When I was a child religious education consisted of Question and Answers in the Baltimore Catechism. During my third or fourth year in the Seminary in the early 60′s(Resurrection College in Kitchener), I was asked to teach catechism at a local praish to a group of public school children. Much to my surprise there was no more Baltimore Catechism, but a set texts based on salvation history. The texts were based on the Bible, and explored God’s creative and salvific acts throughout history; beginning with creation, as portrayed in the Old testament Book of Genesis to the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus in the Gospels.
At the time this change was accepted with a naive enthusiasm. The focus of faith shifted from a rather doctinaire approach (black and white – question and answer) to a more biblically focused faith that eventually called forth God’s involvement and action in one’s personal faith life. Eventually, it was hoped, one would come to the realization that the Spirit that Jesus had sent into the world was expected to be active in one’s own life, and in the hearts and minds of others. We were now the new chosen people, the people of God, the body of Christ, which is the church.
I say my enthusiasm was naive, as I did not appreciate the basic structure or foundation that the memorised answers I had learned from the Baltimore had given me. (Eg. If someone asked me what a sacrament was, I could quickly reply: “The sacraments are outward signs given to us by Christ to give Grace.”) I might not fully understand what this meant, but these little answers proved extremely valuable as bulding blocks on which to explore and develop one’s faith knowledge. (It provided a wonderful foundation for the ‘Salvation History Approach.) Secondly, the doctrine and traditions of the faith could often be ignored, or take forgranted.
However, the Q&A answer approach to faith often was perceived as drudgey (for those that hated memorization), and
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