Deus Misereatur

When I became a Christian I was part of a charismatic house church meeting on the Air Base where I was stationed in Turkey. A few months later I shifted over to the Campbellite Church of Christ. My early Christian years were spent in traditions that had unwritten codes of faith and conduct, and it was often like walking through a minefield. You never knew when you were about to cross the (doctrinal or ethical) line and set off an explosion. That's what makes the old teaching technique of catechizing so helpful to me. A catechism, as it was traditionally practiced, had a series of systematic questions that used short answers. This approach helped to pass on, in memorable ways, the Christian faith to future generations. You can see it in Roman Catholic history with the Baltimore Catechism , and in the Lutheran stream with Luther's Small Catechism . So, I have always enjoyed the Reformed version laid out in several catechisms, and especially the Westminster Shorter Catechism . The...

  The Illustrated Westminster Shorter Catechism There's an ancient Christian practice picked up from the past. It's meant to help kids learn the basics quickly, and in a way that's easy to recall. But it's also intended to shape young minds along the path of learning how to reason. This old practice is called the catechetical method, because it uses a catechism. What's a catechism? Hold tight and I'll explain in the next paragraph. But I mention this because very recently Andrew Green, Saško Nezamutdinov, and Ben Preston have pulled together an updated-language version of the 17th Century Westminster Shorter Catechism. And it's an illustrated version, with beautiful displays by Ira Minof. The 129-page glossy hardback has large print, easy on the eyes, and covers all 107 questions and answers. A catechism is a systematic program of teaching, by using a question to which the student answers with a set, or programmed, reply. It's just like when you say to t...