Some Baptists and others from free church traditions may be suspicious of the use of catechisms, as they evoke worries about ritualism and . However, Baptists, in fact, have a rich history of catechetical instruction, going back to the earliest days of the Baptist tradition and continuing into the present. In this video from the Gospel Coalition, Russell Moore addresses these worries, and argues that Baptists should recover the use of catechisms today. Below, you will find a sampling of both historical and contemporary Baptist catechisms, as well as other writings that support the work of catechesis in contemporary Baptist life.

Collections of Baptist Catechisms

George, Timothy and Denise, eds. Baptist Confessions, Covenants, and Catechisms. Nashville: Broadman, 1996.

  • Contains: Henry Jesse, A Catechism for Babes, or, Little Ones, (1652), Benjamin Keach, Catechism (1693), John Broadus, A Catechism of Bible Teaching (1692).

Nettles, Thomas, with Steve Weaver. Teaching Truth, Training Hearts: The Study of Catechisms in Baptist Life, rev. ed. Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2021.

  • Contains catechisms by John Bunyan (1675), Benjamin Keach (1664), The Philadelphia Baptist Association (1738/1795), Dan Taylor (1810), W. W. Everts (1866), Henry Clay Fish (1850), James P. Boyce (1864), and John A. Broadus (1892).

Many historic Baptist catechisms can also be found in digitized form at The Reformed Reader website (many of which come from Nettles’s collection).

  • These include: Henry Jessey (1652), John Tombes (1659), John Bunyan (1675), Benjamin Keach (1693), Hercules Collins (1680), Richard Cecil (1798), William Gadsby (1800), Dan Taylor (1810), Charleston Association (1813), Henry Clay Fish (1850), Charles Spurgeon (1855), National Baptist Convention (1855), Baptist State of North Carolina (1864), W. W. Ewerts (1866), John Broadus (1892), James Boyce (n.d., approx. 1889), John Piper (revised version of 1689 Baptist Catechism).

Historic Baptist Catechisms

Baptist State Convention of North Carolina. A Catechism for Little Children. 1864. Text here.

Beddome, Benjamin. A Scriptural Exposition of the Baptist Catechism (1776; reprint, Solid Ground Christian Books: 2006). The text is available at Google Books.

Broaddus, Andrew. Help for Children: Three Plain and Easy Catechisms. Philadelphia: The American Baptist Publication Society, n.d.

Broadus, John. A Catechism of Bible Teaching. 1892. Reprinted in George, Confessions, 257–282; Nettlles, Teaching Truth, and Reformed Reader website.

Bunyan, John. Instruction for the Ignorant. 1675. Reprinted in Nettles, Teaching Truth, and Reformed Reader websited.

Cecil, Richard. A Catechism for Boys and Girls. 1798. Reprinted in Nettles, Teaching Truth, and Reformed Reader website.

Collins, Hercules. An Orthodox Catechism. Based on the Heidelberg Confession. London, 1680. Reprinted in Nettles, Teaching Truth, and Reformed Reader website. Modernized and with an Introduction by Michael Haykin and Steve Weaver here: An Orthodox Catechism.

Davidson, W[illiam] E[arl]. A Catechism of Bible Doctrine. Nashville: The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, 1930?

Ewerts, W.W. Compend of Christian Doctrines Held by Baptists: In Catechism. Chicago: Church & Goodman, 1866. Reformed Reader website.

Grantham, Thomas. St. Paul’s Catechism. London, 1687. Text available here.

Griffith, John. The Six Principles of Christian Religion (1655). In Joseph Jenkins, Two Discourses. London: n.p., 1707.

Jessey, Henry. A Catechism for Babes, or, Little Ones. Suitable to their Capacity more than others have been Formerly. 1652. Reprinted in George, Baptist Confessions, 227–39, Nettles, Training Hearts, and Reformed Reader website.

Jewitt, Paul King. The Baptist Catechism. 1689. Reprint. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1952.

Keach, Benjamin. The Baptist Catechism Commonly known as “Keach’s Catechism.” 1693. Reprinted in George, Confessions, 241–55; Nettles, Teaching Truth. Online here. A contemporary version put into rhyme by Tyler Scarlett can be found here.

Mack, Alexander. A Plain View of the Rites and Ordinances of the House of God. Mt. Morris: The Brethren’s Publishing Co., 1888.

Morris, E. C. National Baptist Catechism. Nashville: University Press, 1896.

Spurgeon, Charles H. Catechism With Scripture Proofs. Based on the Westminster Confession and Keach’s Catechism. 1855. Available online here.

Sutcliff, John. The First Principles of the Oracles of God. 1st ed. Halifax: Ewood Hall, 1795; new ed. Northampton: T. Dicey and Co., 1800?

Tombes, John. A Short Catechism about Baptism. London, 1659. Reformed Reader website.

Van Ness, I. J., A Brief Catechism on Baptist Beliefs. Nashville, Tenn.: Baptist Sunday School Board, no date. See more details here.

The American Baptist Historical Society has several dozen catechisms listed in their online directory.

Contemporary Baptist Catechisms and Catechetical Texts

Bratton, Tommy, Casey Callahan, Mack Dennis, and Amy Stertz. Via Karis. Asheville, NC: First Baptist Church, 2018.

Carter, Craig. The Faith Once Delivered: An Introduction to the Basics of the Christian Faith. An Exposition of the Westney Catechism.

Freeman, Curtis. Pilgrim Letters: Instruction in the Basic Teachings of Christ. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2021. Read an IRCC review here.

Further Readings in Baptist Catechesis

Beasley-Murray, George. Baptism in the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1962.

Blyth, Myra and Andy Goodliff, eds. Gathering Disciples. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2017.

“Creeds, Advantageous,” in The Baptist Encyclopedia (online)

Dailey, Barbara Ritter. “Youth and the New Jerusalem: The English Catechistical Tradition and Henry Jessey’s Catechisme for Babes (1652).” Harvard Library Bulletin 30, no. 1 (1982): 25-54.

Fiddes, Paul S., ed. Reflections on the Waters: Understanding God and the World through the Baptism of Believers. Macon, Ga.: Smyth and Helwys, 1996.

Fiddes, Paul S. “Baptism and the Process of Christian Initiation,” The Ecumenical Review 54, no. 1 (2002): 48-65.

Johnson, Keith L. Theology as Discipleship. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2015.

Kruschwitz, Robert B., ed. “Catechism,” Christian Reflection 23 (2007). The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University. https://www.baylor.edu/ifl/christianreflection/Catechism.pdf.

Nettles, Tom, “An Encouragement to Use Catechisms.” JDFM 4, no. 2 (2014):6–26. (online version here, last accessed Jan. 3, 2023)