It may be easy for people to forget today, but in the time of the Reformation (and for some time after) the Reformed churches didn’t all subscribe to one confession of faith or one catechism. Local pastors produced catechisms, not intending them to be the final statement of theology for their congregation but simply intending them to be good teaching tools for the congregation and, in particular, for its children.
Those days are largely gone. Today, in Reformed circles, the catechism is the Heidelberg Catechism. In Presbyterian circles, it’s the Westminster Shorter Catechism. I can’t say I care much for the latter, though I do appreciate the way it begins (“The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever”). I do have a great love for the former, and especially the first question and answer (“What is your only comfort in life and in death?”). But at the same time, I wish that men were still writing confessions of faith and producing catechisms today, correcting some errors in previous ones, incorporating some more recent insights, and warmly instructing today’s young people.
One man who is tackling that job (perhaps in the spirit of Jordan translating Leviticus: see the previous blog entry) is Rich Lusk. Here’s his catechism: “I Belong to God: A Covenantal Catechism.” I haven’t read it in detail, but it looks good and I particularly appreciate its attention to redemptive history and its inclusion of typology, even in its explanation of the Lord’s Supper. Good stuff. I look forward to spending some more time with it in the near future.
