Timothy C. Tennent - Thirty Questions: A Short Catechism on the Christian Faith

Thirty Questions

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Sowing for a Great Awakening

A SHORT CATECHISM ON THE CHRISTIAN FAITH

TIMOTHY C. TENNENT

Copyright 2012 by Timothy C. Tennent

All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

Printed in the United States of America

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2012955517

Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-62824-006-1
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-62824-007-8
Amazon ISBN: 978-1-62824-008-5
mobi ISBN: 978-1-62824-008-5
UPDF ISBN: 978-1-62824-010-8

Cover and page design by Haley Hill
Cover photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from the Holy Bible: English Standard Version, copyright 2001, Wheaton: Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

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Dedicated to the memory of Susanna Wesley (16691742), who was the twenty-fifth child in her family, and became the mother of nineteen children. Few could match her deep commitment to catechesis. It is from her that her sons John and Charles first learned the faith. Her own catechesis which she wrote on the Apostles Creed, Lords Prayer, and Ten Commandments was lost in the famous fire when the rectory burned down but her fifteenth child, John Wesley, was miraculously rescued and became her brand plucked from the burning. It is fitting that today she bears the title Mother of Methodism.

Christians in the Western world have enjoyed a long sojourn at the center of cultural life. For hundreds of years we could expect that, broadly speaking, Judeo-Christian values were held up as worthy of emulation. People may not have followed the Ten Commandments, but they believed that they were true and that they reflected how people should live. Christianity was widely regarded as setting forth the proper moral standard for society. Christian values were generally defended in the church, in the home, and in society.

Today, Christianity in the Western world is in the diminishing sunset of that kind of relationship with the surrounding culture. Christian values are no longer defended in society, are not taught in most homes and, surprisingly, are even being questioned in some churches that have lost the courage to teach the Christian faith with reasonable clarity. Our society increasingly doubts that truth is even knowable or that ultimate truth exists. The Bible is viewed as an antiquated and contradictory book with a questionable moral framework.

There is a growing distrust in institutions and authority, whether the government or the church. Religion in general, and Christianity in particular, is often viewed as a shrill, disruptive voice in society, associated more with bigotry and anger than sound values, godly character, and wise counsel for life, not to mention a message of forgiveness and eternal life. A recent national campaign by atheists produced billboards across the nation with a picture of Jesus and the words: Sadistic God, useless Savior, 30,000+ versions of truth, promotes hate, calls it love. We also live in a period of skepticism about the reliability of historical narratives, whether the iconic account of George Washington crossing the Delaware or Luke writing his gospel. As Christians, we must recognize that the Western world is entering a post-Christian phase which requires a far more deliberate effort to pass down the faith in an intentional way to our children and, indeed, for all of us to understand the basic framework of Christian thought better. In short, we need a rebirth of catechesis.

The word catechesis means to sound down. It refers to a teaching exchange between a seasoned, secure Christian and a new believer. The church has invested enormous time and energy into catechesis all through history. Small manuals were produced which were used to teach the basics of Christian faith. They were often in question-and-answer format and generally covered the Ten Commandments, the Lords Prayer, the Apostles Creed, the nature of the church, and the sacraments. There were longer manuals which were used by the church in confirmation classes and shorter manuals which were used by parents at home. All of the Protestant churches which emerged in the sixteenth century produced catechesis manuals. John Wesleys first encounter with the Christian faith would have been through an Anglican catechism which he learned from his mother, Susanna, who became widely known for her deep commitment to the catechesis of childrennot only her own children, but many others as well.

Today, the pace of contemporary life, the exponential rise of time spent in entertainment, and the light-weight relational-oriented format of many Sunday school programs, youth groups, and worship services has left us with a whole generation of Christians who have only the vaguest idea as to what Christians actually believe. When pressed by an increasingly skeptical, even hostile generation, Christians are often unable to articulate their faith. Furthermore, because the church itself has not been immersed in a Christian worldview, the moral and ethical life of the church is slowly beginning to conform to the surrounding culture.

The purpose of this meditation is to provide a thirty-day short course in the Christian faith. Like traditional catechesis manuals, it is organized in a question-and-answer format. The questions can be used as a morning or evening devotional during any month of the year. Alternatively, a church or small Bible study group can use the manual over an eight-week period as follows: Week 1, questions 13; Week 2, questions 46; Week 3, questions 711; Week 4, questions 1215; Week 5, question 16; Week 6, questions 1720; Week 7, questions 2125; and Week 8, questions 2630.

Traditional catechesis manuals pose a question and then provide a short, pithy one-sentence reply. In this catechesis a more lengthy explanation is given which invites discussion, reflection, and interaction. The Apostles Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lords Prayer are included in this manuals appendices. These three selections should be memorized by the individual or the group during the month meditation or during the eight-week study. It is recommended that each day or session begin with a reading of the Apostles Creed and the Ten Commandments and close with the Lords Prayer. Throughout the meditation there are passages of Scripture which support the answer. These texts can be read to supplement the meditation and aid discussion as an integral part of the study.

The church has been sustained for nearly two thousand years through a careful commitment to catechesis. By engaging in this study, you are joining with millions of Christians over the ages who not only believed the faith, but learned it, remembering the final command of Jesus to