Catechesis
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 at 3:19PM 
If you haven't listened to this MP3 of J.I. Packer yet, it's well worth your time. Phoenix Preacher writes:
J.I. Packer is on one last crusade. He wants the church universal to recover the need for catechesis...life long learning of the doctrines and practices of the historic church.
According to Packer, we will not experience or sustain the renewal and outreach of the church unless we recover this lost practice. It's that important.
Why? Packer argues that Christian belief and behavior are foreign and have to be learned. Not only this, but the fact that Christian belief and behavior are foreign is itself a foreign concept.
Catechesis has been part of the church's practice, particularly in the patristic and Reformation eras. Every time our culture has become nominally Christian, the practice has been lost, which has led to all kinds of problems. Now that we live in a post-Christendom culture, catechesis is more important than ever.
Packer suggests that we need to adapt our methods, particularly when catechizing adults. The format of programs like Alpha and Christianity Explored may be useful.
We discussed this at Monday's Theology Pub, and I'm convinced we need to get on this. Listen to Packer's talk and see if you don't agree.
The next step is harder: actually doing something about it.
Reader Comments (2)
Hey Bill what about 1 John 2:20, 27? does therein not lie a mysterious 'presence' of promise and transformation? Jer 31:31-34 (Heb 8:11) The new covenant, not like the old, but ratified and executed by more superior means than the legislated code of before? the new "musterion" in full flight?
I have not prioritized the time to listened to Packer's talk yet. (Some kind of major sporting event is eating into my calendar...particularly a big hockey game last night!) As a result I may be entirely off base here, but might something like the questions that are asked over here [http://kingdomgrace.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/wanted-a-beautiful-theology/] form the basis for a contemporary catechism?