The Westminster Shorter Catechism in Modern English

Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding, Multi-Purpose Teaching Tool
Review: This modern translation of the Westminster Shorter Catechism has become the standard modern rendering of this catechism and is a most profitable tool.

As is indicated in the short introduction to this work, the authors/translators were committed to making the Shorter Catechism accessible to today's readers in order to maintain its viability as a modern teaching tool and liturgical reference. The original language of the Shorter Catechism is sometimes difficult to follow, and this resulted in a decreasing emphasis upon its use. This translation eliminates this problem, and allows for a succinct and very faithful reintroduction of the Shorter Catechism to the masses via Reformed liturgy and instruction.

This modern version is quite lucid. As a result, it is a teaching tool that can be used with children, as well as incorporating it into regular worship in ways that seasoned Christians, new Christians, and interested non-Christians can understand and follow. As I will mention below, this is really critical.

It is important to address the major objection that always seems to come up whenever there is an undertaking to produce a 'modern rendering' of some centuries old work. Inevitably, the charge of 'dumbing down' is raised, where it is asserted that by creating a modern version, the accuracy of the original is compromised for the sake of contemporary ease of comprehension. And while I think this objection always has merit to the extent that we should always be very discerning about the faithfulness of any modern work to the original, I find that this particular objection is not valid in this instance. This modern rendering is very faithful to the original, and very accurate in communicating the distinctive truths of Reformed theology. In works like this, there has to be a balance between accessibility and accuracy. Jettisoning accuracy in the interest of accessibility is a bad idea that should always be rejected. However, that does not universally mean that it is impossible to accurately and faithfully make a previously inaccessible work accessible to people today. As a result, I believe this modern rendering is keeping with perhaps the greatest ecclesiastical tenet of the Reformation - the belief that Scripture should be accessible and available to laypeople, rather than confined among a powerful ecclesiastical elite. As the Reformation produced an explosion of Bible knowledge among the masses as a result of taking the Bible out of the priests of Rome and affirming the priesthood of all believers, so this work should take the Shorter Catechism out of the realm of the seminaries and back to the churches as a vibrant and vital teaching tool of Reformed theology. Highly recommended.