I’ve mentioned several times during the course of the last year just how important it is that we are teaching our children a good catechism.  This reality was hammered home again to me by the relentless suggestion of Dr. Sinclair Ferguson during the most recent Ligonier Conference in Orlando.

The reason we need our children to be learning a catechism is because it gives them a foundation for organizing the main themes of Scripture in an orderly fashion – a foundation that is most important to lay during their younger years.

But what I haven’t talked much about is the need for grown men and women to be learning a catechism – this is especially true of churches in the Southern Baptist church tradition (my church included) that simply ignore or neglect to emphasize this, so we now have grown Christians who still lack straightforward knowledge to some of the most crucial (if basic) theological questions.  We’ve raised generations of adults whose ideas about fundamental doctrines are cloudy at best.

But our Baptist church isn’t the only culprit, this is happening throughout the evangelical world as a whole.  And because of this, several prominent pastors and theologians have rushed to solve the problem! (:

Here is a link to John Piper’s adapted Baptist Catechism

Here is a link to Tim Keller’s New City Catechism (which can be downloaded as an app as well as a PDF)

I grew up learning the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which is still a fantastic catechism – I just wish I had these kinds of more baptist-oriented resources when I was growing up.  The New City Catechism is currently being taught to the entire church at Parkside by Pastor Alistair Begg, and we may end up introducing this wonderful resource to our class in the coming weeks…so stay tuned!

In conclusion, it is important for even adults to have a solid understanding of a catechism in order that they might have a solid understanding of the fundamental questions and principles of Scripture. I’d highly encourage you to take a look at these resources and spend some time reviewing them, and using them to teach yourself and your family.