Mmmm…Heidelberger

The Heidleberg Catechism.  Lovingly referred to as the “Heidelberger” by some Christians of the Reformed persuasion. For many Reformed Christians it is a daily part of life.  We read it with our kids, and most of us have memorized at least bits and pieces of it at one point in our life. In fact a lot of us take for granted the richness and simplicity of the gospel truth it summarizes in its pages. Many Christians outside of Reformed Churches have never heard of the Heidelberg Catechism, let alone read it.  Typically, when an evangelical christian hears the word “Catechism” immediately thoughts of Monasteries, Roman Catholicism or dead orthodoxy pop to mind.  I know, because I grew up in an evangelical church, and that is how we thought. Those Christians outside of the reformed persuasion should treat themselves to a reading of the Heidelberg Catechism. While it is an easy to understand document, it deals with profound truths of the Christian Gospel in a very concise manner.   It is a very enriching document that helps to understand the truths taught in the Bible.  It truly is a wonderful document and nothing to be scared of.  I challenge all my non-reformed Christian friends to read it!  Click  HERE to start reading at Lord’s Day 1.

For those Christians who are of the Reformed Persuasion, “The Graduated Catechism Memory Program” is a wonderful tool to aid in memorizing the catechism. It was compiled by Rev. John A. Bouwers from the United Reformed Church.  This program assists Christians in memorizing the Catechism in a step-by-step fashion. There are four levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced and complete text. As you can see in this image beginner is aimed at new believers and children, where the complete version includes the proof texts from the Bible:

This program allows children to begin memorizing the basics of the Catechism at a young age and progress as they grow up. It could also be used quite effectively in evangelism work or new members’ classes.

View the entire Graduated Catechism Memory Program in PDF format.

Remember to “like” the Heidelberg Catechism on Facebook.

Thank you to Rev. Jason Van Vliet and the everyone from the Canadian Reformed THeological Seminary for the work they do in making all this available to us on the  Heidelberg Catechism Website.