“But test everything…” (1 Thess. 5:21 ESV).

Luther prefaced his Small Catechism with remarks that were addressed to “pastors and preachers and stressed that “young and inexperienced persons” should “commit it to memory.”

If Luther “primarily intended [the Small Catechism] to be a family prayer book,” as the author here claims, why isn’t that plainly evident from his own preface?

The author says that the Small Catechism once had a “cherished position of frequent use.” What is the evidence for that? How has at the prevalence, frequency, and type of use been assessed?

It’s relatively easy to come up with largely untested teaching suggestions, giving little thought to the time and resources and kind of judgment actually needed to implement those suggestions well.

The 2017 edition of the Small Catechism with Explanation boasts 374 questions and 1142 scripture passages. Is crafting an at-home catechism review schedule aligned with themes of the church year a good idea, as the author here suggests? Then perhaps our church body should make an effort to publish one.

It seems to me that a church body that is serious about helping and encouraging parents to teach at home would provide user-friendly tools that have been thoughtfully crafted and tested following best practices for instructional design, and in light of —
• the various needs, resources and constraints of parents,
• the different ages and abilities of their children, and
• what their children were already learning in their church and school.