“Packer’s last crusade in this world,” the Rev. Dr. J.I. Packer affirms, is recovering catechesis — systematic instruction in the Christian fundamentals — to meet the challenges of an increasingly pagan age.
He called it “ridiculous to think that no more learning of the faith is necessary after confirmation has taken place.”
Dr. Packer said a recovered catechetical enterprise need not resemble the “schoolroom method or question and answer” format set during the Reformation and enshrined in The Book of Common Prayer. A likelier pattern for modern times, he said, is that of the Alpha course, which involves sharing meals, forming new friendships, listening to brief presentations and discussing the content in small groups.
“You get much further, much faster” that way, he said, than with relying on a fixed set of questions and answers.
From The Living Church
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