Catechisms are making a comeback. I hear regularly from pastors and church leaders who are interested in this question-and-answer method of Christian formation, both for children and adults. In a world with so many competing messages flowing to us through the endless scroll, we need the truth of the Christian faith to be pressed into our hearts.
My experience with catechesis began before I could read. My parents had laminated cards with doctrinal questions, and they taught me to recite the correct answers. This was the beginning of a Christian formation that taught me the faith wasn’t just something we engaged on Sundays. Growing up, we talked about the big questions of life, what it means to follow Jesus, and the truths of Christianity. Our conversations would take place in the house, on the road, at breakfast, and at bedtime. It was catechesis combined with conversation.
World Has Its Own Catechism
Tim Keller used to say that all catechesis is, in some sense, counter-catechesis. For example, the Reformation-era catechisms weren’t only presenting the truths of Christianity but were seeking to show the difference between Protestantism and the dominant culture of medieval Catholicism.
Today, the primary alternative we face is Western secularism, with its own catechism reinforced constantly through ads, music, social media, and entertainment. The secular world disciples people through stories and slogans: Be true to yourself. Follow your heart. Define your own reality.
Our kids are learning to see life according to this catechism before they can read. The research on children and faith formation is sobering. If we think Sunday school for an hour a week can compete with the 35 hours a child spends in school—to say nothing of screens—we’ve badly misjudged the contest.
Deuteronomy 6 lays out a vision of whole-life discipleship. There, we see families talking about God’s Word when in their house and when they walk along the road, when they lie down and when they get up. Discipleship happens in the daily rhythms of life, or it mostly doesn’t happen at all. If we don’t catechize our kids, someone else will. And it won’t be into Christianity.
This is why, several years ago, Thomas West and I began developing The Gospel Way Catechism—a resource designed not just to pass on doctrine but to equip Christians to recognize and respond to the competing stories of our age.
Not This but That
The original adult catechism was released last year, and we’ve been encouraged to see churches and families adopting and implementing this resource.
But from the beginning, we knew a version for children would need to follow. We wanted to help kids navigate the questions of our age—to meet the cultural challenges earlier and with understandable, theological vocabulary to answer them well.
The Gospel Way Catechism for Kids (releasing August 1) is a beautifully illustrated resource built on the same counter-catechetical instinct as its adult counterpart, but adapted for children ages 8–12. The same 50 foundational questions are here (Who is Jesus? Why did God create us? What is freedom? What is sin? etc.), simplified for children while carrying the same “not this but that” instinct.
The catechism’s questions and answers follow a consistent pattern. Each answer gives a clear biblical truth, rooted in a specific Scripture passage. An explanation unpacks the meaning through stories and simple language, and shows how that truth pushes back against what the world tells kids to believe. We want to help them spot the difference between God’s story and the stories competing for their loyalty.
The catechism includes Table Talk questions designed to spark discussion. Each section ends with a Prayer Practice, a practical way of bringing what they’re learning directly to God.
Taken together, these elements aim at something more than correct answers. We want to develop the counter-catechetical instinct: the ability to recognize, almost intuitively, where the world’s story doesn’t line up with Scripture—and to know, with confidence, that God’s story is better.
Passing On What We Have
There’s an old line I come back to often when I think about discipleship in the home: You can’t pass on what you don’t have.
The catechism is a tool, one with an ancient pedigree. The ability to see where the world’s story doesn’t line up with Scripture, to name it, and to point toward something better—that’s the instinct we’re after. It takes root in children who see their parents holding the faith seriously, praying with sincerity, talking about Scripture at the table, willing to say “not this but that” when the world is watching. The Gospel Way Catechism for Kids is designed to put that conversation in your hands.
The secular world is already catechizing our children. This is one way to make sure they can answer back with the truth of God’s Word.
Preorder Bonus: Preorder your copy before August 1, 2026, and receive a free set of flash cards featuring the 50 Q&As from the book. Kids can use these cards to reinforce what they’ve learned. The first 250 entries will receive physical copies before this offer goes to digital download / printable only. Preorder anywhere, then go to the resource’s website, scroll down, and fill out the form to claim your bonus.
