Reclaiming the lexicon

Kudos to the Desert Pastor for this piece on the process of catechesis. Last year when I implemented a catechism curriculum with my 5th and 6th grade class, I received so many cross-eyed looks from people it wasn't funny. If I had a dollar for every person who said something to the effect of "Isn't catechism a Catholic thing?" I could take a weekend trip somewhere. For the record, Catechism is a Catholic thing, and a Lutheran thing, and a Presbyterian thing, and an Anglican thing and.......

Take a look at the article on the formational process that is catechism. He makes a statement that "among evangelicals, salvation is commonly viewed more as an an event than as a process, and baptism as merely an "outward sign" of an inner conviction. This is a travesty - a point of view that contributes to the hollowness that has only recently been called into question by a new generation of evangelicals."

I guess I am among that new generation of evangelicals. I see the crying need for formal, systematic (NOT dry, boring and ritualistic) training of new believers in the faith. We as the church need to emphasize the journey of catechism, not the sprint-like race that so many have embraced.

More on this later as the Desert Pastor continues his thoughts.