The Unfathomable Depths and Innumerable Implications of the Gospel

"We do not move on from the Gospel. Instead, we move on in the Gospel, for its depths are unfathomable and its implications for life and teaching are innumerable."

--Gary Parrett and Steve Kang, Teaching the Faith, Forming the Faithful

HT: Of First Importance

Scriptural Doxologies

The following hymns were written by Gary Parrett and are included in the back of his and J.I. Packer's new book, Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way (which I mentioned in a post earlier this week). They all can be sung to the OLD ONE HUNDREDTH tune ("Praise God, From Whom All Blessings Flow").

James 1:17
Each perfect gift from heaven's heights
Comes from our Father, God of Lights,
Who knows full well our ev'ry need
And ev'ry prayer of faith will heed.

Philippians 2:6-8
When we were held by sin's fierce chain,
Heaven's great loss was our great gain,
For grasping not His throne above,
Christ came to us: redeeming love!

2 Corinthians 8:9
You know the grace of Christ, our Lord:
Though He was rich, He became poor,
That we, through His true poverty,
Would be made rich eternally.

Revelation 5:13
To God the Father, God the Son
And God the Spirit, Three-in-One,
Be all glory, pow'r and praise
From ev'ry heart through endless days.
Amen.

The Comeback of the Catechism

Catechisms, catechizing, and catechesis are making a comeback - and not just in Roman Catholicism or Lutheranism. They're making a comeback in many Protestant denominations, even among evangelicals. J.I. Packer (who has been calling for a renewal in catechesis for some time now) and Gary Parrett have recently written a book on the need for such a comeback. It's called Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way.

Here is some of the historical rationale they provide for why this comeback should be a sign of health:

[T]hroughout the two millennia of Christian history, the health of Christian communities has, in fact, often been linked to the presence or absence of serious catechetical ministries.

It could well be argued that the Reformation itself was a response to centuries of catechetical decline.

And quoting Calvin: Believe me...the Church of God will never be preserved without catechesis.

Besides exploring the biblical and historical rationale for the practice of catechesis, Packer and Parrett provide helpful and practical counsel on how to actually go about doing it in the church today. This is a book well worth reading...and applying. It would do a world of good for our churches, their members, and the effectiveness of our witness to the truth of the gospel.

Of course, it should also be noted (especially on this blog) that there are a number of original hymn texts written by Parrett in the back of this book.