The New City Catechism Devotional: God's Truth for Our Hearts and Minds (The Gospel Coalition)

A catechism is such a useful thing! It is a series of questions about central biblical topics, with answers for you to learn. It is designed as a teaching aid (for young and old alike - there is a kids' version). The aim being provide a theological framework within which to grow - in Christian thought and life.Each day, the devotional includes a comment from a historical author (e.g. Augustine, Calvin, Luther, Simeon, Bunyan) and a living author.I note the reservations of other reviewers. Most are minor and can be taken into consideration by the thoughtful reader (though it might be wise to pursue further the relationship of sin and idolatry).That said, I have found it constantly thought-provoking and a means of grace. That is, God has repeatedly impressed things on my mind through it. That is what one hopes for in a devotional.

This is a brilliant book, breaking down in 52 questions and answers all Christian truth. It is inspiring and educational, giving a fully rounded understanding of the faith. Complemented by verses from the Bible as well as writing from both classical, and modern day theological thinkers. I'm enjoying it very much and am looking forward to using it in a study form with friends

Although parts of the various historic confessions and catechisms have been used and modernised, the 52 questions and answers leave much to be desired. You will notice difficulties with this catechism if you are familiar with more helpful orthodox catechisms..A few examples of some difficulties with this catechism:Q.1 "What is our only hope in life and death? That we belong to God": this is taken from Heidelberg and replaces their very helpful, "that we belong to Christ, our faithful Saviour". By comparison, this Q1 could be read as universalism - 'we all belong to God'. Christ and His saving work has been airbrushed out, which is not necessary given the number of words available to the author per question.Q.2 "What is God" - we might have expected, "Who is God", because He is a person.Q.6 "How can we glorify God?"? The answer in the Westminster Shorter Catechism is that we do so according to the Word of God, the Scriptures, the Bible. Here the Bible has been removed and replaced with 'love': "By loving Him and obeying His commands and law" – this is a pity.Q.10 re Command 4. "That on the Sabbath day we spend time in worship of God". Orthodox catechisms point out that the w h o l e day is for God. For a modern and American audience, this fact has been removed.Q.15 re "what is the purpose of the law" - regrettably (perhaps because of space) only one of the three classic purposes of God's law gets mentioned in the answer.Q.16 "What is sin?" has been supplemented with Keller's personal theology, so Q17 adds "What is idolatry?" This reflects a significant shift in belief, from man's basic problem being sin alone, to his problem being sin+idolatry (I don't have space here to develop fully why that is so vital an error). You need to work through what Keller teaches about idolatry and sin. To give a very brief summary, he says, "behind every sin is an idol ... idols are usually wanting too much of something good (e.g. family, work, recreation)" - this argument can lead to a redefinition of sin: "it's just a bit too much of what God approves of anyway", which undermines the whole meaning of sin, and thus of the purpose of salvation and Christianity.Q.18 puts sin and idolatry as a pair - you will not find this in any orthodox confession - it is 'in house' heterodoxy from Mr Keller's own mis-reading of Scripture, sadly.Q.34 gives "love and gratitude" as the s o l e motivations for obedience. This is, I think, a common modern weakness. These two motivations are indeed two Biblical motivations for obedience, but Scripture reveals about another eight at least. This concentration on two-only is, I think, a weakness of the very early Heidelberg catechism, from which this idea may be taken.Overall, the word 'love' occurs six times, and 'repentance' does not get mentioned at all. For those who know nothing, they will learn something from these very basic statements. For those who have access to the Westminster Shorter Catechism or any orthodox Catechism, this will be a downward move.Catechising is so helpful! … and can be a very special & a great joy.I do not think this is as good as “My First Book of Questions and Answers" by Carine MacKenzie or something like the Westminster or Baptist Confessions.

Why I believe what I believe! Important for every believer. Great for a devotional or even a small group.

This is available as a free app for your phone or tablet. I wish I would have found that our before I purchased as it is exactly the same! Oh well, it is set up very well and is a great tool for learning and memorizing!

Connecting the catechism questions with their bible reference and than opening them with commentaries of the old Saints and contemporary bible believing christians makes this catechism a treasure that goes beyond the pure memorizing of questions and answers.

My fiance and I are going through this together and it is great. The devotions that are coupled with each question are thought provoking, convicting, and creates ways to build conversations about the topic. It is a great way to affirm/create a solid foundation of the core doctrines of the Christian faith.

Great to read as a family (although some of the terms might need to be explained) and get across the core beliefs of the Christian faith.