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News and Ideas from around the Anglican World |
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February 2008
"So learn Christ as to be found in him." - Prayer for theological colleges, p. 45 of BCP
By SUE CARELESS
A World Awash in Catechisms
For centuries catechisms have been popular teaching tools. In the late Middle Ages, there was a growing emphasis in the Church on instruction in the basics of the faith, such as the Lord’s Prayer and the Apostles’ Creed.
The greatest minds of the Church, such as Thomas Aquinas, participated in this task, and the books that were written also contained much devotional material on avoiding sin and growing in virtue. These efforts intensified during the Reformation, which produced an avalanche of catechisms, written by some of the finest theological minds and most devout souls of the age.
The shorter, dialogue-driven Q&A-styled manuals were meant to be understood and memorized by older children, yet were succinct enough to help adults who were beginning to study theology. It would be as though a great thinker like Einstein were to write a standard science text aimed at children in grade eight; the result would be clear and understandable, and yet brilliant. (see examples below)
For Openers
Often the spiritual depths of these historic catechisms can be seen right from their opening lines:
What is the chief end [purpose] of man? Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. (First question and answer in The Shorter Westminster Catechism.)
What is your only comfort in life and death? That I am not my own but belong – body and soul, in life and in death – to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ … (First question and answer in The Heidelberg Catechism.)
In comparison, the Prayer Book Catechism has a very humble and seemingly simple opening:
What is your name? Answer: The person shall give his Christian Name or Names. (BCP, p.544)
Yet notice how in asking this, the Catechism teaches us that our identity is not found primarily in our human family. We don’t give our family name or surname but only our Christian name(s). Christians find their identity first and foremost in the family of God.
The second question and answer make this abundantly clear:
Catechist: Who gave you this Name? Answer: My Godfathers and Godmothers in my Baptism: wherein I was made a member of Christ, the child of God, and an inheritor of the Kingdom of God. (BCP, p.544) Who Needs a Catechism?We have the Bible, so why do we need a catechism? The Catechism attempts to explain the main themes or teachings that run throughout the Bible. It is a way of drawing out and organizing the key ideas from all the historical narratives and poetry, letters and prophecies of the Bible. It is not a substitute for regular and organized Bible-reading, such as the lectionaries provide, but is an aid to it.We have three creeds, so why do we need a catechism? The creeds are very brief summaries of deep and complex church doctrines and need themselves to be expanded a bit and explained in a catechism, so that when they are declared in services, the faithful clearly understand what they are assenting to.Are twelve pages enough to explain the whole Christian faith?Of course not. Entire books have been written elaborating on the concepts in some of these simple questions and answers. And good teachers will expand and adapt the basic Catechism to their students’ various needs and abilities. They can always modify the lesson structure and the teaching method. But the Catechism should be covered as a general outline of the faith.
Does the Catechism have to be memorized?No. While memorizing such a wonderful distillation of our faith is a helpful exercise, if the candidates can give the gist of the response in their own words that would be fine too. Certainly rote memorization of the Catechism is inadequate if the content has not been internalized. Still, candidates for Confirmation should be able to say by memory the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and the Ten Commandments.
Aren’t children too young to understand it all?The Prayer Book requires them to be of a “competent age”. Children are usually much better at memory work than adults. Often memory locks things into their minds, so they can then mull them over and grasp them better later in life. Orthodox Jewish children are taught to memorize sections of Leviticus, one of the more difficult books of the Old Testament, while Muslim children memorize the Koran.
Is the Catechism only for youth? No. Adults who desire to be baptized and confirmed are also to be instructed in the Catechism. Most catechists design programs to suit the background and abilities of different candidates and would teach adults and youth in separate classes. The Catechism was written two centuries before Sunday schools were founded. Now that we have such a wealth of Sunday school materials, do we really still need the Catechism? Some of the first Sunday schools were actually created to teach children the Catechism. The Sunday-school movement owes much of its success to Robert Raikes, the owner of the Gloucester Journal in England. He was moved by the neglected condition of the local children and, along with a priest, engaged four women in 1780 to instruct children in Gloucester, in reading, the Scriptures and the Catechism.
Today, Sunday school curricula vary greatly in quality. Some of the best are not actually Anglican. Anglican children, at some point, need to be taught what is distinctive about their own part of the Church. Certainly well-taught Sunday school children will be at an advantage, as will children from devout Christian homes, but the Catechism sets a standard and provides a basic course outline for Anglicans. If there are Sunday-school materials to elaborate on it, all the better, but they are no substitute.
What about children or adults who are mentally challenged and are unable to recite any portion of the Catechism or articulate its meaning? The priest, teacher or catechist should consult with their primary caregiver and adapt the material accordingly. “Jesus is Lord” is the first confession of the faith. They should not be barred from Confirmation or the Lord’s Table if their spirit is willing. We may think of the old English proverb: “God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb”. God knows and fully takes into account any physical or mental limitations we may have.
Isn’t the Catechism all just dry head knowledge?
No. Right at the very opening of the Catechism, the children are led to identify themselves personally with the life of faith and obedience to God. So, near the beginning, after learning about their baptism, the children are taught to affirm, “I heartily thank our heavenly Father, that he hath called me to this state of salvation, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. And I pray unto God to give me this grace that I may continue in the same unto my life’s end”. Several sections of the Catechism are to be prayed. Look at “The Desire”, as it is known, on pages 549-550--a prayer based on the Lord’s Prayer!
Head, heart and soul are all being taught and examined. Nor should we despise clear thinking about our faith. The priest should privately question the candidates to determine whether they grasp the meanings behind the words and believe them, to the best of their ability. We pray that God will “make ready … the hearts and minds of thy servants” (47). We cannot love what we do not know. This is head, heart and soul knowledge.
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CHILDREN
LEARN LANGUAGE by echoing or repeating what they hear. The word
Catechism comes from the Greek katecheo, which means “to resound”
and then, by extension, “to instruct”. It is related to the little
word “echo”, and so Catechism means “what is learnt by echoing”. The
term was originally applied to the oral instruction that the early
Church gave to candidates before Baptism. Later the teaching was
written down. A catechism can therefore be defined as a basic manual
of Christian teaching or doctrine, often in the format of questions
and answers. Even today, Q&A’s are a popular and effective way of
learning about a new topic or person. |
Copyright The Anglican Planet © 2008 |