Catechism Pt. 1
The word “catechism” may elicit visions of dry, rote recitation of old sayings that are disconnected from life today. Some readers may think of catechism as lidocaine for the brain, inducing numbness of thought and profuse boredom-ridden drooling as students murmur like zombies in the classroom. A student whose heart and mind are ill-prepared will not truly benefit from catechism. The students at Pinnacle Classical Academy though are being trained up in the admonition of the Lord through this wonderful tool for remembering the most foundational truths of our existence.
Catechism’s roots are found in the church. The word “catechism” comes from the Latinized form of the Greek word katekhesis meaning “to instruct orally” or “to resound.” The earliest known catechism is the Didache, written between 60-85 AD, most likely from the Christian school in Alexandria, Egypt. It could rightly be argued, however, that Israel used catechism when children of faithful parents would repeat many passages of God’s law to remember who God is and what he has done (Deut 6). Through the Apostolic and Nicene Creeds and the Chalcedon Definition, this tool became the primary way in which the church proclaimed to the world what it believed. In fact, to affirm a new believer in the church, the officers often required believers to memorize and recite the creeds to ensure they understood the foundational doctrines of the faith. During the Middle Ages, the Roman Catholic Church continued this practice through monasticism and the training of clergy, but the practice was lost among its parishioners. As Latin continued to be the primary language used in mass, recitation of these doctrinal truths continued but with little to no understanding of what was being spoken.
In 1529, Martin Luther revived the proper format of catechism, the process of reading a set of questions and answers verbatim for the purpose of memorization. He distributed his Small Catechism 10 years after his nailing of the 95 Theses. Then came the Westminster Shorter and Larger Catechisms and Confession of Faith, as well as the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith. Christians saw catechism as the defender of sound doctrine. The world around the church was changing at a breakneck pace during the age of exploration and colonization.The church was fracturing between the Roman Catholics and Protestants, and the Protestant denominations were subsequently fracturing. The need for standardization of sound doctrine was crucial. Through liturgy and catechism, the authority of Scripture was upheld, taught, and spread not just geographically, but generationally.
Today, a revitalization of catechism is occurring. Believers have realized what was long known to those that went before us: the best way to memorize anything is to recite it daily at the same time and in the same way with the same intention. Passing a culture from one generation to the next requires teaching the invaluable truths of that culture.
Jake Hilburn
Upper School Teacher
