CATAKIDS!
“THE BOOK THAT MAKES TEACHING YOUR KIDS TO KNOW GOD… EASY!”
Catakids! is available in three languages: English, Romanian and Spanish.
English
Romanian
Thank you to Magna Gratia for translating Catakids! into Romanian. Visit their site for “Catepitici” and more Romanian resources here.
Spanish
Thank you to Antonio Salgado of the Biblical Christian Missionary Society (BCMS) for translating Catakids! into Spanish. “Mi Catecismo, así mismo!” Learn more about BCMS here.
Introducing a new way to disciple your children
By Joel Settecase
The New Covenant Catechism for Little Ones, AKA Catakids!, which has been (and still is) available on this website, is now available in e-book and print form via Amazon.
Parents, here’s what you need to know about this resource.
The Story
I had been catechizing my children since the spring of 2014, starting with my son Jakob, when he was two. I searched high and low for an age appropriate, theologically sound catechism, and found some that were very good. However, the ones I found were problematic in at least one of three ways: First, they were mostly from a Covenant Theological (CT) background, and I ran into problems when they got to some of the CT distinctives (such as the Christian’s relationship to the Ten Commandments, the supposed extra-biblical covenants, etc.). Second, they were theologically in agreement with my beliefs, but they were aimed at adults and not age appropriate for young children. And finally, they were antiquated in their language.
Goals
My goal in creating this catechism was to create a religious primer to help parents teach their young children the essential and primary doctrines of biblical Christianity, in the hope that the Lord will use it as a means to bring our children to repentance and faith in Christ Jesus, and equip them to walk in the Spirit and love the Lord their God with their whole selves.
I wanted to lay out a comprehensive overview of the Christian worldview that is in accord with what Scripture teaches. As much as possible, it was my desire to correct some of the errors that exist in children’s catechisms. And to make this seem doable for parents, I wanted to do it all in 100 questions.
With Catakids!, I want to draw on what’s excellent in the old catechisms while making adjustments to fit what I believe to be the more biblical interpretive strategy of New Covenant Theology.
Sources & Inspiration Behind CATAKIDS!
I drew on the following sources, which you can find links to within the catechism itself.
“Catechism for Babes”
“First Catechism”
“A Puritan Catechism”
“A New Covenant Theology Catechism”
“New City Catechism”
“The New Covenant Confession of Faith”
“The 1644/1646 First London Baptist Confession of Faith”
Theological Distinctives
I believe the Bible to be the inerrant, infallible word of God, containing all we need for godly faith and practice. I do not consider myself confessional, but I intended this document to be in agreement with the 1644/1646 First London Baptist Confession of Faith, insofar as it agrees with Scripture.
As the title indicates, Catakids!/The New Covenant Catechism for Little Ones is in line with New Covenant Theology, which some have called a midpoint between Covenantalism on one side and Dispensationalism on the other. Additionally, the hermeneutic reflected here is Redemptive-Historical, interpreting the whole Bible as pointing to Jesus and His redemptive work. Further, I am working from a viewpoint that is Baptistic (believing only professing believers should be baptized), Presuppositionalist (with respect to apologetics), Calvinistic (regarding soteriology), Young-Earth (as a view of creation), Amillennialist (eschatologically), and somewhere between Continuationist and Cessationist (in terms of Spiritual gifts).
If none of the above paragraph makes much sense to you, don’t worry about it. It is all just to say that my own theology will undoubtedly be reflected in this catechism. However, it is not necessary to hold to these positions to use and find agreement with this catechism.
The reader will find my theology best expressed in the “Five Solas” of the Reformation:
Sola Gratia - We are saved by grace alone...
Sola Fide - Through faith alone...
Solus Christus - In Christ alone...
Sola Scriptura - According to the Scripture alone...
Soli Deo Gloria - To the glory of God alone!
How To Use This Resource
Try to ask the questions, and give the answers, in a sing-songy, rhythmic way, in order to aid in memorization. The goal is rote memorization, not total comprehension. However, the head of the family should talk through the answers with the children after the answer is memorized. Feel free to work through one question each week or tackle up to five questions per week— one each week day, and then review and discuss on Saturday. You can track your child(ren)’s progress using the Progress Tracker in the back.
I pray this resource will bless you, as you join with other Christian parents the world over in raising the next generation of disciples of Jesus Christ.