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 5th 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.
No comments:
Post a Comment