Two thousand years ago in Israel, the man who is God incarnate
and Israel’s Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, led his followers into a
life-giving relationship with himself and his divine Father, and
was executed by the Roman governor. Risen from the dead, he
charged his followers to make disciples throughout the whole
world, promising that he would be with them, and equipping
them for their mission with his Holy Spirit. Founded upon God’s
reve la tion to Israel in the Old Testament, the New Testament
presents the essential witness and teaching of Jesus’ first disciples,
the apostles, who proclaimed his truth with his authority. The
faith of Christians today, as in every age, is shaped and defined by
this apostolic account of Jesus Christ.
Within a century of Jesus’ earthly ministry, Christian congregations
could be found throughout the Roman world, from Spain
to Persia and from North Africa to Britain. By this time, the catechumenate
for those wishing to become Christians had become established
Christian practice. From the Greek katēcheō (“instruct”),
the catechumenate was a period of one-to-three-years’ instruction
(catechesis) leading to Baptism at Easter. This ancient pattern of
Christian disciple-making continued for some centuries before
falling into disuse as nominal Christianity increasingly became a
universal aspect of Western culture.
The Reformation era of the sixteenth century saw a vigorous
renewal of catechesis for both adults and children among
both Protestants and Catholics. But catechesis has been in
serious decline since the eighteenth century, and much of the
discipline of discipling has been abandoned altogether in today’s
churches.
This catechism (a text used for instruction of Christian disciples)
is designed as a resource manual for the renewal of Anglican
catechetical practice. It presents the essential building blocks
of classic catechetical instruction: the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s
Prayer, and the Ten Commandments (or Decalogue). To these
is added an initial section especially intended for those with no
prior knowledge of the Gospel. Each section is presented in the
question and answer form that became standard in the sixteenth
century because of its proven effectiveness. Each question and
answer offers essential teaching together with biblical references
for group or individual study.
In one respect, this catechism breaks new ground for Anglicans.
The historic 1662 Catechism in the English Book of Common
Prayer is brief and specifically designed to prepare young
people for confirmation and church membership. However, this
present work is intended as a more comprehensive catechetical
tool for adult (or near-adult) inquirers, and for all Christians
seeking deeper grounding in the full reality of Christian faith
and life.
As such, this catechism attempts to be a missional means by
which God may bring about both conversion to Christ and formation
in Christ (or regeneration and sanctification, to use older
words). This vision of comprehensive usefulness has been before
the minds of the writing team from the beginning.
Our guidelines in drafting have been as follows:
1. Everything taught should be compatible with, and acceptable
to, all recognized schools of Anglican thought, so that
all may be able confidently to use all the material.
2. Everything taught should be expressed as briefly as possible,
in terms that are clear and correspond to today’s use
of language. There should be as little repetition as possible,
though some overlap is inevitable.
3. All the answers and questions should be as easy to explain
and to remember as possible.
We offer this catechism to the Church with the prayer that
it may serve to build up the Body of Christ by helping many to
come to full Christian faith and faithfulness in today’s increasingly
post-Christian world.
On behalf of the Committee for Catechesis
of the Anglican Church in North America
The Reverend Canon J. I. Packer
and Israel’s Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, led his followers into a
life-giving relationship with himself and his divine Father, and
was executed by the Roman governor. Risen from the dead, he
charged his followers to make disciples throughout the whole
world, promising that he would be with them, and equipping
them for their mission with his Holy Spirit. Founded upon God’s
reve la tion to Israel in the Old Testament, the New Testament
presents the essential witness and teaching of Jesus’ first disciples,
the apostles, who proclaimed his truth with his authority. The
faith of Christians today, as in every age, is shaped and defined by
this apostolic account of Jesus Christ.
Within a century of Jesus’ earthly ministry, Christian congregations
could be found throughout the Roman world, from Spain
to Persia and from North Africa to Britain. By this time, the catechumenate
for those wishing to become Christians had become established
Christian practice. From the Greek katēcheō (“instruct”),
the catechumenate was a period of one-to-three-years’ instruction
(catechesis) leading to Baptism at Easter. This ancient pattern of
Christian disciple-making continued for some centuries before
falling into disuse as nominal Christianity increasingly became a
universal aspect of Western culture.
The Reformation era of the sixteenth century saw a vigorous
renewal of catechesis for both adults and children among
both Protestants and Catholics. But catechesis has been in
serious decline since the eighteenth century, and much of the
discipline of discipling has been abandoned altogether in today’s
churches.
This catechism (a text used for instruction of Christian disciples)
is designed as a resource manual for the renewal of Anglican
catechetical practice. It presents the essential building blocks
of classic catechetical instruction: the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s
Prayer, and the Ten Commandments (or Decalogue). To these
is added an initial section especially intended for those with no
prior knowledge of the Gospel. Each section is presented in the
question and answer form that became standard in the sixteenth
century because of its proven effectiveness. Each question and
answer offers essential teaching together with biblical references
for group or individual study.
In one respect, this catechism breaks new ground for Anglicans.
The historic 1662 Catechism in the English Book of Common
Prayer is brief and specifically designed to prepare young
people for confirmation and church membership. However, this
present work is intended as a more comprehensive catechetical
tool for adult (or near-adult) inquirers, and for all Christians
seeking deeper grounding in the full reality of Christian faith
and life.
As such, this catechism attempts to be a missional means by
which God may bring about both conversion to Christ and formation
in Christ (or regeneration and sanctification, to use older
words). This vision of comprehensive usefulness has been before
the minds of the writing team from the beginning.
Our guidelines in drafting have been as follows:
1. Everything taught should be compatible with, and acceptable
to, all recognized schools of Anglican thought, so that
all may be able confidently to use all the material.
2. Everything taught should be expressed as briefly as possible,
in terms that are clear and correspond to today’s use
of language. There should be as little repetition as possible,
though some overlap is inevitable.
3. All the answers and questions should be as easy to explain
and to remember as possible.
We offer this catechism to the Church with the prayer that
it may serve to build up the Body of Christ by helping many to
come to full Christian faith and faithfulness in today’s increasingly
post-Christian world.
On behalf of the Committee for Catechesis
of the Anglican Church in North America
The Reverend Canon J. I. Packer
© 2020 Church of the Resurrection
Church of the Resurrection is a member of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic in the Anglican Church in North America
Church of the Resurrection is a member of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic in the Anglican Church in North America