a day memorizing the questions/answers from that lesson and reviewing those from previous weeks. Some days we would look up other Bible stories or verses that related to what they were memorizing. The girls delight in recognizing instances in their own life where the catechism was applicable or when one of their Awana verses related to a question/answer they had memorized. Seeing my girls experience those “aha” moments was a true blessing as I seek to train my girls to walk in the law and love of the Lord.

[I have included links to purchase the resources mentioned for anyone who might be interested, but please understand that I am not an affiliate of any web sites and do not receive any compensation for promoting these products. Feel free to shop around for the best deals.]

What is a catechism and why do I encourage teaching them to your children (and learning it yourself)?

What is a catechism? Catechism came from the Greek word katekeo which means “to instruct” (Luke 1:4 and Acts 18:25). Though the Greek word from which it derives does not indicate a style of instruction, the word catechism has come to be understood as a method of instruction which uses memorized questions and answers for the purpose of teaching the essentials of the faith. It was frequently used with new believers in the early church and has continued in usage without a variety of denominations today.

Why should children memorize a catechism? A number of my friends adhere to a classical education philosophy. For those who are not familiar with the paradigm, it involves a three-part process known as the Trivium which refers to an emphasis on memorizing facts in elementary school, practicing to analyze arguments in middle school, and learning to express thoughts through writing and speaking using what was learned in the previous stages during high school. While I respect those who adhere to this educational philosophy, it is not the method I have chosen for my children’s education. However, I believe a catechism fits extremely well into the model of classical education. A catechism provides children with a set of theological facts to memorize presented in a classical question and answer pattern reminiscent of ancient Greek learning from which the pattern of the Trivium was derived. Considering the similarity in style between a catechism and the early years of classical education, I am surprised more proponents of classical education do not use a catechism.

Regardless of educational philosophy, I believe this teaching method through a catechism has incredible value. Below are a few areas where I believe catechisms aid parents in providing their children with a Christian education regardless of where they attend school.

1.    General lack of biblical knowledge and understanding. There is extensive discussion about education in our society. Most parents desire their children to be well educated although the standards by which people judge academic success are as numerous and varied as the recipes for making chili. Part of the reason concerns making adjustments for the career, lifestyle and geographic locational of the individual. My farming family in North Dakota has a different set of educational needs than someone aspiring to become a foreign ambassador. Education needs to be tailored to the desired goals. So what does this have to do with a catechism?

Consider with me the goals for a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. God sent His Son into the world to save the world from the eternal wrath of God which will be poured out on sin perpetrated against the one true and holy God. The purpose for Jesus’ death on the cross does not end at the moment of forgiveness of sins but was intended to work over the course of a lifetime to sanctify the redeemed sinner in order for them to be transformed into the image of Christ as they await their eternal inheritance in heaven (Ephesians 1). Christians will not look the same at the end of their life because God has different plans for each of us. However, in the process we are all called to the same commitment of knowing and obeying His commands and teaching them to others to the praise and glory of the One who set us free from sin. Did you catch that? We need to first know what God’s Word says and then we must teach it with all diligence.

2.   God gave parents a command in Deuteronomy 6. For parents teaching this biblical wisdom begins in the home and extends outward from there in concentric circles to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:18-20).

A friend recently relayed a conversation at a park between her daughter and a random young girl. My friend’s daughter was asking her questions about whether she believed in Jesus or had a Bible to read. The girl responded with a seemingly recited statement she must have heard from her parents indicating that they don’t want her to worry about such things as believing in God or the Bible until she is in 5^th grade. This is not an uncommon attitude in our culture, but it is diametrically opposed to the requirements the Lord God set forth for His chosen people, the Hebrews.

[Deuteronomy 6:4-9] “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ⁵ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. ⁶ And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. ⁷ 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. ⁸ You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ⁹ You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."

This requirement transfers by implication and significance to Christians today since we have been grafted into the family of Abraham as God’s true chosen people. The primary responsibility for instilling a love of God and providing a model for a life lived to His glory and praise rests on believing parents not on any other teacher, leader or care provider. If you provide for your children’s physical and emotional needs then good for you, but even unbelievers know how to be attentive and caring parents. You must also prioritize your children’s greatest need, their spiritual need.

3.     Sunday Schools often teach young kids the Bible stories but little theology. This is not a criticism of Sunday school teachers. I greatly appreciate their time, effort and love poured out on the children. They are doing what is in the realm of their ability and responsibility due to time constraints, class size and activity levels all of which create a limited opportunity to expound upon comprehensive statements of the faith. It is impossible to cover everything in one hour a week.

Both of my elementary age daughters just took the “Ultimate Bible Quiz” which I saw posted on Facebook recently. One answered 10 out of 13 questions correctly and the other answered 11 out of 13 questions correctly and were praised as a “Real Scholar.” I do not say this to toot my own horn as their parent but to point out that every answer on the quiz requires nothing more than a typical children’s Sunday school curriculum. None of the questions on the quiz require any understanding of the beliefs of the Christian faith or how to align our life with our faith in Christ Jesus. While it may be admirable that my 6 year old knows that Jesus did not say “My time has not yet come” from the cross (question #7 on the quiz) or knows that He rose again from the dead on the third day (question #3 on the quiz), that knowledge will not save her from sin. She needs to understand why He planned from the foundation of the world to die and what that death accomplished; she needs to know theology.

Question 42: What is meant by the Atonement?

Answer: Christ satisfying divine justice, by His sufferings and death, in the place of sinners. (Mark 10:45; Acts 13:38,39; Romans 3:24-26; 5:8,9; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 3:18)

Question 43: What did God the Father undertake in the covenant of grace?

Answer: To justify, adopt and sanctify those for whom Christ should die. (Romans 8:29-33; Hebrews 10:9,10; 1 Corinthians 1:8,9; Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:3,7)

I was proud of how well my girls “performed” on the “Ultimate Bible Quiz,” but I am more encouraged to know they can explain in simple terms why Jesus had to die.

4.    The Bible stories they learn have great value but will make more sense to them when they have a theological framework by which to understand them. The role of a Sunday school teacher and a children’s Bible story book (we love The Jesus Storybook Bible) are significant in children’s spiritual development. Without the stories they do not have a framework by which to understand the need for the Messiah which was promised in the book of Genesis. Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels explain why the holy God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob required blood sacrifices as a symbol of the coming atonement for sin brought to temporal reality in the death of the sinless Lamb of God on the cross. The stories about the early Church in Acts and the Epistles show us the Church is still a work in progress as our Savior continues to bring to completion God’s purpose to unit His redeemed people with Himself. We are called to lives of holiness but must rely on the promised power of God working through us to will and to act according to His good purpose. (Open your Bible to Ephesians and read. It is well worth your time!) Even young children can begin to understand the significance of these stories as more than mere entertainment when their catechism questions give them recitable phrases to bring meaning to the stories they have learned.

5.     Many church members do not have the wisdom or knowledge to discern false teaching or problematic applications of Scripture. Christians have never agreed with each other about everything. Since the beginning of the Church, history has been wrought with debates concerning the major tenants of the Christian faith. While there remain many distinctions between denominations, there is a solid historic consensus on the crucial doctrines about God necessary for a believing faith in the grace of God for salvation. These beliefs provide the foundation for catechistic teaching which aims to provide a set of basic statements of faith which can be helpful for evaluating the messages from culture, entertainment, academics, “Christian” books, Bible study discussions and even church sermons. If the teaching does not agree with the Word of God then it must be rejected.

I don’t want my children to only know the stories and some key verses in the Bible. I desire to see them grow in understanding the meaning, purposed by God through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, of the text of the Bible then, having understood the meaning first, to discern the principle or pattern being taught and how that impacts their lives. I’m not as concerned with whether they learn enough Bible trivia to know God used a donkey to speak to Balaam (Numbers 22:28-30). My hope is that they know God’s people must obey the voice of the Lord rather than yield to the wishes or expectations of His creation regardless of the individual’s position (Numbers 22:32-23:12) because God is holy and demands to be acknowledged as the Lord rather than a vague spiritual power to whom an appeal can be made for the sake of earthly gain or convenience.

For those who may be interested, I will post later about my process to find a catechism for my daughters.

The Healing Presence of the God who Sees

This week I had the random urge to retake the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality test. I know, I know, random, but I couldn’t get it out of my head until I did it. Back in college one of my majors was Psychology so through the course of my study and extra-curricular involvement I have taken a variety of personality tests to determine whether I was Type A or Type B, what animal I would be (lion, otter, beaver, golden retriever), my temperament, what my spiritual gifts were, etc. You name the test, and I probably took it.

One thing that routinely shows up in the results is my deficit in sympathy. That has always bothered me to a degree because I know that as a follower of Jesus Christ I am called to have mercy and compassion, weep with those who weep (Romans 12:15), and bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2). It’s not that I don’t do those things. I do. In fact, at times I find myself crying uncontrollably while praying for a known need. However, even as I type that I realize I am doing so with little emotion and a more matter-of-fact attitude. This isn’t because the tears are phony, but because the tears originate in the mercy of Jesus Christ whose Holy Spirit moves within me in spite of my natural tendencies in order to accomplish His will and purposes. The verse “We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19) is very true in my case. My expression of compassion is not typically demonstrated by warm fuzzy sentiment but rather by a compelling desire to point them toward the truth and sufficiency of the Bible. It usually manifest itself differently than those who would be labeled as merciful or feeling. 

A desire for truth has all too often trumped my exercise of discretion or compassion. Thankfully the Lord is still working on me so that, with more regularity, my words come with a pause for reflecting on whether it is useful for building others up in the Lord or if it will tear them down or if it is self-promoting. I desperately need more wisdom and discernment in my speech, but the Lord is faithful to complete His work.

This morning I read a blog from a precious friend who has served and ministered to more people in horrendous, unimaginable heartbreak than anyone else I know. She does not do this sort of work because of being a highly emotional person who simply must join her emotions with those who are suffering. On the contrary, she is far more level headed than I am. Her courage, strength, steadiness under pressure, and adaptability are always a true inspiration.

She recounted an experience from the past in which she demonstrated incredible empathy, again, not because she is highly emotional, but because the Lord has given her a passion for reaching out to those who are in need of strength, an alternative (hope), and healing.  While reading her account I was reminded of my own prayers for more compassion and for a willingness to listen rather than to keep speaking. Sometimes feeling deeply about a person’s pain is not best demonstrated in normal emotionally expressive responses but rather in the steadiness of what you know is true. Sometimes being the unmovable presence that they can count on regardless of circumstances is what is needed.

In Genesis 16 we read the account of Hagar who runs away from Abram’s wife as a result of Sarai’s abusive jealous rage. Hagar was alone in the wilderness, likely with no hope of survival on her own (in chapter 21 she nearly dies in a similar situation), but God’s voice and presence break through the emptiness. God gave her a message but not a message that lied and said ‘everything will be okay’ as we often say when we see people’s suffering. No, Hagar will have a son, but he will be against everyone and everyone will be against him (Genesis 16:10-12) - not exactly what a future parent wants to hear. Where was the encouragement? Where was the compassion? What kind of helpful presence could that possibly be?

What was Hagar's response to this depressing news? She finds hope. Wait, why? How? She could have hope because she experienced the presence of God – not as a heartless being but as “the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13). She had hope because she was not alone in her current misery and would not be alone in her coming misery because she knew His presence. The passage doesn’t use the word hope so why do I say that is her response? Because she doesn’t continue on her path of running away (then dying in the dessert) but obeys His words (Genesis 16:9) and returns to face her fears and her abuser – that requires hope and courage which come from knowing you are not alone.  It comes from having someone present in your life who is not scared away by the pain, suffering, or ugliness of the situation but who is willing to stay, unmoved, and when the time is right to speak truth.

What heartache have you experienced? What shame has driven you to withdraw, run away, or strike out in fits of rage? What difficulty seems insurmountable?

Be consoled, as was Hagar ---“So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, ‘You are a God of seeing,’ for she said, ‘Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me’” (Genesis 16:13).

Allow the Lord to speak words of truth into your life. Don’t seek after words that mere placate your emotions but words that spur you on toward godliness, good deeds, and a priority fixed on Jesus Christ rather than on temporary things. Take comfort in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ who always keeps His promises and has no falsehood in Him. “The Lord is at hand.”

Philippians 4:4-14 [ESV] 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. 10 I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. 11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me. 14 Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble.