Orthodox Catechism - Introduction

As evangelical Christian educators, we see catechesis as integral to the all-age Christian nurture that every congregation should be practicing. Together we mourn its current eclipse, perceiving this as the deepest root of the immaturity that is so widespread in evangelical circles, and we unite in seeking the recognition, restoration, and indeed enhancement of it as a basic discipline of Christian life.

Packer, J. I., & Parrett, G. A. (2010). Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way (p. 9). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.

Superficial smatterings of truth, blurry notions about God and godliness, and thoughtlessness about the issues of living—careerwise, communitywise, familywise, and churchwise—are all too often the marks of evangelical congregations today, particularly, if we may dare to say it, some newly planted ones. (We pick on evangelical groupings because we ourselves belong to them, and thus know something about them from the inside. We do not imply that other brands of contemporary Christianity are free from the same faults.) We think that as long as catechesis, which was the strength of Christian nurture in the past, continues to be out of fashion, these shortcomings are not likely to disappear. As we contemplate today’s complex concerns, hopes, dreams, and ventures of Christian renewal, discipleship impresses us as the key present-day issue, and catechesis as the key present-day element of discipleship, all the world over. The Christian faith must be both well and wisely taught and well and truly learned! A far-reaching change of mindset about this is called for, without which such well-worn dictums as “American Christianity is three thousand miles wide and half an inch deep” will continue, sadly, to be verified. Recovery of the educational-devotional discipline that we are advocating cannot, to our mind, come a moment too soon.

Packer, J. I., & Parrett, G. A. (2010). Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way (pp. 16–17). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.