For the Welfare and Profit of the Soul:
A Biblical and Historical Case for Catechetical Preaching
Dan Borvan
In the twenty-first century, many pastors toil over how to communicate the truths of Scripture while keeping their sermons fresh and relevant. Pastors are burdened with the task of educating a laity that is becoming more biblically illiterate. They can turn to the fads that continue to spring up in American Christianity, or they can return to their Reformation roots and adopt catechetical preaching. The choice was not difficult for B. B. Warfield, who said of the Christian Reformed Church, “Two things keep the small Christian Reformed Church straight in the midst of a crooked ecclesiastical world, its Catechism preaching and its catechetical instruction of its youth.”
This paper proposes a return to catechetical preaching in Reformed churches. It examines the biblical support of catechetical preaching, its history, and criticisms. This essay proves that all Reformed churches should consider adopting the practice of catechetical preaching, because of its benefits to the church. The New Testament attests to catechetical preaching, especially in the epistles of Paul. Church History demonstrates a strong tradition of catechetical preaching, most notably the period of the Reformation. Catechetical preaching is able to answer the arguments of its critics and demonstrate a positive contribution to the theology and piety of the church.
Definition
Catechetical preaching explains the meaning of biblical doctrine by expounding various historic confessions and catechisms of the Christian church. Hughes Oliphant Old notes, “Catechetical preaching therefore outlines basic Christian teaching, often by explaining the Apostle’s Creed, the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the sacraments. Catechetical preaching is by its very nature systematic.” Some have equated it with topical preaching, including Jan Karel van Baalen, who writes, “Catechism preaching is topical preaching. Topical preaching… deals with definite problems and asks, What is the sum total of scriptural teaching, in history, prophecy, gospel and epistles, concerning this topic or subject?” This style of preaching is rooted in Second-Temple Judaism and is demonstrated in the New Testament.
Biblical Support
Background in Judaism
Christianity was not created in a vacuum. From its inception, it adopted practices of Second-Temple Judaism. Philip Carrington explains, “The substance of Christian worship and piety and catechism and church order was Jewish.” Every day in the synagogue, rabbis would instruct their hearers in the proper interpretation of the Mosaic Law. This instruction was later systematized in the Mishnah and then in the Talmud. Old sheds light, “The sessions of rabbinical schools were quite different from Sabbath day services at the synagogue. They performed a ministry of the Word – a very different ministry, and yet one that was clearly understood as a ministry of the Word.” So from its beginning, catechetical preaching was considered a ministry of the Word.
Students graduated from elementary instructions to more advanced lectures and discussion. Old points out, “Having studied Scripture and memorized the oral tradition, students at this higher level of study were supposed to learn how to interpret and apply it.” It is evident that this form of instruction was not limited to the very young. Old makes it clear, “[T]he ministry of the Word as it was exercised in the rabbinical schools was the source of a very distinct genre of Christian preaching – namely, catechetical preaching.” The church developed its own catechism to be used in this genre of preaching, today referred to by its German name, Haustafel.
Jesus demonstrates this type of preaching in the Sermon on the Mount, carrying on the rabbinic tradition. There are other portions of the New Testament that reflect this style of teaching, including First Peter, Ephesians and the Pastoral Epistles. The mandate for purposeful and thoughtful instruction in the Christian church comes from Christ’s command to his disciples in the Great Commission.
The Great Commission
The basis of the biblical support for catechetical preaching begins with the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20. Here, Jesus instructs his disciples to go, to make disciples, to baptize, and to teach all that he has commanded. Donald Hagner points out that the main verb is maqhteu/sate, which is accompanied by three corresponding participles that serve to supplement maqhteu/sate. The command given to the disciples is not limited to proclaiming the gospel; this is merely the beginning of their task. Old explains, “We might expect to read that the apostles were to go to all peoples and khru/xate to\ eujagge/lion, proclaim the gospel, but instead we read they are to go dida/skonteß aujto/ß, teaching them to observe everything Jesus has commanded them.” The apostles were more than just evangelists who made converts and moved on; they were teachers whose goal was to present everyone mature in Christ (Col 1:28).
The making of disciples begins by the preaching of the gospel and baptism, but continues throughout the disciple’s life by means of the teaching of the apostles. Hagner clarifies, “The emphasis in the commission thus falls not on the initial proclamation of the gospel but more on the arduous task of nurturing into the experience of discipleship, an emphasis that is strengthened and explained by the instruction ‘teaching them to keep all that I have commanded’ in v 20a.” The referent of “all that I have commanded,” is obviously important. Some have claimed that it refers to the Sermon on the Mount, but it seems to imply more than that. The paß most likely refers to Jesus’ entire teaching ministry to the disciples. Davies and Allison clarify that this includes “not just imperatives but also proverbs, blessings, parables, and prophecies.”
The duty of teaching these new disciples fell on the apostles. In this task, they continued the pattern set by rabbinical instruction. Craig Keener notes, “[O]nce they are initiated, mature disciples must also build the new disciples into stronger discipleship by teaching them Jesus’ message… [H]ere, as in Jewish instruction in Judaism, the process of teaching continues subsequent to the initiation.” This instruction is done by the church. Itinerant evangelists were used by God to initiate discipleship, but the process of maturity took place in the church, through Word and sacrament. The Holy Spirit works through the preaching of the gospel to create faith in the heart of the unbeliever and also to strengthen and mature faith in the life of the disciple. Old explains:
In the light of a text like this it is rather hard to drive a wedge between preaching the gospel of salvation and teaching the Christian way of life. Obviously according to this text Christian preaching is to do both. At times the Church has understood this passage as the charter of evangelistic preaching, and at other times as the charter of catechetical preaching.
Catechetical preaching is never to be at odds with the preaching of the gospel. It must always include the message of salvation and the benefits found in Christ.
First Timothy
The New Testament epistles contain multiple examples of catechetical instruction, particularly the epistles of Paul. There is evidence that at least some of First Timothy is catechetical instruction, which was to be delivered to the churches in the form of catechetical preaching. Old claims, “The whole epistle is devoted to presenting Paul’s didache.” Some scholars believe that Paul is drawing from earlier catechetical teaching, in his instructions to Timothy. Concerning the phrase, “It is a trustworthy saying…” which appears five times in the Pastoral Epistles, J. N. D. Kelly writes, “It has a solemn ring, and in each case is used to introduce, or follow, a citation, probably drawn from early catechetical or liturgical material, to which he wishes to draw attention.” Old compares First Timothy to the Didache, which he claims basically served as a church constitution. Paul instructs Timothy, who in turn is to instruct the congregation by preaching this material, how church polity is to be properly conducted.
If it is true that these specifications in First Timothy are catechetical material, this proves that catechetical instruction was not limited to new believers learning the basics of the faith, but also included more advanced topics like church order. Old explains:
This teaching was probably carried on at a more advanced level, and it was in this kind of setting that one would go over the teachings outlined in First Timothy. It was not for the teaching of beginners that the material found in First Timothy is formulated; here we have a more advanced kind of teaching.”
This advanced teaching was delivered through the inspired catechetical material as Timothy preached the epistle.
Paul goes so far as to command Timothy: “devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Tim 4:13). Judging from the context, this teaching was to be done in public worship, along with the reading of Scripture and exhortation. Kelly believes that, here, Paul is referring to didactic material: “[T]eaching signifies catechetical instruction in Christian doctrine; this too had its place in meetings for worship from the earliest times, and it is evident that a great deal of catechetical material is embodied in the N.T. writings…” One must discern whether these three commands are to take place in concert with one another or in different settings. Old states, “This text probably also implies that the ministry of the Word took place at several different kinds of services. Not only was there the formal reading and preaching of Scripture in the service of worship on the Lord’s Day, there would also have been the daily morning teaching sessions…” Catechetical material was presented in these daily teaching sessions in order to bring the congregation to maturity in matters of the faith.
First Timothy, whether or not it was intended to be catechetical material, certainly contains didactic content that was to be delivered to the churches. Old declares, “The Epistle of First Timothy makes it abundantly clear that the teaching of Christian doctrine and instruction in piety and even the principles of church order have their place in the ministry of the Word.” Preaching was to be doxological and instructional in order to help bring Christians to maturity in Christ.
Ephesians 4:1-6:20
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is basically divided in two, with the first half containing doctrinal material concerning the gospel and the second half containing didactic instruction delineating the Christian way of life. His instruction on spiritual gifts and church office in 4:11-16 is a favorite topic for Paul in his epistles (see Rom 12 and 1 Cor 12-14). Old notes:
No doubt it appeared just as frequently in his regular teaching, particularly that part which presented the basic information on how one was to function in the Church, that is, the catechetical instruction of new converts. Here we get a clear picture of Paul doing catechetical instruction.”
This catechetical instruction took place when the minister of the Word preached Paul’s letter to his congregation.
Paul explains the distinctions between Christian living and Gentile living in 4:17-5:14. He contrasts the lawlessness of pagans with the obedience of believers. Old observes, “The whole passage is filled with homiletical material which gives us hints as to how the apostle in his sermons was accustomed to developing his teaching.” It is not hard to imagine Paul patiently teaching this material to a group of new converts to the Christian faith. This is the type of material that the teachers of 4:11 would have presented to their congregations. Andrew Lincoln explains, “They were specialists in the inculcation of Christian norms and values and the conduct appropriate to them, and in this way became particularly associated with the qualities of wisdom and knowledge… That teachers instructed in practical Christian living is also clear from the immediate context in Eph 4:20,21.” The doctrine of the first half of the epistle is followed in the second half by instructions on Christian piety.
The section of the letter concerning the conduct of the household is also familiar catechetical instruction. Old points out, “To any reader of the New Testament this is all quite familiar because this sort of material appears so often, and is so similar even in authors so different as Peter and Paul and in books of such obviously different purpose as Ephesians and 1 Peter.” Paul also includes what Old calls “liturgical catechism,” or explaining of the service of worship. This idea is further developed in the Pastoral Epistles, particularly, in First Timothy, as seen earlier.
The New Testament contains much catechetical material that was delivered to the churches in the preaching of the Word. The early church continued the practice of the synagogue and preached didactic material in order to instruct the congregation.
Church History
Ancient Church
Catechetical preaching continued after the Apostolic Era into the period of the Church Fathers. It is clearly seen in the early second century writing, The Didache (ca. 80-ca. 110). The Didache is a basic document, which outlines the moral principles that a Christian convert is to follow. Peter De Jong recounts, “Vividly it describes the way of life and the way of death in sharp contrast. Stress is layed upon the duty to love God and fellowman…” Old claims that the church was to be instructed in these doctrines as part of the ministry of the Word. It was not limited to daily catechetical teaching, but included the preaching of the Scriptures for the edification of the body. He writes, “The daily preaching was directed toward the mature members of the congregation; it was not simply elementary instructions designed for catechumens.” In these sermons the preacher explained how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament promises in his death and resurrection.
Cyril of Jerusalem (ca. 315-86) was prolific in catechetical preaching. His Catechetical Lectures are a series of twenty-four sermons with six covering introductory material, thirteen on the baptismal creed, and five reserved for post-baptism. The sermons were aimed at doubters and delivered in a practical way, as Old explains, “The whole series is addressed to such people in an honest attempt to win over his hearers. He makes every effort to meet people where they are and to speak to them in their language.” The sermons on the baptismal creed provide insight into the methodology of early catechetical preaching. The preacher delivered expositions of the passages of Scripture from which the doctrines were gathered.
Ambrose of Milan (339-397) was a contemporary of Cyril and also a proponent of catechetical preaching. Some have called him one of the fathers of catechetical preaching. In the weeks leading up to Easter every year, he would preach daily to those about to be baptized. In order, he would expound the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and deliver teachings on the sacraments. Old notes, “This procedure remained the schema for classical catechetical preaching for generations.”
Medieval Era
Catechetical preaching gradually fell out of favor in the church after the patristic era. Old notes, “For too long Christian preachers had neglected serious catechetical preaching. The missionary monks had done their best to teach their raw recruits the rudiments of the Christian life, but they rarely got beyond very simple moralism.” Catechetical preaching experienced resurgence when the Dominicans were founded in the thirteenth century. Janz notes, “In all likelihood, the bulk of… instruction took place in catechetical sermons that, bishops expected, parish priests would regularly offer.” Thomas Aquinas is the best example of catechetical preaching in this era. He delivered an memorable series of sermons in 1273 on the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Apostles’ Creed. Overall, however, catechetical preaching in the medieval era was lacking, resulting in a laity that was ignorant of doctrine and biblical truth.
The Reformation
When the Reformation began in the early sixteenth century, catechetical preaching was brought back to the forefront in the life of the church. Old explains, “The Reformation brought a revival of catechetical preaching. In fact, this was one of the first liturgical reforms actually to be instituted…” The Reformers knew that catechetical preaching was necessary in order to instruct their congregations in doctrinal truth. The heresies of the Roman church had to be abandoned and then replaced with an accurate summary of biblical teaching. De Jong describes the situation, “Faced with the low spirituality of the multitudes, the reformers set themselves to write creeds and confessions, church orders and catechism based on the Word… And out of this concern for loyalty to the Scriptures and the spiritual welfare of the people arose the practice of catechetical preaching.” Wherever the Reformation was adopted, catechetical preaching came part and parcel.
Luther is credited with initiating the revival of catechetical preaching. In 1515, he preached a series of sermons on the Apostle’s Creed, followed by the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer. 1n 1521, Erasmus suggested a return to catechetical preaching in his paraphrase of the Gospel of Matthew. Within a few years it was adopted in Zurich, then later in Basel and Strasbourg. After Luther wrote his Small Catechism of 1529, German pastors were instructed to preach from the catechism. In 1532, Heinrich Bullinger and Leo Judae passed the Pradicantenordunung, which required pastors of Zurich churches to preach a sermon every Lord’s Day on one of the basic doctrines of Christianity. One year later, Judae published his catechism, which was mandated to be preached in sermonic form. John Calvin was a strong supporter of catechetical instruction and presumably preached catechetically, like the other Reformed pastors. Unfortunately, these sermons were not preserved.
As the Reformation moved into the middle of the sixteenth century, catechetical preaching was becoming a standard practice in reformed churches throughout the continent. With the publication of the Heidelberg Catechism in 1563, catechetical preaching reached a new height. The Heidelberg was somewhat unique in terms of reformed catechisms, in that, it functioned as a catechism, but also a confession. The preface, by Elector Frederick III, makes it clear that it was formulated:
…that the Pastors and Schoolmasters themselves may be provided with a fixed form and model, by which to regulate the instruction of youth, and not, at their option, adopt daily changes, or introduce erroneous doctrine: We do herewith affectionately admonish and enjoin upon every one of you, that you do, for the honour of God and our subjects, and also for the sake of your own soul’s profit and welfare, thankfully accept this proffered Catechism or course of instruction, and that you do diligently and faithfully represent and explain the same according to its true import, to the youth in our schools and churches, and also from the pulpit to the common people…
From the very beginning, one of the main objectives for the catechism was to serve as sermonic material for the churches. Pastors were to preach the doctrines that were contained within the catechism. Conveniently, the Heidelberg Catechism was arranged into fifty-two Lord’s Days in order to insure that the material was covered in one year.
The expectation to preach the catechism was made known to the Palatinate churches early on. This is evidenced, not only from the introduction to the Heidelberg, but also from a Palatinate Church Order issued by Frederick, which included a special prayer to be offered by pastors after the catechetical message. Ronald Cammenga writes, “The incorporation of this special prayer in the Church Order is a clear indication that the Heidelberg Catechism was being preached in Heidelberg in 1563.” Zacharias Ursinus, the primary author of the Heidelberg, also provides proof in a letter that the catechism was already being preached in 1563. Cammenga explains, “In the letter, written in 1563, Ursinus complains that the authorities have added to his already heavy workload the preaching of the Catechism at the Sunday afternoon worship service.” The preaching of the Heidelberg Catechism was stressed in several synods in the Netherlands, leading up to the Synod of The Hague in 1586, which made preaching the catechism mandatory.
The preaching and teaching of the Heidelberg Catechism became a point of contention in the Arminian controversy. The Arminians wanted to preach only from the Scriptures, claiming that preaching from the catechism placed man’s words above God’s. The matter of catechism preaching was settled at the Synod of Dort (1618-1619), which reiterated the mandate of the 1586 Synod of The Hague, which instructs:
…that the pastors in all places shall ordinarily in the afternoon sermon briefly explain the summary of Christian doctrine contained in the Catechism presently adopted in the Dutch churches, in order that it can be completed in this way every year by following the division introduced in the Catechism for that purpose.
The Synod of Dort sought to address complaints regarding the lack of attendance at catechism preaching. One of the reasons why catechetical preaching was not being done was because ministers were not holding afternoon services where the catechism could be preached. Some chose instead to work or play on Sunday afternoon. Many pastors served multiple churches and could not attend to their congregations properly. There were Arminians that directly opposed catechism preaching, and the government had failed to ensure that Sunday would be a day of rest without labor. The synod produced five measures to remedy the situation:
1. It reiterated the mandate of catechetical preaching from the Synod of 1586. Ministers who failed to fulfill their duty were censured.
2. The second service was to be maintained despite lack of attendance. The minister is required to hold the second service even if his family is all that attends.
3. The government was asked to uphold the Sabbath.
4. Every church should have its own minister as much as possible.
5. Church visitors were charged to observe whether the minister was preaching catechism sermons; those who were not had to report to Classis for censure. Confessing members who refused to attend catechism sermons were seemingly censured also.
The neglect of catechism preaching was emblematic of the tumultuous time of the Arminian controversy. This pattern of failure to preach the catechism in adherence to the Synod of Dort would resurface again and again over the ensuing centuries. The practice instituted in 1586 at the Synod of The Hague, however, is still in use by reformed churches whose ancestry goes back to the Netherlands, including the United Reformed Churches in North America, the Canadian Reformed Churches, The Protestant Reformed Churches, and others.
Objections to Catechism Preaching
Since the appearance of the Heidelberg Catechism, many have objected to catechism preaching, including Martyn Lloyd-Jones, who said:
…on the whole I do not believe in preaching through a catechism. There are those for whom I have great respect who do this regularly; but I suggest that this is not a wise procedure, chiefly for the reason that it tends to produce a theoretical attitude to the Truth, an over-intellectual attitude to the Truth.
Lloyd-Jones did believe in teaching the content of the catechisms, just not in sermonic form. He explains, “I would place this under the heading of instruction and deal with it in a series of lectures.”
The most significant charge against catechism preaching, from Lloyd-Jones and others, including Donald Macleod, is that it is not preaching the Word of God. Macleod declares, “Our mandate is to preach the Word. To resort instead to expounding a human document is to confuse our people by blurring the distinction between what is normative revelation and what is to be judged by that revelation.” Lloyd-Jones adds:
I believe… that in preaching the message should always arise out of the Scriptures directly and not out of the formulations of men, even the best men. After all, these catechisms were produced by men and men who were concerned to emphasise [sic] certain things in their peculiar historical situation, over against certain other teachings and attitudes. At their best, therefore, they tend to be incomplete, they tend to have a particular emphasis; and therefore they tend to leave out certain things.
Lloyd-Jones concludes his critique of catechetical preaching, found in his landmark Preaching and Preachers:
… it is surely wrong therefore to just preach constantly year after year on the Catechism, instead of preaching the Word directly from the Scripture itself, with the Scriptures always open before you, and the minds of the people directed to that rather than to men’s understanding of it. Though what you are preaching is your understanding of the meaning and the teaching of the Scriptures this method preserves, and emphasises [sic] in a clearer manner, the idea that you are giving the message of the Bible rather than the dogma of a particular church.
Lloyd-Jones actually brings out the main objection to his own position. The issue is not the strict preaching of the Word of God. As De Jong points out, “No sermon – and on this all will have to agree – is simply a verbatim recitation of a large number of biblical texts.” Every sermon contains an understanding of the meaning and teaching of the Scriptures. The issue is, whose understanding is involved? Is it the understanding of those who formulated the creeds and catechisms that have stood for centuries, or is it the individual preacher’s understanding? Catechism preaching relies on the combined wisdom of the history of the church to bring out the teachings of Scripture on various topics, rather than relying on the personal wisdom of a single pastor. Macleod actually goes on to make that point, “First, these documents represent the collective wisdom of the Christian centuries. Consequently, anyone who is preaching under their stimulus and within their parameters can be absolutely confident that he is not preaching a private opinion…” Catechism preaching restrains the pastor from potential error and unites a church around its corporately confessed faith.
Certainly, pastors who do not preach catechically are guided by the confessions that they subscribe. They are not guided, however, in the topic, content, and structure of their sermons. Preaching the catechism ensures that the pastor will address the major points of doctrine, not just his private hobby-horses. Macleod points out, “[C]reeds and confessions furnish the preacher with an invaluable indicator of the relative importance of the various doctrines. The preacher must be ‘most in the main things’ and these ‘main things’ may not be the doctrines we like most and those we have studied fully.” A pastor who preaches the catechism is saved from his most dangerous enemy, himself. The catechism provides structure and boundaries to guarantee that he will preach biblical truth in an efficient manner.
Proper catechetical preaching is preaching from the Word of God. Contained within the 129 questions and answers of the Heidelberg Catechism are over 650 Scripture references. These references are intended to be used by the pastor as his texts for each particular Lord’s Day sermon. This fact actually negates another criticism of catechetical preaching, that it is boring. Van Baalen points out that catechetical preaching can become boring if the minister replaces the Bible with the catechism, rather than using the catechism as a “method of approach to the Bible.” For instance, if every Christmas, a pastor preached on Luke 2:11, it would become tedious. But, if ever year he approached the subject of Christ’s birth from different angles, using various texts to shed new light on the subject, his Christmas sermons would remain fresh and vital. This is the proper method of catechetical preaching in order to avoid monotony.
Some may claim that catechism preaching is boring because it emphasizes doctrine. Many in our culture desire preaching that meets felt needs. This criticism of catechetical preaching serves as an indictment against the contemporary church. The doctrinal aspect of catechetical preaching is actually one of its strong suits. De Jong explains, “In season and out of season they [catechism sermons] teach, despite any disinclination on the part of many to be instructed. In view of the palpable ignorance which characterizes many who claim to be Christian this facet of preaching can hardly be overstressed.” Basically, catechism preaching is effective, even if the hearer does not want it to be. The Holy Spirit is sowing the seeds of the truth of the Word of God into the hearts of the congregation. This truth is difficult to miss in the clear outline of a catechetical sermon. Eventually, those seeds will produce knowledge of Scripture and theology. This aspect of catechetical preaching is critical in our age of biblical illiteracy.
With the claims of boredom due to the doctrinal content, comes the criticism that catechism preaching is too intellectual for the typical congregation. Some critics say that the average church member cannot possibly be expected to grasp the highly technical concepts mentioned in the catechism, especially with the theological jargon that is involved. What many fail to understand, however, is that the primary purpose of the Heidelberg Catechism was to instruct children. Children of the sixteenth century were not more intelligent than children of today. In fact, many of the children who learned and understood the catechism were illiterate. Surely, if these children could benefit from catechism preaching, then church members of today can as well. It is actually an insult to the congregation to assume that they are not intelligent enough to understand these sermons.
Another objection to catechetical preaching is that it can become an opportunity for the pastor to venture into theological speculation about a given point of doctrine, while drifting from the text. This criticism is not limited to catechetical preaching. The same temptation to use the text as a springboard to launch into personal opinion is present in an expositional sermon or topical sermon. The solution is not to abandon catechetical preaching; rather, the consistory must ensure that the pastor’s sermons are consistently tied to the texts of Scripture and that they follow the structure of the catechism.
A primary reason for the lack of contemporary catechism preaching has been the loss of the second service. Many Reformed churches have ceased to hold an afternoon or evening service on the Sabbath due to lack of attendance. The solution to this problem in the twenty-first century is the same as it was in the sixteenth. As the Synod of The Hague mandated in 1586, ministers in the current century should be required to hold the second service even if their family is all that attends.
Above all, catechism preaching is gospel preaching.
Heidelberg Catechism Question 84: How is the kingdom of heaven opened and shut by the preaching of the holy Gospel? Answer: In this way: that, according to the command of Christ, it is proclaimed and openly witnessed to believers, one and all, that as often as they accept with true faith the promise of the Gospel, all their sins are really forgiven them of God for the sake of Christ’s merits; and on the contrary, to all unbelievers and hypocrites, that the wrath of God and eternal condemnation abide on them so long that they are not converted: according to which witness of the Gospel will be the judgment of God, both in this life and in that which is to come.
In preaching through the Heidelberg Catechism, the pastor will explain the guilt of mankind, the grace of the gospel, and the gratitude that is the proper response of the believer. The gospel is present in every Lord’s Day division. A congregation that receives a steady diet of catechetical preaching will be steeped in the gospel.
In conclusion, all Reformed churches should consider adopting catechetical preaching, because of its benefits to the church. This practice is demonstrated in Scripture and has been utilized by the church throughout its history, particularly during the Reformation. Catechetical preaching is able to answer its critics and prove that it can be helpful to the church of the twenty-first century.
This paper uses catechetical preaching synonymously with catechism preaching. Some in the Dutch Reformed tradition use Catechism preaching when referring specifically to preaching the Heidelberg Catechism. In my opinion, catechetical preaching should not be limited to the Heidelberg Catechism.
As cited in Jan Karel van Baalen, The Heritage of the Fathers: A Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1948), 25.
For a thorough treatment on the proper method of catechetical preaching, see Peter Y. Dejong, “Comments on Catechetical Preaching [3],” Mid-America Journal of Theology 3:1 (Spring 1987): 89-134.
Hughes Oliphant Old, The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, vol. 1, The Biblical Period (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998), 13.
van Baalen, Heritage, 22. A thorough comparison of catechitical preaching and doctrinal preaching, especially as practiced by the Puritans, is worthy of future study.
Philip Carrington, The Early Christian Church, vol. 1, The First Christian Century (Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1957), 101.
Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 14-28, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word Books, 1995), 882. Hagner adds, “The participles when linked with the imperative verb themselves take on imperatival force and function as imperatives.”
W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison, Jr., A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on The Gospel According to Saint Matthew, vol. III, Commentary on Matthew XIX-XXVIII (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1997), 686.
J. N. D. Kelly, A Commentary on The Pastoral Epistles: Timothy I & II, Titus (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1960), 54.
See Markus Barth, Ephesians: Translation and Commentary on Chapter 4-6 (Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1974), 700-720.
Peter Y. Dejong, “Comments on Catechetical Preaching [1],” Mid-America Journal of Theology 1:2 (Fall 1985): 162.
Hughes Oliphant Old, The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, vol. 2, The Patristic Age (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1998), 5.
Hughes Oliphant Old, Worship: Reformed according to Scripture, rev. and exp. ed. (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002), 8.
Hughes Oliphant Old, The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, vol. 3, The Medieval Church (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999), 290.
Denis R. Janz, “Catechisms,” in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation, ed. by Hans J. Hillerbrand, vol. 1 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996), 275.
Hughes Oliphant Old, The Reading and Preaching of the Scriptures in the Worship of the Christian Church, vol. 4, The Age of the Reformation (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999), 16.
Fred H. Klooster, The Heidelberg Catechism: Origin and History (Grand Rapids: Calvin Theological Seminary, 1989), 152.
Ronald Cammenga, “The Homiletical Use of the Heidelberg Catechism: An Examination of the Practice of Systematic Preaching of the Heidelberg Catechism in the Dutch Reformed Tradition,” Protestant Reformed Theological Journal 41:1 (Nov 2007): 3-4.
Ursinus wrote the draft for the Heidelberg Catechism, but the final version was formulated after committee deliberations. See Derk Visser, “Ursinus, Zacharias (1534-83)” in The Dictionary of Historical Theology, ed. Trevor A. Hart (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), 559-560.
Donald Sinnema, “The Second Sunday Service in the Early Dutch Tradition,” Calvin Theological Journal 32:2 (November 1997): 320.
Idzerd Van Dellen and Martin Monsma, The Church Order Commentary, Being a Brief Explanation of the Church Order of the Christian Reformed Church (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1941) 278-279.
Daniel R. Hyde, “The Principle and Practice of Preaching in the Heidelberg Catechism” Puritan Reformed Journal 1 (2008): 116.
Donald Macleod, “Preaching and Systematic Theology” in The Preacher and Preaching: Reviving the Art, ed. Samuel T. Logan, Jr. (Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1986), 269.
Peter Y. Dejong, “Comments on Catechetical Preaching [2],” Mid-America Journal of Theology 2:2 (Fall 1986): 159.
Peter Y. Dejong, “Comments on Catechetical Preaching [3],” Mid-America Journal of Theology 3:1 (Spring 1987): 99.
3 responses so far ↓
Recht und Nutzen der Katechismuspredigt | LebensQuellen. // Tuesday, January, 13, 2009 at 3:18
[...] Borvan hat auf seinem Blog Geneva Redux einen Artikel veröffentlicht mit dem Titel For the Welfare and Profit of the Soul: A Biblical and Historical Case for Catechetical Preaching. Dieser fasst die biblischen Grundlage dieser alten und klassisch reformierten, ja klassisch [...]
Catechetical Preaching? « Unashamed Workman // Friday, January, 16, 2009 at 3:18
[...] January 16, 2009 Dan Borvan argues persuasively for it in his excellent paper now online: For the Welfare and Profit of the Soul: A Biblical and Historical Case for Catechetical Preaching. The punchline? In conclusion, all Reformed churches should consider adopting catechetical [...]
In Light of the Gospel » Blog Archive » Catechetical Preaching? // Sunday, January, 18, 2009 at 3:18
[...] One of the traditions in some Reformed churches is catechetical preaching, usually on Sunday evening. Dan Borvan argues for the benefits of it in this article: For the Welfare and Profit of the Soul: A Biblical and Historical Case for Catechetical Preaching. [...]