Foundational Priniciples of CATECHESIS: The Forming of Discipled Lives

Catechesis Always Begins in the Culture and Context

of the People • St. Mark (1st & 2nd Century)

• Hypolitus (3rd Century)

• Cyril of Jerusalem (4th Century)

• Augustine of Hippo (5th Century)

Catechesis Always Begins in the Culture and Context

of the People • St. Mark (1st Century)

• Hypolitus (3rd Century)

• Cyril of Jerusalem (4th Century)

• Augustine of Hippo (5th Century)

• 16th Century Reformers

Three Driving Forces of Contemporary American

Culture

• Entertainment

• Technology

• Consumerism

* The amalgam of these three in the Internet have created a highly democratized culture (media, information/knowledge, religion)

The National Study of Youth and Religion

To help understand the role of faith in today’s Western cultural context let’s look at the recent longitudinal sociological study undertaken in the USA

The National Study of Youth and Religion

Findings of the NSYR

• Common Faith – Moralistic Therapeutic Deism

• Faith - Youth believe same as their parents but its not that central to everyday life

• Practice – Morality is about happiness (no particular philosophical framework)

* Millenials did not create this worldview but have perfected what they received from previous generations

Tenets of Therapeutic Moralistic Deism

From Soul Searching, by Dr. Christian Smith.• A God exists who created and orders the world and watches over human life on earth.

• God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.

• The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.

• God answers prayer but does not need to be particularly involved in ones life except when needed to fix problems.

• Good people go to heaven when they die.

What does Moralistic Therapeutic Deism look like in the real life

of a teen?

The time has come for the Church to take Catechesis

seriously once again

Both inside and outside the Church

The Great Commission

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Going therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

-Matthew. 28:16-20

Four Distinctives of the Church

(in this passage)•The Worship of God through Jesus Christ

•Sacrament (Baptism)

•The Teaching to obey all that Jesus has taught

•God’s presence in the world through the Church

These four are distinctives of life of

a disciple!

Defining Catechesis

• Movement Making Disciples of Jesus Christ

• Historically, it is the overarching work of the Church in the Great Commission - to make disciples, baptizing and teaching them to obey all that Jesus has commanded.

• A Reorientation of Life Godward

• Kατηχέω – Oral instruction

An Anglican Catechumenate

• Terminology – Catechism, Catechesis, Catechist, Catechumen

• The Catechumenate is the overarching framework for catechesis.

• The Catechumenate Includes:

• Content

• Process

• Communal Context (relationship within a faith culture)

• Problem of the 1960's: too much catechism, not enough catechesis.

Content (Second Order)

• The Holy Scriptures

• A Catechism containing the catholic standards:

• Faith – Creeds

• Hope – Lord’s Prayer

• Love - 10 Commandments – Summary of the Law

•Right belief (worldview), right relationship (worship/prayer) and right practice (living)

Lex orandi, Lex credendi, Lex

vivendi

Process(First Order)

• Participation in Worship (BCP Worship, hymnody & music ) Thomas Cranmer's vision of a Christian England - facilitating conversion within the context of liturgy.

• Instruction in Classic Disciplines (Prayer, Scripture Study, Fellowship, Fasting, Service (Not programs but being the Church.)

• Pastoral Care and Spiritual Direction between Catechists and Catechumens

• Belonging, believing, behaving (start at whatever point but work to be comprehensive)

Community(Sharing a Context)

• Within the Faith Culture of the Body of Christ

• Catechists - Disciplers/Leaders, Instructors (Disciples who make Disciples)

• Catechumen

Stages- Cradle to GraveEvery Aspect of life as a

Discipleship Issue

• From J.I. Packer and Gary Parrett 's book Grounded in the Gospel

• Proto-Catechesis (Evangelism)

• Catechesis Proper (Initiatory Rites)

• Ongoing Catechesis (Mystagogy)

Two Pronged Strategy

• Catechetical Evangelism – adult baptism as the standard - from the front porch (strategy for those to whom we go out, form and lead into the Church)

• Liturgical Catechesis – from the font (strategy for helping truly Christian parents to form children)

Foundational Priniciples of CATECHESIS: The Forming of Discipled Lives