wfn.org | General Assembly Backgrounder: the New Catechisms

[PCUSA.NEWS@pcusa.org]

22-April-1998 
98140 
 
    General Assembly Backgrounder: 
    the New Catechisms 
 
    by Jerry L. Van Marter 
 
Editor's Note: This is the second in a series of six backgrounders on major 
issues coming to the 210th General Assembly-Jerry L. Van Marter 
 
    Two new catechisms - statements of Presbyterian doctrine and practice 
in question-and-answer format - will be recommended to the 210th General 
Assembly (1998) for educational use in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). 
 
    The new catechisms - in development for more than three years - are 
"The First Catechism," a catechism of 60 questions and answers designed for 
elementary school-age children, and "The Study Catechism," 133 questions 
and answers designed for adolescents, church officers and those new to 
Presbyterian faith and practice.  They were produced by the Special 
Committee to Write a New Presbyterian Catechism, created by the 1994 
General Assembly and chaired by the Rev. Richard Osmer, professor of 
Christian education at Princeton Theological Seminary. 
 
    In its report to the upcoming Assembly, the committee wrote, "By and 
large, catechisms do not serve as tests of orthodoxy. ... Catechisms are 
designed to enable the members of the church to confess Jesus Christ in 
their own time and place."  The General Assembly may approve the 
catechisms, amend them prior to approval, refer them for further editing, 
or vote not to approve them.  The committee is not seeking their inclusion 
in "The Book of Confessions," which is part of the Constitution of the 
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). 
 
                         The First Catechism 
 
    The target audience for "The First Catechism" is third-and 
fourth-graders.  After a brief four-question prologue, it follows the 
general course of the biblical narrative.  It begins with creation, deals 
with the Fall, focuses on God's election of the covenant people of Israel, 
moves to 
Jesus Christ and the church, and concludes with consideration of the Lord's 
Prayer. 
 
    Scriptural stories and specific Bible verses have been correlated with 
each of the questions and answers.  This pattern, according to the 
committee's report, "is designed to help students who are studying the 
catechism to gain a firm grasp of the biblical material on which the 
answers are based." 
 
                            The Study Catechism 
 
    Much lengthier and more detailed, "The Study Catechism" covers material 
that has been a 
standard part of catechisms throughout history: the Apostle's Creed, the 
Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments. 
 
    Two versions of this catechism are being presented: the "full" edition 
for confirmation and Sunday school classes, new members and officers of the 
church, and a briefer, simpler "confirmation" version for confirmation 
classes composed of early adolescents.  The language of "The First 
Catechism" and "The Study Catechism" is in large part identical. 

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