Historically, the church's ministry of grounding new believers in the essentials of the faith has been known as catechesis--systematic instruction in faith foundations, including what we believe, how we pray and worship, and how we conduct our lives. For most evangelicals today, however, this very idea is an alien concept. Packer and Parrett, concerned for the state of the church, seek to inspire a much needed evangelical course correction. This new book makes the case for a recovery of significant catechesis as a nonnegotiable practice of churches, showing the practice to be complementary to, and of no less value than, Bible study, expository preaching, and other formational ministries, and urging evangelical churches to find room for this biblical ministry for the sake of their spiritual health and vitality.
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Recovering an Ancient Practice for Modern Evangelicals
Historically, the church's ministry of grounding new believers in the essentials of the faith has been known as catechesis--systematic instruction in faith foundations, including what we believe, how we pray and worship, and how we conduct our lives. For most evangelicals today, however, this very idea is an alien concept. Packer and Parrett, concerned for the state of the church, seek to inspire a much needed evangelical course correction. This new book makes the case for a recovery of significant catechesis as a nonnegotiable practice, urging evangelical churches to undertake this biblical ministry for the sake of their spiritual health and vitality.
"Packer said that the greatest challenge for the twenty-first-century church was to recatechize and disciple believers. These contributions from two of our best Christian thinkers help us to do precisely that. It will help you to see how to make not just converts but, as Jesus tells us, disciples."―Chuck Colson, founder, Prison Fellowship
"More than a call to recover a neglected practice, Grounded in the Gospel provides concrete advice to us all for dedicating ourselves anew to rooting the next generation in the great truths of the faith."―Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Theology, Westminster Seminary California
"I want to prod parishes of all denominations to listen to Packer and Parrett's cries and constructive proposals to better equip new believers. This is an urgently needed book!" ―Marva J. Dawn, author of Is It a Lost Cause? and Talking the Walk; teaching fellow in spiritual theology, Regent College
"At last, a book that tells local churches how to fulfill all of the Great Commission! I highly recommend this book to pastors and church leaders who want to encourage Christian intelligence and maturity in their people."―Warren W. Wiersbe, author of the "BE" commentary series
"This book emphasizes two critical factors: learning is important, and catechesis is about the holistic development of the whole people of God. Christian learning needs to make a comeback in the church. This book will help."―Linda Cannell, academic dean, North Park Theological Seminary
J. I. Packer is Board of Governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College and an senior editor for Christianity Today. Best known for his bestselling classic Knowing God, Packer is the author or editor of more than fifty books.
Gary A. Parrett is professor of educational ministries and worship at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and the coauthor of A Many Colored Kingdom and Teaching the Faith, Forming the Faithful.
Historically, the church's ministry of grounding new believers in the essentials of the faith has been known as catechesis--systematic instruction in faith foundations, including what we believe, how we pray and worship, and how we conduct our lives. For most evangelicals today, however, this very idea is an alien concept. Packer and Parrett, concerned for the state of the church, seek to inspire a much needed evangelical course correction. This new book makes the case for a recovery of significant catechesis as a nonnegotiable practice, urging evangelical churches to undertake this biblical ministry for the sake of their spiritual health and vitality.
"Packer said that the greatest challenge for the twenty-first-century church was to recatechize and disciple believers. These contributions from two of our best Christian thinkers help us to do precisely that. It will help you to see how to make not just converts but, as Jesus tells us, disciples."―Chuck Colson, founder, Prison Fellowship
"More than a call to recover a neglected practice, Grounded in the Gospel provides concrete advice to us all for dedicating ourselves anew to rooting the next generation in the great truths of the faith."―Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Theology, Westminster Seminary California
"I want to prod parishes of all denominations to listen to Packer and Parrett's cries and constructive proposals to better equip new believers. This is an urgently needed book!" ―Marva J. Dawn, author of Is It a Lost Cause? and Talking the Walk; teaching fellow in spiritual theology, Regent College
"At last, a book that tells local churches how to fulfill all of the Great Commission! I highly recommend this book to pastors and church leaders who want to encourage Christian intelligence and maturity in their people."―Warren W. Wiersbe, author of the "BE" commentary series
"This book emphasizes two critical factors: learning is important, and catechesis is about the holistic development of the whole people of God. Christian learning needs to make a comeback in the church. This book will help."―Linda Cannell, academic dean, North Park Theological Seminary
J. I. Packer is Board of Governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College and an senior editor for Christianity Today. Best known for his bestselling classic Knowing God, Packer is the author or editor of more than fifty books.
Gary A. Parrett is professor of educational ministries and worship at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and the coauthor of A Many Colored Kingdom and Teaching the Faith, Forming the Faithful.
About the Author
J. I. Packer is Board of Governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College and an executive editor for Christianity Today. Best known for his bestselling classic Knowing God, Packer is the author or editor of more than thirty books.
Gary A. Parrett is professor of educational ministries and worship at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and the coauthor of The Many Colored Kingdom.
Gary A. Parrett is professor of educational ministries and worship at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and the coauthor of The Many Colored Kingdom.
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More About the Author
J.I. Packer currently serves as the Board of Governors' Professor of Theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia. An ordained Anglican minister, he hold a D.Phil. from Oxford University. Dr. Packer's many published works include "Rediscovering Holiness, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God," and the best-selling "Knowing God."
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
In Jr. High, I had a friend name Charlie. He was a pretty good guy and had great parents. He also had a Nintendo, which was a pretty big deal even as far back as 1991. Anyway, I remember asking him one day what he was doing after school, and he said, "Ugh, I've got to go to catechism." His family was Catholic (I think), so he had to do this catechism thing until his confirmation (which I'd also never heard of).
Whatever catechism was, it sounded positively dreadful (after all, think of all the Nintendo he was missing out on...)
Likewise, in modern evangelical circles, the idea of catechism is shunned. It's too Catholic, too dry, too dull. Instead, we rely primarily on self-learning, children's church and sparsly-attended adult Sunday School classes for our doctrinal formation.
J.I. Packer and Gary A. Parrett want to change that. In Grounded in the Gospel, the authors strive to illustrate the biblical foundations of catechism and provide helpful outlines for how we can integrate it into our churches' ministries. As they work they build their case, the picture of catechism they describe is anything but dreadful--for one who desires to know more about the Christian faith, it can be downright exhilarating.
I greatly appreciated the thoughtfulness and thoroughness the authors applied to the subject, particularly as they wrestled first with the historical and biblical foundations of catechism. Because in many evangelical circles, there is a discomfort about the idea of doing things because of historical tradition, it is essential to understand that the idea of catechism finds its roots in Scripture. The authors explain that the our word "catechesis" is derived from the New Testament word for "teaching," kat'che'. Jesus, according to the authors, was and is the model catechist. And to catechize is to not only follow His example, but to obey His command (p. 49, c.f. Matt. 28:20).
After establishing the foundation, Packer and Parrett move to the content. If catechism is a biblical idea, what then, should its content be? Again, their breakdown of content in both the macro and micro is extremely helpful. The authors suggest that:
"There are five founts, or frames, for catechesis ' the fifth element of which is the Faith ' which has been traditionally communicated through the four fixtures of the catechism ' which together bear witness to the three facets of the Faith ' the third of which is the Way ' which has two fundamentals: love of God and love of neighbor ' which Jesus alone has fully obeyed, and whose grace alone enables us to begin to obey. Therefore Jesus Christ must ever be the one focus of all our ministries of catechesis." (p. 94)
Practically this means that the Gospel is always central to catechesis. Believers never grow out of their need for the gospel, but only deeper in their understanding of its necessity, even as catechesis moves from issues of Christian consensus (beliefs which all Christians at all times affirm), to evangelical essentials (those which necessarily divide evangelical Protestants from Catholics and Orthodox Christians), to denominational distinctives (beliefs that distinguish various Protestant groups from one another), and finally to congregational commitments (the vision, values and practices particular to your local church).
"We need not be shy about these differences," the authors explain (p. 164). "But we should not go out of our way, on the other hand, to magnify these differences at the earliest stages of our catechetical work."
"Our focus instead should be on how the message of the Gospel is so very different from all the false gospels of the culture that surrounds us. This will mean that we also distinguish the Christian vision from the message of other major religions." (ibid)
In short, while these distinctives are important, we must be careful to not allow them to overtake matters of first importance.
The final chapters are, in my estimation, worth the price of the book alone. Here we get into the nitty gritty as Packer and Parrett look at three phases of catechism and corresponding forms of curriculum. Phase one, "protocatechesis" is all about giving people their first glimpses into the Gospel. This would be, for example, where a program like Alpha or Christianity Explored would be beneficial, as their focus is on introducing the essentials of the Faith. Phase two, catechesis proper, is a formal grounding in the Gospel, usually in conjunction with preparation for baptism or confirmation and for official leadership. Phase three, ongoing catechesis, focuses on the continuing growth in depth of knowledge of God and His ways. This can be done in the form of weekend seminars, Sunday School or midweek classes, small groups... whatever is most appropriate for your ministry context.
The authors obvious passion is to see readers begin to understand the purpose of catechism and develop a desire to implement it in their churches and homes. And what they've offered, truly is a compelling solution to one of the greater concerns in our era--rampant biblical illiteracy within evangelicalism.
Today, according to statistics at least, it appears that most who would call themselves evangelical Christians have no idea what the fundamentals of the Faith are. The authority of Scripture, the nature of God, the atonement, the person of Christ... nearly everything is up for grabs, it seems. But the truth is, we can't expect people to know their Faith if they're not taught it. That's why catechism has such an important role to play (even if we never use the name).
Grounded in the Gospel is a compelling call to return to the practice of catechism. It's a call that I hope many of us will heed.
-----
A review copy was provided by Baker Books
Whatever catechism was, it sounded positively dreadful (after all, think of all the Nintendo he was missing out on...)
Likewise, in modern evangelical circles, the idea of catechism is shunned. It's too Catholic, too dry, too dull. Instead, we rely primarily on self-learning, children's church and sparsly-attended adult Sunday School classes for our doctrinal formation.
J.I. Packer and Gary A. Parrett want to change that. In Grounded in the Gospel, the authors strive to illustrate the biblical foundations of catechism and provide helpful outlines for how we can integrate it into our churches' ministries. As they work they build their case, the picture of catechism they describe is anything but dreadful--for one who desires to know more about the Christian faith, it can be downright exhilarating.
I greatly appreciated the thoughtfulness and thoroughness the authors applied to the subject, particularly as they wrestled first with the historical and biblical foundations of catechism. Because in many evangelical circles, there is a discomfort about the idea of doing things because of historical tradition, it is essential to understand that the idea of catechism finds its roots in Scripture. The authors explain that the our word "catechesis" is derived from the New Testament word for "teaching," kat'che'. Jesus, according to the authors, was and is the model catechist. And to catechize is to not only follow His example, but to obey His command (p. 49, c.f. Matt. 28:20).
After establishing the foundation, Packer and Parrett move to the content. If catechism is a biblical idea, what then, should its content be? Again, their breakdown of content in both the macro and micro is extremely helpful. The authors suggest that:
"There are five founts, or frames, for catechesis ' the fifth element of which is the Faith ' which has been traditionally communicated through the four fixtures of the catechism ' which together bear witness to the three facets of the Faith ' the third of which is the Way ' which has two fundamentals: love of God and love of neighbor ' which Jesus alone has fully obeyed, and whose grace alone enables us to begin to obey. Therefore Jesus Christ must ever be the one focus of all our ministries of catechesis." (p. 94)
Practically this means that the Gospel is always central to catechesis. Believers never grow out of their need for the gospel, but only deeper in their understanding of its necessity, even as catechesis moves from issues of Christian consensus (beliefs which all Christians at all times affirm), to evangelical essentials (those which necessarily divide evangelical Protestants from Catholics and Orthodox Christians), to denominational distinctives (beliefs that distinguish various Protestant groups from one another), and finally to congregational commitments (the vision, values and practices particular to your local church).
"We need not be shy about these differences," the authors explain (p. 164). "But we should not go out of our way, on the other hand, to magnify these differences at the earliest stages of our catechetical work."
"Our focus instead should be on how the message of the Gospel is so very different from all the false gospels of the culture that surrounds us. This will mean that we also distinguish the Christian vision from the message of other major religions." (ibid)
In short, while these distinctives are important, we must be careful to not allow them to overtake matters of first importance.
The final chapters are, in my estimation, worth the price of the book alone. Here we get into the nitty gritty as Packer and Parrett look at three phases of catechism and corresponding forms of curriculum. Phase one, "protocatechesis" is all about giving people their first glimpses into the Gospel. This would be, for example, where a program like Alpha or Christianity Explored would be beneficial, as their focus is on introducing the essentials of the Faith. Phase two, catechesis proper, is a formal grounding in the Gospel, usually in conjunction with preparation for baptism or confirmation and for official leadership. Phase three, ongoing catechesis, focuses on the continuing growth in depth of knowledge of God and His ways. This can be done in the form of weekend seminars, Sunday School or midweek classes, small groups... whatever is most appropriate for your ministry context.
The authors obvious passion is to see readers begin to understand the purpose of catechism and develop a desire to implement it in their churches and homes. And what they've offered, truly is a compelling solution to one of the greater concerns in our era--rampant biblical illiteracy within evangelicalism.
Today, according to statistics at least, it appears that most who would call themselves evangelical Christians have no idea what the fundamentals of the Faith are. The authority of Scripture, the nature of God, the atonement, the person of Christ... nearly everything is up for grabs, it seems. But the truth is, we can't expect people to know their Faith if they're not taught it. That's why catechism has such an important role to play (even if we never use the name).
Grounded in the Gospel is a compelling call to return to the practice of catechism. It's a call that I hope many of us will heed.
-----
A review copy was provided by Baker Books
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I just finished reading the book and bought 40 copies for the teachers in our church. Packer and Parrett have provided a great case for the need to return to catechesis today, asking a fundamental question, "What must we teach?" My only suggestion would be further biblical support with other key terms (i.e. sterizo - Acts 14:22; 15:41; 16:5; 18:23; Rom 1:11; 16:25; 1 Thes 3:2) and key passages (i.e. Acts 11:26 - What did Barnabas and Saul teach that enabled the Antioch church to grow "strong" such that the Holy Spirit saw fit to send them both out (vs. Simeon, Lucius and/or Manaen)?) and ask "what did the apostles teach?" to guard against reading church history back into the first century (NT). For an excellent present day catechical tool I am using, see "The First Principles Series" by BILD Int'l ([...]).
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Grounded in the Gospel is a thorough understanding of the Biblical origins of catechizing believers as a part of the discipleship process. Like many people, I hear the word "catechize" and automatically associate the practice with the Roman Catholic church. The reality is that catechizing is really a practice that finds its origins in Scripture. Through this book Packer, and his co-author Garry A. Parrett, trace out the Biblical roots as well as its historical practice in the early church.
What's great about this book? What's great is that it is very thorough. Incredibly thorough. In fact, if one were to desire to do a study on the roots and Biblical origin of catechizing this work would be one of the only needed resources to give you an in depth look at the subject. What's not so great about the book? What's not so great is the same as its strength. It is VERY thorough. Because it is packed with so much detail it drags a bit and is difficult to keep your focus (or at least mine).
I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it. Just be sure you have your reading decks cleared for a bit...
What's great about this book? What's great is that it is very thorough. Incredibly thorough. In fact, if one were to desire to do a study on the roots and Biblical origin of catechizing this work would be one of the only needed resources to give you an in depth look at the subject. What's not so great about the book? What's not so great is the same as its strength. It is VERY thorough. Because it is packed with so much detail it drags a bit and is difficult to keep your focus (or at least mine).
I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it. Just be sure you have your reading decks cleared for a bit...
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