A Brief Book Notice from Books At a Glance
By Fred Zaspel
It would be impossible to calculate the massively wonderful impact of the catechism in the church throughout its centuries, and it is surely the loss of our generation that the catechism has fallen so out of use. In fact, many Baptists will find it surprising to learn just how important catechisms have been in our churches also. But if you are one who has been deprived of catechetical instruction, a look at this book will cure you of that peculiar malady in minutes.
Tom Nettles’ Introduction (“An Encouragement to Use Catechisms”) alone is worth the price of admission: he at once provides a historical overview of the catechism in the life of the church and a taste of what they have to offer, and he effectively infects the reader with his enthusiasm for their use and potential. Very seriously, it is just a delightful read.
The remainder of the book consists in a historical introduction and then the text of the various Baptist catechisms, making the book a one-stop resource for the study of Baptist catechism. This revised edition includes a contribution by Steve Weaver on Hercules Collins’ An Orthodox Catechism (Chapter 1), which follows the same format as the chapters that follow.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. An Orthodox Catechism
Introduction to the Catechism
Text of the Catechism
2. The Baptist Catechism
Introduction to the Catechism
Text of the Catechism
3. Catechism for Girls and Boys
Introduction to the Catechism
Text of the Catechism
4. The First Principles of the Oracles of God
Introduction to the Catechism
Text of the Catechism
5. Notes and Questions for the Oral Instruction of Colored People
Introduction to the Catechism
Text of the Catechism
6. A Brief Catechism of Bible Doctrine
Introduction to the Catechism
Text of the Catechism
7. A Catechism of Bible Teaching
Introduction to the Catechism
Text of the Catechism
Index of Catechisms
Index of Scripture References
Index of People
Teaching Truths, Training Hearts is a valuable historical source, but it is much more. I could wish that every Baptist pastor—and Sunday School teacher and parent!—would read this for its theological value and for the enthusiasm it engenders for using the catechism profitably … as the title implies. It will inevitably shape your thinking about catechisms for good.
You sense my enthusiasm. I wish this revised edition a wide reading. May God give it!
Fred Zaspel
Buy the books
Teaching Truth, Training Hearts: The Study of Catechisms in Baptist Life