Neglect the Catechism? Pay a fine and do the time!
Many pastors have begun a new year of catechism instruction in their congregations. One of the crosses our faithful pastors have to bear is putting up with the whining and complaining they get from parents who just don’t understand why their little ones have to memorize the catechism or go to instruction classes at all. "Oh, pastor, we are so busy and have so much to do and school is so hard for our children." And on and on and on the complaints go. A big thank you to all parents who do not so burden their pastors with these complaints. And to all parents: please support your pastor as he carries out his holy preaching office and helps you do what it is your duty: teaching your children God’s Word.
Consider how things used to be in some parts of the Lutheran Church. I’ve been reading the Church Order prepared by Martin Chemnitz for Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, published in 1569. Fascinating! I was struck by these regulations concerning how city officials were to deal with parents who did not make sure to send their children to catechism instructions.
"When children are caught in the streets or in the meadows during the time when the catechism is preached, their parents will be punished. The money from the fines levelled against the parents as punishment shall go into the treasury for the poor, because the children have not been disciplined seriously as is fitting."
But what if fines against the parents did not correct the situation?
"The officials and city council is authorized to punish them with confinement in the dungeon, according to each situation, so that the children are not despicably and stiff-neckedly hindered by their parents regarding the correct pure doctrine and honorable Christian discipline in their blossoming youth."*
We may well regard such measures today as extreme, but such historic practices underscore just how seriously instruction in God’s Word is. What a blessing these opportunities are. Thanks for supporting your pastors.
Source:
Church Order of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel
Unpublished translation by A. Smith and M. Harrison
Take away their iPods and Wiis, I say.
Great stuff. Makes you think you were born in the wrong century, doesn’t it?
McCain: Now, Pastor Cwirla, the iPod can be a wonderful resource for catechism instruction. Note:
http://www.cph.org/cphstore/product.asp?category=&part%5Fno=790002&find%5Fcategory=&find%5Fdescription=&find%5Fpart%5Fdesc=catechism
My sinful response: If you don’t want to learn or want your kids to learn about God’s Word, don’t bother coming back.
I agree with Pastor Cwirla, take away their iPods, Wiis, etc.
Why is it critical that parents get their kids involved in everything under the sun, from multiple sports programs, theater, music, etc, but they are absolutely neglectful when it comes to matters of the Spirit and faith?
Does a kid really need to get letters in Baseball, football, and track when his spiritual future is in jeopardy because he doesn’t know a thing about the faith and will fall prey to every whim of man?
I definitely know I was born in the wrong time….about 150 years too late, me reckons.
I am sharing this with my first confirmation class and their parents tomorrow afternoon. What a hoot! Also, I see that the catechism is “preached.” I have started that with a Wednesday evening service of Prayer and Preaching, the first week worked pretty well, looking forward to another 5 weeks on Baptism!
One of the constants in Lutheran life is the catechism. I grew up as a Methodist with no catechism and was delighted when I got my first catechism in the Lutheran church. Quite often, I will visit home bound folks who remember their catechism and still can repeat it.
However, there is one person who really sticks in my memory. This man had cancer and hadn’t been to church in some 40 years. His sister contacted our church and I went out to be with him and share the Gospel. He had his old catechism and we went through that catechism when I visited. In between visits, he continued to read the catechism. His wife cared not a jot for church and tolerated my presence, but he trusted in his baptism and communion as he had been taught some 70 years before. One day, I stopped by and he had died during the night. You ask about catechism, it is a comfort to the very end of your life even when you have fallen away from the visible church. You don’t know its real value until you don’t have one. Perhaps, pastors could share the real value of instruction in the catechism – the confidence that we have in our Lord – as they visit the home bound with their catechumens.
In Christ,
Gleason (CA Deacon)
Pastor McCain, very interesting find!
In Chemnitz’ time period how often was catechism preached? Was this daily, weekly, or some other frequency? And was catechitical preaching typically seasonal or was it done all through the year?
McCain: On Sundays and other times in the churches. Some variety depending on size of church and how many pastors were on staff. Also done in the various schools
Luther preached catechetical sermons in courses over a period of several weeks on Thursday afternoons. The Large Catechism is the result of three such courses.
In Hessian congregations, the village teacher was also the organist be default bearing the title, cantor. Until the secularization of schools that took place during the Weimar Republic, the cantor/teacher held a catechetical service on Sunday afternoon. These practices were defined in the Kirchenordnungen, the Lutheran equivalent of canon law. It might also be noted that part of the income of the teachers came from Bussgeld (penance money, fine) levied on couples who engaged in sexual intercourse before marriage. I could imagine that caused a certain conflict of interest, if only within the heart of the teacher. Imagine being ill-paid and in need of money. The only way to add to your income in order to feed your family is if the people you catechize ignore you and fail to keep the sixth commandment.
Reminds me of the joke:
“But why do I have to go to Catechism? It’s long and boring and the kids don’t like me.”
“Because you’re the Pastor and you’re teaching it.”
Reminds me of the joke:
“But why do I have to go to Catechism? It’s long and boring and the kids don’t like me.”
“Because you’re the Pastor and you’re teaching it.”
Reminds me of the joke:
“But why do I have to go to Catechism? It’s long and boring and the kids don’t like me.”
“Because you’re the Pastor and you’re teaching it.”
An interesting thing about catechism preaching in Wittenberg: they took over the Ember days and the week prior and used the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturdays of each week for a 4 X a year preaching of the Catechism. Ember Days fall on the Week after Holy Cross; the Week after St. Lucy; the Week after Invocavit; and the Week after Pentecost.
Thus the entire catechism at Wittenberg was preached through four times each year, in six day segments, that basically marked the turn of the seasons.