This Catechism is available at the Evangelical Association Store:

http://eastorefront.org/

The Evangelical Catechism was first published in 1847 combining Lutheran and Reformed themes to express the ecumenical theology of German Evangelicals for teaching the faith on the Missouri frontier.

This exclusive reprint of the 1896 edition in modern English helps bring the frontier faith and piety of the German Evangelicals to life for the benefit of the contemporary Church

CONTENTS

Editor's Notes --------------------------  i

1 Introduction to This Edition ----------  1

2 Introduction --------------------------  3

3 The Ten Commandments ------------------  4

4 The Christian Faith ------------------- 10

5 God the Father ------------------------ 13

6 Jesus Christ, God's Son & Our Lord ---- 16

7 The Holy Spirit & Christian Life ------ 19

8 Prayer -------------------------------- 25

9 The Sacrament of Holy Baptism --------- 27

10 The Sacrament of The Lord's Supper --- 29

EDITOR'S NOTES

Minor changes have been made throughout the 1896 text presented in this edition to make it more readable for contemporary readers.

The answer for Question #1 of the 1929 edition has been added along with the 1896 text to express the evolution of the Catechism's personal salvation perspective that changed in the 1929 revision. The entirety of Question and Answer #2 from the 1929 edition has been inserted into the text along with its 1896 parallel for the same reason. Churches may use whichever version of this text that they desire in teaching.

Introduction to this Edition

In the 1896 English edition of the Evangelical Catechism, the German Evangelical Synod of North America is described as having been organized to contribute toward making religion and conscience a constant active force on the western frontier of the United States where “skepticism and antagonism to all things pertaining to Church and Christianity prevailed among a certain class of Germans, who had come to the Land of Freedom, and prided themselves in having cut loose from God and the Church, but were fettered hand and foot by the evil passions in their hearts.” It was into that environment that question one of the catechism boldly asked: “What should be the chief concern of man?” with the answer being, “Man's chief concern should be the eternal salvation of his soul.”

Relying on the words of Scripture, the Evangelical Catechism has proved a useful tool for instruction, devotion and maintaining the theological integrity of the Church for more than a century. Unfortunately, the most recent 2009 revision of the Catechism (and the only one currently being sold under copyright) has been dramatically rewritten in such a way as to make it more palatable to the liberal sensibilities of many on the modern church. As a result, its usefulness to evangelical, orthodox, traditional pastors and churches has been severely limited.

Thankfully, due to the work of a number of EA pastors from around the country, we are now able to provide for you this reprint of the 1896 traditional version in modern English for your use.

As stated in the preface to the 1916 book Evangelical Fundamentals - The Evangelical Catechism Explained, “Next to the Bible the Evangelical Catechism is the most important element in the Evangelical scheme of Christian education. In it there have been laid down the fundamentals of Christian teaching as gathered from the Bible in accordance with the principle expressed in the Evangelical doctrinal statement. Because familiarity with these teachings is essential to true Christian life and conduct, the study of the Catechism has been made a part of the regular confirmation instruction, and the importance of a thorough study of its contents cannot easily be exaggerated.”

May this book prove useful to you and your congregation.

Other recommended (but out of print) resource in the public domain:

Evangelical Fundamentals Part Two - Evangelical Belief and Doctrine - the Evangelical Catechism Explained for use in Catechetical Instruction, the Sunday School and the Home. Eden Publishing House, 1916.