Making Disciples: Catechesis in History, Theology, and Practice. By Alex Fogleman: Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2025. 220 pp. $29.99 (paper).
For those who are interested in restoring the practice of catechesis, the task of finding a suitable catechism should pose no difficulty, as there are many options readily available, both old and new. The question of what it means to do catechesis well, on the other hand, might present a greater challenge to those who have long been unaccustomed to thinking of the church as a catechizing body. We are fortunate, then, to have Alex Fogleman’s Making Disciples, a contemporary introduction to the nature and history of catechesis. Chapter 1 establishes the triune God as “the beginning and end of catechesis” (13); Chapters 2 and 3 offer a condensed historical survey of Christian catechesis; Chapters 4 and 5 discuss the importance of practicing catechesis in relationship with the church’s other endeavors of worship and mission, respectively; Chapter 6 elaborates on the idea that a catechism should function as “a ‘rule’ of faith, hope, and love” (98); Chapter 7 addresses the role of Scripture and the sacraments in catechesis; Chapter 8 emphasizes the “relational dimension” of catechesis (130); and Chapter 9 focuses on “four key practices” for catechesis: “memory, the imagination, the role of questions, and the connection between knowledge and prayer” (145).
Fogleman’s treatment of the subject is full of wisdom and insight, more than a book review can cover. Still, a brief rundown on a few of the more salient themes should give readers a fair idea of how this book can enrich them. First, the practice of catechesis is indispensable and cannot be replaced by comparable activities that have been devised in recent years, such as “small groups, Bible studies, Sunday school, Alpha” (4). We might tell ourselves that such activities are better suited to our age, but Fogleman points out that “none do the foundational, ground-laying work that catechesis does. None give a basic but comprehensive introduction to the faith” (4). Even when the necessity of catechesis is granted, however, it could be supposed that this simply entails going through the chosen catechism in the same manner as one would deliver a series of university lectures, treating the task as one of purely academic discourse designed to impart theological facts. This brings us to the second theme, which is that catechesis is more than transmitting information into people’s heads—in catechesis, we are seeking to impart an entire way of life. Hence Fogleman’s emphasis on what he calls liturgical catechesis, in which there is “a back-and-forth interchange between teaching about worship and the actual experience of worship” (62). The point here is that in Fogleman’s view, although the catechism serves as the foundation and focal point for catechesis, the practice of catechesis cannot and should not be confined to the text of the catechism proper. As he puts it, “Catechesis is not the same thing as teaching a catechism. A catechism is a text—a tool for teaching. Catechesis is a practice, an art, a way of life” (3, italics original), and in the case of liturgy in particular, “experience and instruction go hand in hand” (62). The idea that catechesis is more than the abstract exposition of a particular text leads to the third theme: catechesis is a work of love just as much as anything else the church does, meaning that one is not qualified to be a catechist simply by virtue of being the smartest person in the room. Rather, catechesis is “inherently relational” (133), such that “the character of the catechist is as important as what is taught” (135). On Fogleman’s account, “Those I’ve seen with the most effective catechetical ministries are those who teach with humility, joy, and love.” This should not surprise us—we would expect any Christian truly touched by God to exhibit these qualities, so it is only natural that a successful Christian catechist should have them as well, in addition to a solid and thorough grasp of one’s chosen catechism. Insofar as catechesis is defined as a purely intellectual exercise, the latter might be considered sufficient, but in reality, “no matter how skillful or masterful our teaching is, it is nothing without love” (163).
I have touched on only some of the high points here, but these should be enough to demonstrate that any who are looking to build solid foundations for catechesis in their churches will be well rewarded by this book. May it help further the retrieval of this oft-forgotten practice so that newcomers to the church may be integrated into it more fully, and those who are born into it may not wander.
