According to the Oxford Dictionary, the word “catechism” means:
“a summary of the principles of Christian religion in the form of questions and answers, used for religious instruction”
After spending many years in various independent charismatic churches, which are very popular in this day and age, I was devastated to realise that during those years I had remained virtually ignorant of even the most fundamental of Christian doctrine. Much time and effort was given to explore all manner of un-biblical teachings as if they were utterly crucial, and yet the core doctrines of the Christian faith were virtually ignored. As a result, many including myself in these type of churches, were passionate about being Christians, and yet failed to understand what that actually meant in reality.
Since leaving the charismatic church a number of years ago, I have finally been led into the Lutheran church, where I have been attending for the last couple of years. The greatest blessing of this for me, is the fact that great emphasis is placed upon all in the congregation to know what they believe, and why they believe it. The Lutheran catechism is a wonderful resource to teach Christians to understand the core doctrines of the Christian faith according to the Bible, and how it relates to them as individuals, members of the Church, and also regular members of society.
While it would give me great joy to know that many Christians embraced Lutheran theology as a result of visiting this website, my goal is to simply encourage Christian believers of all stripes to diligently examine what they believe in the light of Scripture. Where this practice shows a conflict in their theology, my exhortation is to dig deeper with a humble heart into the Word of God in order to fall into line with sound doctrine, in thought, word and deed. I know from personal experience this can sound petty and over simplified, but when I realised just how far away from historic biblical doctrine many of my beliefs were, it was a shock to say the least.
A secondary aim of this website, is to raise the profile of confessional Lutheran churches in the U.K. too. The church I am very grateful to now be a member of (www.oslc.org.uk) is a congregation that is part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of England. Although small in number, the congregations within the ELCE faithfully serve Christians in the U.K. with Word and Sacrament, and have done so since 1896, when they started out as a Missouri Synod mission. My own pastor (Tapani Simojoki) is featured heavily on this website for good reason, and I have to say it is an utter blessing to be served by such a godly pastor.
How the site here will develop over time, I can’t really say I have any firm plans or strategies. But what I can assure you, is that whatever content you might come across here, will always have it’s core focus on Jesus Christ, and Him crucified for the sins of the world, and risen again for the justification of all who believe and trust in Him, and His redeeming work.
May God richly bless you in every way, and thank you for visiting the site. Please consider sharing it with others as you feel led.
Your brother in Christ,
John Dunning
