Committee releases the ‘First Catechism’ By Gary W. Miller The Presbyterian Layman Nov/Dec, 1997 On Sept. 25, 1997, the “First Catechism” was released by a Special Committee, formed in 1994, for the purpose of preparing a new catechism. The eight-member committee, chaired by Dr. Richard Osmer of Princeton Theological Seminary, will complete its tasks with the release of a second catechism sometime in March, 1998. Both documents will be presented for consideration to the 1998 GA. The original charge of the committee came when the 1993 General Assembly responded to an overture that requested a catechism that expressed the essential tenets of the Reformed faith in contemporary language and with quotations from Scripture. As the committee processed this charge, they produced two catechisms instead of one, the first of which “targets” young children. The second will be directed toward older readers. There is no sign of scriptural references in the first release. First questions The first five questions are: 1. Who are you? I am a child of God. 2. What does it mean to be a child of God? That I belong to God, who loves me. 3. Do you have to be good for God to love you? No. God loves me in spite of all I do wrong. God’s love is a free gift that I do not deserve and cannot earn. 4. How do you thank God for this gift? I promise to love and trust God with all my heart. 5. How do you love God? By worshipping God, by loving others, and by respecting what God has created. Topics covered The First Catechism contains 56 questions covering such subjects as our natural identity as “a child of God,” human creation in the image of God, the nature of sin, the notion of covenant, the Ten Commandments with the Gospel summary of the law, the idea of promise, the person of Jesus, the person of the Holy Spirit, the church, worship, the sacraments, and the Lord’s Prayer. The Lord’s Prayer is treated in 15 questions and answers. This is about three times the space devoted to any other topic. Two questions are devoted to the “Our Father” petition. The first question and answer is similar to Westminster’s Shorter Catechism, which reads, “ ‘Our Father which art in Heaven’ teacheth us to draw near to God with all holy reverence and confidence, as children to a father, able and ready to help us; and that we should pray with and for others.” In the First Catechism we read “As Jesus taught us, we call upon God like little children who know that God cares for them and loves them. Because Jesus prayed to God as his Father, we too can pray to God in this way.” The next question considers a concern quite foreign to the Westminster Assembly – the gender of God. “When we pray to God as our Father, do we mean that God is male?” “No. Only creatures who have bodies can be male or female. But God is spirit and has no body.” Next steps The committee is not recommending that these two documents become part of our confessional standards. They will be published for use in the churches and for instruction in the Christian faith, but will not require approval by two-thirds of the presbyteries and two consecutive General Assemblies. The committee has indicated it is possible these two catechisms will undergo revisions in response to the comments received from those who use them. It is not clear what committee will undertake these future refinements. Gary W. Miller is pastor of Reedurban Presbyterian Church in Canton, Ohio. |
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