Family
Shepherds - 1
Calling and
equipping men to lead their homes
Voddie
Baucham Jr.
Pg 64-67
Catechism is simply a pedagogical method employing questions
and answers to teach a set body of knowledge. It’s explained in the following
terms by Zacharias Ursinus, the primary author of the Heidelberg Catechism:
The system of catechiszing…
includes a short simple, and plain exposition and rehearsal of the Christian
doctrine, deduced from the writings of the prophets and apostles, and arranged
in the form of questions and answers, adapted to the capacity and comprehension
of the ignorant and unlearned; or it is a brief summary of the doctrine of the
prophets and apostles, communicated orally to such as are unlearned, which they
again are required to repeat.
Ultimately,
catechism is a means of teaching Christian doctrine in a concise, repetitive
manner. As Martin Luther wrote, “In the catechism, we have a very exact,
direct, and short way to the whole Christian religion.”
