The New City Catechism: 52 Questions & Answers for our Hearts & Minds

The New City Catechism

52 Questions & Answers for our Hearts & Minds

Throughout the history of the church, Christians have used catechisms—collections of questions and answers designed for memorization and recitation—to teach others the core doctrines of the faith. The New City Catechism is a modern-day resource aimed at reintroducing this ancient method of teaching to Christians today.

This short book lays out 52 questions and answers related to God, human nature, sin, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and more. Whether used devotionally, recited orally, or memorized over the course of a year, families, churches, small groups, and Christian schools will treasure this as a valuable tool for teaching the core doctrines of the Christian faith to children and adults alike.

From the Introduction by Kathy Keller:

“Catechism – with our kids?”  Years ago that was my response when someone suggested that we begin doing a catechism with our very young, very active boys. But, to my amazement, it was a truly wonderful experience.

We used The Catechism for Young Children, a highly simplified version based on the Westminster Shorter Catechism.  The first questions are very easy, and the answers so short that even an eighteen-month-old can answer triumphantly, “God!” when asked “Who made you?”, and “Everything!” to the second question, “What else did God make?”  We discovered that our kids loved the question/answer dynamic; to them it was almost a game, through which they could experience a legitimate sense of achievement.

Read more of Kathy’s comments about the value of catechizing, practical tips for it, and real-life testimony about the challenges and how to overcome them, in the Introduction of the book!

The 52 Questions & Answers are arranged under the three major headings of:

• God, Creation & Fall, Law
• Christ, Redemption, Grace
• Spirit, Restoration, Growing in Grace