As one who thinks and writes a lot about catechesis, I was delighted to read Zachary Jonesโ recent article, โCatechesis as a Weapon against Racism.โ In it, Jones makes the salient but easily neglected point that racism is a cosmic as well as terrestrial force, a battle over what it means to be human as…
Why Do We Baptize Babies If They Cannot Make a Profession of Faith?
Many people coming to Anglicanism stumble over infant baptism. They come for the beauty of the liturgy, the appreciation of both Word and Sacrament, of Scripture and Tradition. But for many, whether Baptist or not, infant baptism is a hang-up. There are many good reasons for such worries and many good answersโincluding on this site…
Why do Anglicans Say the Creeds?
Confessing Creeds in the Contemporary World Anyone new to Anglicanism will soon realize the importance of creeds. The two most common are the Apostlesโ Creed, said at Morning and Evening Prayer, and the Nicene Creed, which is said during the Sunday liturgy and on major feast days. The former is shorter and earlier in origin,…
Confirmation: A Rookie Anglican Guide
What is Confirmation? Confirmation is a church practice that falls into the category of what the Anglican Catechism calls “rites and institutions commonly called sacraments.” Along with Confirmation, there are four others like it: Absolution (confessing one’s sins and receiving forgiveness in the presence of a priest), Ordination, Marriage, and Anointing the Sick. These practices,…
What is Catechesis?
The Ancient Roots of Catechesis The word catechesis comes from the Greek word katฤcheล, which means simply to teach or instruct. It appears some eight times in the New Testamentโfour by Luke (Luke 1:4; Acts 18:25; 21:21, 24) and four by Paul (Rom. 2:18, 1 Cor. 14:19; Gal. 6:6, where it occurs twice)โusually to refer…
