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54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
There's None Better, October 1, 2002
"The deplorable, miserable conditions which I recently observed when visiting the parishes have constrained and pressed me to put this catechism of Christian doctrine into the brief, plain, and simple form. How pitiable, so help me God, were the things I saw: the common man, espcially in the villages, knows practically nothing of Christian doctrine, and many of the pastors are almost entirely imcompetent and unable to teach." Thus begins Martin Luther in his incomparable little guide to the Christian faith. The Small Catechism is simple enough to be understood by a child, yet challenging enough for the most mature Christian. In his book Luther outlines the basics of the Faith: The Ten Commandments, The Creed, The Lord's Prayer, The Sacrament of Holy Baptism, Confession (the Office of the Keys), and The Sacrament of the Altar. Luther also adds Daily Prayers, a Table of Duties, and Christian Questions with Their Answers. The addition featured above also contains more elaborate question and answers involving the six chief parts. Luther was at his finest as a theologian and a pastor when he penned the Small Catechism. Don't just read this book, it must be continually reviewed, memorized, and taken to heart.
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53 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good questions; Answers have scriptural basis, May 19, 2002
As a faithful member of the Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod, I decided to re-read the old Small Catechism. To tell you the truth, in church every Sunday, the pastor would talk about how Baptism and Holy Communion forgive one of his sins, but I never really understood why. I couldn't understand why a baby is Baptized when that baby obviously can't even understand the concept of "I" let alone the concept of a Triune God. So, to find the answers to these questions, I turned to the Catechism. I found the answers to why Communion and Baptism offers forgiveness of sins; I found the rationalle for Baptising babies (they can have a saving faith); I found answers to other questions that I have never thought of: Even though we pray "...and lead us not into temptation," God does not tempt us to sin; what each commandment really means, the relationship between obeying the Law of God and Grace/Forgiveness. Now, if Luther had just sat down and wrote his own thoughts on all these subjects, the book wouldn't be worth the paper it was written on, but Luther makes sure he puts several verses from the Bible (none taken out of context), to show Biblical support for his answers. It really helped me to understand my fait a little better. It's little wonder that it's been in print for nearly 500 years.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Vital Part Of My Move To Lutheranism, November 21, 2006
This review is from: Luther's Small Catechism, with Explanation (Hardcover)
This small catechism, though not a deal clencher on its own, certainly played a vital role in my move from the contemporary American evangelical movement to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. If you're looking for solid teaching on the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, The Apostles Creed, the Lord's Supper, baptism, and Confession and Absolution, then the writing in this book will aid you along very nicely. For those who desire a deeper look at the Lutheran Confessions I would recommend purchasing a copy of the Book of Concord, which has a copy of the Small and Large Catechisms. That said, I highly recommend this version of the small catechism as it's nice to have as a resource when questions come up.
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