What are we trying to do?
Fix the church, like Evangelicals?
Fix the world, like Mainline Protestants?
Are we trying to make disciples, as Jesus commanded? If so, let’s recall, “Discipleship is catechetical.”
The Catechism is many things. It is a whetstone, a compass, a theological Swiss army knife, a life book, and a summary of Scripture. It is a little “Bible of the laity.”
But, where the Word of God is preached and believed, there will also be the Cross. This means that the Christian life is lived under assault by the devil, the world, and the sinful nature. Therefore, in making disciples, the Catechism is strategic, because the Catechism is training for faith to endure attack. This makes the Catechism a field manual for discipleship.
The church needs skill in teaching and meditating on the Catechism in the face of attack. A new resource for this purpose is under development by Dr. John T. Pless. We are able to get a preview and outline of it from Dr. Pless’ lecture in the Reformation Lecture Series at Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana on October 16, 2016, titled “The Catechism: A Field Manual for Discipleship.”
By Dr. Pless’ kind permission, we are able to distribute the lecture outline in PDF format and the Power Point presentation. Access them by clicking the following links:
- PDF outline
- Power Point presentation (give this a few moments when opening or downloading)