By Rev. Clint Schnekloth
On Sunday mornings prior to worship, a small group in our congregation gathers for an informal parish meeting. Topics range widely, but often participants ask very interesting catechetical questions. As just one example, a newcomer to our church sat down one Sunday recently and asked, “What’s the difference between the Large and the Small Catechism in the Lutheran Confessions?”
This is a softball question for Lutheran pastors. I went into my typical riff on the topic, explaining how the Large Catechism was written after Luther and Melanchthon toured the rural areas around Wittenberg and discovered the widespread illiteracy of clergy. Since so much of liturgy and theological education was in Latin, it missed the many priests who could not read Latin. In the absence of a basic catechism in their native German, they knew as little about the actual tenets of Christianity as most lay people.
To rectify this, the Reformers worked on a catechism for the priests.
The Small Catechism, by comparison, was written for the head of the household to teach the faith in their home. It was printed on broadsheets to be posted on the walls of kitchens, and was short enough to memorize.
I continued in this vein for a while, perhaps a little longer than warranted, but the newcomer was patient and generally interested. How kind.
Later in the conversation, someone else at the table brought up the topic of ChatGPT. As a discussion moved forward on artificial intelligence (AI), I jumped onto ChatGPT on my phone and asked it the question the newcomer had just asked me.
ChatGPT spit out, in somewhat more wooden prose than my colloquial presentation, essentially ALL THE SAME points I made verbally.
This made me pause. What could this mean?
For those who are curious, here’s the original response ChatGPT gave to my query about the Lutheran catechisms: In Lutheranism, the Large and Small Catechisms are both important texts, but they serve slightly different purposes:
- Large Catechism: This is a comprehensive exposition of the Christian faith, divided into sections on the Ten Commandments, the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the Sacrament of Holy Baptism, Confession, and the Sacrament of the Eucharist. It’s intended for use by pastors and teachers to instruct both adults and children in the essentials of Christian doctrine. The Large Catechism provides detailed explanations and applications of each part of the faith, using Luther’s conversational style to address various situations and concerns.
- Small Catechism: This is a condensed version of the Large Catechism, primarily intended for use in teaching children and new believers. It covers the same basic topics—Ten Commandments, Apostles’ Creed, Lord’s Prayer, Baptism, Confession, and the Eucharist—but in a simpler and more concise format. The Small Catechism includes short summaries, key Bible verses, prayers, and questions for memorization, making it easier for individuals to learn and remember the fundamental teachings of the Christian faith.
In summary, while both catechisms contain the core teachings of Lutheranism, the Large Catechism is more detailed and suited for deeper study by pastors and teachers, while the Small Catechism is designed to be accessible and practical for teaching basic Christian doctrine to children and new believers.
To read the entire article, click here
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
By Rev. Clint Schnekloth
On Sunday mornings prior to worship, a small group in our congregation gathers for an informal parish meeting. Topics range widely, but often participants ask very interesting catechetical questions. As just one example, a newcomer to our church sat down one Sunday recently and asked, “What’s the difference between the Large and the Small Catechism in the Lutheran Confessions?”
This is a softball question for Lutheran pastors. I went into my typical riff on the topic, explaining how the Large Catechism was written after Luther and Melanchthon toured the rural areas around Wittenberg and discovered the widespread illiteracy of clergy. Since so much of liturgy and theological education was in Latin, it missed the many priests who could not read Latin. In the absence of a basic catechism in their native German, they knew as little about the actual tenets of Christianity as most lay people.
To rectify this, the Reformers worked on a catechism for the priests.
The Small Catechism, by comparison, was written for the head of the household to teach the faith in their home. It was printed on broadsheets to be posted on the walls of kitchens, and was short enough to memorize.
I continued in this vein for a while, perhaps a little longer than warranted, but the newcomer was patient and generally interested. How kind.
Later in the conversation, someone else at the table brought up the topic of ChatGPT. As a discussion moved forward on artificial intelligence (AI), I jumped onto ChatGPT on my phone and asked it the question the newcomer had just asked me.
ChatGPT spit out, in somewhat more wooden prose than my colloquial presentation, essentially ALL THE SAME points I made verbally.
This made me pause. What could this mean?
For those who are curious, here’s the original response ChatGPT gave to my query about the Lutheran catechisms: In Lutheranism, the Large and Small Catechisms are both important texts, but they serve slightly different purposes:
In summary, while both catechisms contain the core teachings of Lutheranism, the Large Catechism is more detailed and suited for deeper study by pastors and teachers, while the Small Catechism is designed to be accessible and practical for teaching basic Christian doctrine to children and new believers.
To read the entire article, click here
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash