Instruction in the Way of the Lord

The celebration of the 350th anniversary of the 1662 Book of Common Prayer has helped to stimulate a renewed interest in its teaching and fundamental contribution to Anglican identity. Archbishop Cranmer and others involved in the English Reformation knew well that the content and shape of the services and doctrine set out in the Prayer Book were vital ways of teaching congregations biblical truth and the principles of the Christian gospel. However, the Prayer Book Catechism is a neglected educational resource for the Church of England. For centuries it provided the framework for instructing young Christians in the basics of Christian belief and behaviour, but in recent years it has come to be almost forgotten. This new study describes the place of the Catechism in the Prayer Book and how the Catechism came to be written. It then expounds the teaching of the Catechism and explains its continuing value as a basis for teaching the fundamentals of the Christian faith in basics groups and confirmation classes. MARTIN DAVIE is a theological consultant for the Church of England Evangelical Council and the Oxford Centre for Religion in Public Life. He also teaches doctrine at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford.