The views expressed in this article are of the author only and do not necessarily represent those of the Center for Pastor Theologians.
To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism
J. I. Packer & Joel Scandrett, eds.
Crossway (2020). 160 pp.
The presently reviewed catechism is under the editorship of a long list of pastors and scholars from the Anglican tradition, under the general theological editorship of the late J.I. Packer, and executive editorship of Joel Scandrett. It is a project of the Committee for Catechesis of the Anglican Church in North America (see appendix 6). The present edition is a more finalized version that was approved in 2018 that had an earlier 2014 version.
The catechism is billed as having over 360 questions and answers to “instruct new believers and church members in the core beliefs and practices of the Christian faith” with “Scripture references that support each quotation and answer” (from book band). This is another catechism of a new wave of catechisms appearing from Christian publishers, which I will comment on at the end of this review.
The catechism is broken down into four sections, followed by seven appendices. First, the editors begin with the person of Christ in a section called “Beginning with Christ.” In this section, there is an introduction to what a catechism is for, followed by a definition of “the gospel,” and concluding with a statement on soteriology. The second section is called “Believing in Christ.” This section begins with an explanation of what a creed is and specifically the Apostles Creed. This is followed by questions on creeds in general, then questions on Holy Scripture, the three articles of the Apostles Creed, and then the sacraments. Section three is called “Belonging with Christ.” In this section, questions concern prayer in general, but more specifically the Lord’s Prayer, and concludes with a subsection called “A Rule of Prayer: Scripture, Prayer, and Worship” wherein the editors gather together very practical questions on these three topics for Christian living. Section four is called “Becoming like Christ.” This section covers the Ten Commandments and a subsection on justification and sanctification. Finally, there are the seven appendices that take up the following topics: Prayers for Use with the Catechism, A Rite for Admission of Catechumens, The Nicene Creed, The Creed of Saint Athanasius, A Note on the Articles of Religion, Vision Paper for Catechesis, and Guiding Principles for Catechesis.
The layout of the book is very attractive and helpful. The question is in bold, the answer is regular type, and each question has Scripture references that follow in parentheses in italics. I was especially glad to see that the book is small. If it is to be used as a teaching tool, it must be portable.
The editors see this present work as part of a larger history of careful study of doctrine and catechesis that the Anglican Church has practiced for many centuries (pp. 7-9). Their hope for this work is that it be “used for courses, shorter or longer, based on groups of questions and answers… ideally to be used in the context of relationship between the catechist and the catechumen” (p. 9). The editors suggests that by following the teaching of this catechism “it will help you to become a citizen of God’s kingdom and fully involved in the life and mission of his Church” (19).
I want to interact with the content of this volume critically and selectively in my following comments. Of course, catechisms are very dynamic and, I believe, contextual to a certain extent, so there is much more to be said than I can say here. But I want to begin with the ordering of the content.
Like liturgies and dogmatics, the order is important in what it says about the editors’ orthodoxy and orthopraxy. This catechism begins with “the gospel.” The reason given is that one must begin with a committed relationship with Jesus. This catechism starts with the anthropological and soteriological. If one turns to the Westminster Shorter Catechism (WSC), as a foil, one finds the first question to be an ethical and theological question, i.e., Q: “What is the chief end of man?” A: “To glorify God and enjoy him forever.” For both catechisms, the “how do we know?” question follows. The presently reviewed catechism looks primarily to the creeds, mainly the Apostles Creed, and Scripture following in a brief subsection, in part two. The WSC moves to Scripture alone. I am not arguing here, which has more virtue, but it sheds light on assumptions.
In the current theological setting in which we presently inhabit, the definition of “the gospel” in section one is an important question. The language used in this section is helpful in that it uses common language relatable to those not brought up in church. For example, the first question is, “What is the human condition?” I thought that this is a great way to frame the Fall. The answer is equally helpful in that it frames the human condition as being “cut off from God by self-centered rebellion against him…” However, there are other questions and answers that sacrificed God-centeredness for me-centered colloquialism. For example, the question about the effects of sin is uncomfortably individualistic; “How does sin affect you?” Additionally, when defining sin, I was surprised not to see any mention of being separated from the glory of God or any mention of breaking God’s law. Finally, the definition of the gospel suffered some deficiencies, namely, that it is said to offer “salvation from sin . . .” (p. 23) The gospel does not save from sin, per se, but cleanses us from sin and saves us from the wrath of God that is rightfully upon us because we broke his law.
A few passing thoughts:
1. This is definitely an Anglican catechism, which means that it will not likely be broadly used by the universal church (though I am not suggesting that some parts could not be). One can observe the nature of the catechism from how it is framed in the introduction to such aspects as seven sacraments included in section three.
2. Ordination is one of those sacraments, but among the six questions on ordination, the qualifications of those who would be ordained is not covered. Was this intentional? May it be because of sticky situations concerning gender?
3. Within answers, church fathers are quoted verbatim such as Jerome in question 32. I have not seen this before in a catechism, but I see it could be helpful in rooting these truths in the church through the ages.
Finally, why another catechism? On my shelf, I am looking at least four other catechisms, including Luther’s smaller and larger, Westminster longer and shorter, Heidelberg, and the much more recent New City just to name several. The editors suggest that this is a more comprehensive teaching tool for adults than the 1662 Catechism in the English Book of Common Prayer, and attempts to be “missional” (depending on how we intend that word to be used in our landscape) in that it is a tool of both evangelism and discipleship (p.14). It seems the need was denominational at its heart, but it might be time for a close study of catechisms old and new to examine their uses, the order of material covered in the catechisms, and so on. It may appear to some that catechisms are the next frontier of publication, since now commentaries and study bibles have proliferated the market. A study may help us digest their need and use.
This book will serve well its prescribed purpose for the Anglican communion. I have noted those areas that I appreciate and some areas of challenge, but the review of this work was especially poignant for me that J.I. Packer entered glory at the time of writing this review. A monumental part of this work is that it has his fingerprints on it. I pray for its continued development and use in the church as we seek to fulfill Jesus’s commandments in Matt 28 and Acts 1:8.
Aaron W. White is pastor of First Presbyterian Church in South Charleston, OH. He holds a PhD from Trinity College, Bristol and is a member of the St. Basil Fellowship of the Center for Pastor Theologians.
