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Keach's Catechism

Benjamin Keach was pilloried for writing a catechism.

Keach's Catechism (also known as the 1677 Baptist Catechism or 1693 Baptist Catechism) is a Reformed Baptist catechism consisting of a set of basic questions and answers from scripture teaching readers the basics of the Baptist faith.

The Catechism is similar to the earlier Heidelberg Catechism and Westminster Catechism except for the sections on baptism. It followed the 1677 Baptist Confession which was later ratified by over 100 Baptist congregations in England and Wales as the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, which was signed by Hanserd Knollys, William Kiffin, Benjamin Keach, and others. The Confession was written by English Particular Baptists, who held to a Calvinistic analysis to give a formal scriptural explanation of their Christian faith from a Baptist perspective. One of the preachers active in creating Confession of Faith, Benjamin Keach, is often credited with the writing of the Baptist Catechism commonly known as "Keach's Catechism", although it was likely compiled by William Collins, Keach's associate in drafting the Confession. The catechism was officially published by the British Baptists in 1693. The confession which the catechism was based upon was later adopted by the Philadelphia Baptist Association in 1742 in America.[1][2][3]

Differing Versions

It is interesting to note that various editions of this catechism contain different numbers of questions, some containing 114,[4] and some 118.[5] Though it has attained a wide distribution under the same title, the 118 question edition appears to have been edited by John Piper, and dates from 1986.[6] The shorter 114-question version is original version. Below is a summary of the changes made in the longer version.

  • Replaces question 2 with the famous first question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism ("What is the chief end of man?").
- The original second question was, "Ought everyone to believe there is a God?"
  • Adds a new question numbered 5 ("How do we know that the Bible is the Word of God?")
  • Adds a new question numbered 89 ("What then is the purpose of the law since the fall?")
  • Adds a new question numbered 99 ("How do Baptism and the Lord’s Supper differ from the other ordinances of God?")
  • Removes the question that was number 103 in the shorter version ("Who are the proper subjects of this ordinance [the Lord's Supper]?")
  • Adds a new question numbered 105 ("What is the visible church?")
  • Adds a new question numbered 106 ("What is the invisible church?")

One final difference of interest between the original and modified versions of this catechism is the wording of question 46 in the original and 47 in the modified edition. The original version has, "What is the sum of the ten commandments?" while the modified version gives, "Where is the obedience of faith given in summary form?" This change may be theologically significant as the modified edition equates "obedience of faith" with what is commonly referred to as the moral law. Because some theologians in Reformed Baptist circles have suggested that there are two stages of justification, the final stage of which is dependent on obedience to the moral law, this modification may represent a tendency toward the two-stage justification model.

References

  1. ^ Haynes, David C; Haynes, Dudley C (1857), The Baptist denomination: its history, doctrines, and ordinances…, Sheldon, Blakeman & co, p. 75.
  2. ^ Copeland, David A (2001), Benjamin Keach and the development of Baptist traditions in seventeenth-century England, E Mellen Press, ISBN 978-0-7734-7566-3.
  3. ^ Keach, Benjamin (2017), Keach's Catechism, CrossReach Publications, ISBN 978-1549851957.
  4. ^ Nettles, Tom J (1998), Teaching Truth, Training Hearts: The study of Catechisms in Baptist Life, Calvary Press, ISBN 1879737388.
  5. ^ Keach, Benjamin; Baggett, Brett Anthony (2022), The Baptist Catechism (1693): Asking and answering the most important questions in the world, Independently published.
  6. ^ Piper, John. "A Baptist Catechism". Desiring God. Desiring God. Retrieved 15 November 2024.


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