Finally, we mention the catechizing of children, a grand old Protestant tradition which regrettably has fallen on hard times. Few catechize their children any more. For some, the word itself sounds archaic or like something the Catholics used to do. In actual fact, it is an ancient practice reaching all the way back to the earliest centuries of the church. It was revived in the 16th Century by the Protestant Reformers so successfully that even the Roman Catholics began to mimic them. Catechisms were written by Luther, Calvin, Bullinger, and nearly all the major Reformers. In keeping with this tradition, the Westminster Assembly produced two catechisms, the Shorter for children, and the Larger for adults. The former has been the most popular and widely used in the English language since the mid-17th Century.

Should you catechize your children? Yes, you should, and for a number of reasons:

1. It is a tried and proven method of religious instruction. For generations Protestants have successfully transmitted the content of the Christian faith to their children through Catechisms. This was taken so seriously in Puritan New England that a child could be removed from its parents’ custody if they failed to catechize him or her! Admission to the communion table in Scotland for generations was preceded by the successful recitation of the Shorter Catechism. It was not uncommon in 19th Century Presbyterian homes in America that the Shorter Catechism would be completed during a child's sixth year. According to John Leith, 17,000 Presbyterian youth memorized the Shorter Catechism and had their names published in the Christian Observer in 1928, the year in which he achieved that feat. Education pedagogues come and go. Here is a method that works.

2. It is simple. It doesn't require additional resources. Any parent can catechize any child using no more than a small booklet. (In the process, the parent may learn more than the child!) But since the Bible places the responsibility of Christian education squarely upon Christian parents (Dt 6:4ff, Eph 6:1ff), here is a method easily adopted by parents.

3. It is content-rich. The old catechisms are rich reservoirs of theological, devotional, and practical content. Fully forty percent of the Shorter Catechism is concerned with ethics (the Law of God) and nearly ten percent with prayer. God, man, sin, Christ, faith, repentance, and so on are all given succinct, accurate definitions. Children nurtured on the catechism will be formidable theologians in an age of irrationalism and general mindlessness.

Here are a couple of practical reasons as well:

1. Memory is a faculty that should be developed. One might liken memory to a muscle—it grows when exercised and shrinks when neglected. J. A. Motyer, former principal of Trinity College, Bristol, and lecturer in Old Testament and Hebrew once said that he noticed a significant change in the capacity of his students to learn the Hebrew declensions. What was typically learned upon first hearing by students in the 1930s and 40s was the labor of a week in the 1970s and 80s. Obviously, it is a great asset in life to have what we call a "good memory." What has often not been understood is that having such is more a matter of work than nature.

2. Memorizing logical, structured, conceptual material like the Shorter Catechism actually contributes to mental development. J.S. Mill, no friend of orthodox Christianity, claimed in his famous essay On Liberty that the Scots had become mental philosophers of the first order through their study of the Bible and the Shorter Catechism. Douglas Kelly noting the work of Scottish theologian T. F. Torrance, states that "children brought up on the Catechism have a greater capacity for conceptual thinking (as opposed to merely pictorial thinking) than those who never memorized it."8 It provides matter (theological matter!) for building the mental framework within which rational thought can take place. While not superior to the memorization of Scripture, this does explain why the Catechisms are to be memorized alongside of Scripture.

The Anglo-Catholic essayist, J.A. Froude, who spoke of "the Scottish peasant as the most remarkable man in Europe," traced the dignity, intellect, and character of the typical Scottish peasant up to that time "as largely flowing from the memorization of the Shorter Catechism," says Douglas Kelly again.9 Let the educational fads come and go. Concentrate on a method that has stood the test of time.10

Now pull together the various threads. Instead of spiritual concerns contributing to an already frantic pace of life, the family should commit itself to the time-proven, biblically-based means of spiritual nurture—public and family worship. In these settings great Psalms and hymns are sung, children are catechized, sins are confessed, the Scriptures are read and taught. Instead of running all over town, children and parents heading out in every direction, commitments are focused upon the Lord's Day services and daily worship at home. Life is simplified! Not only will we be we using means that are more fruitful than the modern alternatives, and more likely to result in the salvation and sanctification of covenant children and parents alike, but the pace of life will slow, allowing more rather than less time for families to be together. Public worship, family worship, the Lord's Day, and catechizing are the "ancient paths" in which we will find "rest" for our souls.

This article is taken from "The Family Worship Book: A Resource Book for Family Devotions" by Terry Johnson (ISBN 978-1-85792401-5) which is published by Christian Focus Publications (www.christianfocus.com) and is used here with their kind permission.

Terry Johnson is the Senior Pastor at Independent Presbyterian Church in Savannah, GA