My last article, What are Catechisms?, briefly described the purpose of using catechisms: to teach Christian doctrine in a way that’s easy to understand.
Some of the catechisms are obviously related, such as Martin Luther’s Small Catechism and Large Catechism (both 1529), and the Westminster Shorter Catechism and Larger Catechism (both 1647). Other catechisms may build on an existing catechism, such as the Baptist revision (1680) of the Heidelberg Catechism (1563). Much of A Puritan Catechism (1855) is the same as Westminster Shorter Catechism (1563), but A Puritan Catechism is shorter and uses more modern wording. In the case of the Baltimore Catechism, the Larger one was written in 1885, with 421 questions. Later, the Baltimore Shorter Catechism removed some of the questions, leaving a total of 208, but didn’t renumber the remaining ones.
I’ve decided to read through some catechisms and post articles about the answers given, but I haven’t decided how I will organize the articles yet. I’m not intending to exactly follow any particular catechism, but there are common themes:
- God
- People
- Sin
- Ten Commandments
- Christ
- Repentance
- Justification
- Prayer
- Lord’s Supper
- Baptism
The list below are the catechisms I’m intending to reference for this series:
Catechism |
Year |
Author |
Group |
Links |
1529 |
Martin Luther |
Lutheran |
||
1529 |
Martin Luther |
Lutheran
|
||
Geneva Catechism |
1545 |
John Calvin |
Reformed |
|
1563 |
Zacharius Ursinus |
Reformed |
||
1647 |
|
Church of England |
||
1647 |
|
Church of England |
||
1677 |
Benjamin Keach |
Baptist |
||
Baptist Catechism |
1695 |
William Collins |
Baptist |
|
Episcopal Catechism |
1789 |
|
Episcopal |
|
A Puritan Catechism |
1855 |
Charles H. Spurgeon |
Puritan |
|
1885 |
|
Catholic |
||
1885 |
|
Catholic |
What are Catechisms? (47 articles)
- What are Catechisms? (1 of 47)
- What do Catechisms Teach? (2 of 47)
- What are the Ten Commandments? (3 of 47)
- Why Are The Ten Commandments Numbered Differently? (4 of 47)
- What is the First Commandment? (5 of 47)
- What is the Second Commandment? (6 of 47)
- What is the Third Commandment? (7 of 47)
- What is the Fourth Commandment? (8 of 47)
- What is the Fifth Commandment? (9 of 47)
- What is the Sixth Commandment? (10 of 47)
- What is the Seventh Commandment? (11 of 47)
- What is the Eighth Commandment? (12 of 47)
- What is the Ninth Commandment? (13 of 47)
- What is the Tenth Commandment? (14 of 47)
- Are People Able to Keep the Ten Commandments? (15 of 47)
- How are Catechisms Organized? (16 of 47)
- Who is God? (17 of 47)
- What is the Trinity? (18 of 47)
- Who is Jesus Christ? (19 of 47)
- Who is the Holy Spirit (Holy Ghost)? (20 of 47)
- What is Creation? (21 of 47)
- What are Angels? (22 of 47)
- Who is Man? (23 of 47)
- What is Sin? (24 of 47)
- What are the Effects of Sin? (25 of 47)
- What is the Bible? (26 of 47)
- What Covenants did God make with People? (27 of 47)
- What is Faith? (28 of 47)
- What is Repentance? (29 of 47)
- What is Grace? (30 of 47)
- What is Redemption? (31 of 47)
- What is Righteousness? (32 of 47)
- What are Justification, Adoption and Sanctification? (33 of 47)
- Why did Jesus Suffer and Die? (34 of 47)
- What was Jesus’ Resurrection? (35 of 47)
- What is the Forgiveness of Sin? (36 of 47)
- What is the Church? (37 of 47)
- What is the Second Coming? (38 of 47)
- What is the Resurrection of Believers? (39 of 47)
- What is the Judgement of non-Christians? (40 of 47)
- What is Everlasting Life? (41 of 47)
- What is Prayer? (42 of 47)
- What is the Lord’s Prayer? Introduction (43 of 47)
- What is the Lord’s Prayer? Baptist Catechism (1677) (44 of 47)
- What is the Lord’s Prayer? Luther’s Small Catechism (1529) (45 of 47)
- What is the Lord’s Prayer? Geneva Catechism (1545) (46 of 47)
- What is the Lord’s Prayer? Heidelberg Catechism (1563) (47 of 47)