By Alex Fogleman
Here’s a piece I wrote recently for Covenant about what kinds of factors were involved in the formation of catechesis. I draw on some of the things I’ve been writing about on this space—such as the relation between catechesis and anti-Gnosticism. It draws on several great things I’ve been reading lately—Jerry Sitter’s Resilient Faith, Rowan William’s classic article on “pre-Nicene orthodoxy,” and Graham Ward’s exposition of Gregory of Nyssa’s Catechetical Oration. Enjoy!
From the beginning, Christians have connected teaching and baptism through the Great Commission — baptizing in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and “teaching them to obey all that I have commanded” (Matt. 28:19–20). And while the particular teaching traditions of the Church could have developed in different forms, there is something inherent to the Christian faith requiring that it be passed on in an informed, thoughtful way. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, for example, once claimed that it is “of the essence of Christianity . . . that it be transmitted” (Communio, Spring 1983, 17). Christianity finds a natural expression in catechesis.
But not everyone views it this way. From the early days of Christianity up till now, critics have complained that Christianity promotes anti-rationalism, anti-intellectualism, or credulity. For a people of faith, in other words, who needs catechesis?
While we could suggest several reasons, three in particular emerge in the early church. First is Christianity’s social location within culture. Second is Christianity’s commitment to catholicity — its formation of literary and charitable networks that distinguished catholic Christians from “Gnostic” Christians who claimed to have superior knowledge of spiritual matters. A third reason has to do with something in the very nature of the God Christians worship — a God for whose very being the expression of the Word and the sanctification of the Holy Spirit are integral.
Read the rest here.