1David Rueter defines catechesis as "the echo of the historical truths of the Christian faith from generation to generation". From the Scriptures and Luther's Little Catechism they have learned the content of the Christian faith, but at school they receive competing catechesis in the form of relativism, pluralism and radical individualism. 7Vodie Baucham, Expository Apologetics: Answering Objections with the Power of the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway.
Since LSC presents the basic structure of the Christian worldview, it naturally lends itself well to the presupposition method. In summary, the familiarity of OSLC youth with Luther's Small Catechism naturally invites its use in formal apologetics training. The fourth goal looked at the ongoing implementation of these goals in the life of the congregation.
Parts of Luther's Small Catechism.28 Age of instruction and duration of the program varies between Lutheran congregations. 5Vodie Baucham, Expository Apologetics: Answering Objections with the Power of the Word (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2015), 87. Luther's defense of the gospel against Rome led him to make three major revisions to previous catechetical tradition in the Western church made.
Earlier catechisms (as well as later ones after the Council of Trent) usually followed Augustine's order of confession (faith), the Lord's prayer (hope) and the ten commandments (love).38 66 Space does not allow for a complete review of the language of faith in Luther's interpretation of the Lord's prayer. Despite the radical changes in Western beliefs and values, Luther's Small Catechism remains a solid exposition of biblical faith.
What’s a Worldview?”
I kept attendance records and sent video links and study guides to participants who were unable to attend. Due to a schedule conflict with another church event, the class took a week off between four and five hours. The second class built on the concept of worldview by analyzing how different worldviews approach the question of God and our relationship to Him.
The first commandment and the Apostles' Creed served as the basis for a discussion about the Christian worldview's approach to God. The worldview in Luther's Small Catechism also served as a contrast to the denial of God in the secular worldview and the. The class also focused on how the Christian worldview makes the best sense of the general human tendency towards religion and transcendence.
Right and Wrong through the Lens of Worldviews”
The fourth grade used the evidentiary method of apologetics by focusing on the scientific evidence for the affirmation of the first article of the Apostles' Creed—"I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth." This session also pointed out the limits of scientific knowledge and focused on three difficult questions that the secular worldview does not easily resolve: the origin of the universe, the origin of life, and the origin and nature of human consciousness. Attention was also paid in this session to the role that the worldview plays in how to interpret the scientific evidence that points to the creation of the universe.
Worldviews and Reality
Overall, 14 of the previous 16 post-confirmation youth who completed the pre-assessment completed the post-assessment. The final results of the post-assessment scores were then carefully compared with the results of the pre-assessment scores. Based on the analysis of the pre- and post-assessment data, I proposed that apologetics instruction be formally added to the high school instructional schedule at OSLC.
See Table A6 in Appendix 10 for a summary of the scores on the rubric criterion before and after revisions. Based on the insights of the panel, I have made the following adjustments to the discipleship plan. The plan met or exceeded the 90 percent benchmark score for each of the indicators.
In general, I believe that this goal has been successfully achieved, both in the research and in the implementation of the project. The first aim of the project was to assess the current level of apologetic knowledge and skills in a minimum of 10 postconfirmation youth at OSLC. 2See Table A5 in Appendix 7 for an overview of the average rubric scores for each of the criteria.
In fact, two of the participants never responded to repeated requests to complete the post-assessment. Also, in the pre-assessment and post-assessment comparison, one of the four-digit codes was used twice in both assessments. In summary, the final analysis of pre- and post-assessment data yielded mixed results.
Overall, the third goal of the project was successful only with regard to apologetic skills. See Table A6 in Appendix 10 for a summary of the results of the Apprenticeship Plan rubrics before and after revisions. In addition, I consider the organization and planning of the project to be a strength of our congregation.
Would Do Differently
Apologetics is the defense of the Christian faith when asked to give a reason for your beliefs. Catechism section: the first commandment and its explanation; The first article of the Creed and its interpretation (LSC pages 13 and 16). Transition to the next section by reciting together the first article of the Apostles' Creed and its interpretation from Luther's Small Catechism.
Go to the second article of the Creed (salvation) with a discussion of our problem (sin) and God's solution (Christ). Give fuller expression to God's solution through the work of the Spirit in the third article of the. Allow a few minutes to analyze and discuss before moving on to the conclusion of class.
In addition, Pastor John will select a group of OSLC members who will prepare to help teach the sessions. The goal of the project is to apply Luther's Small Catechism (LSC) as a framework for teaching apologetics to post-confirmation youth at Our Savior Lutheran Church (OSLC) in South Windsor, Connecticut.
