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6 T H E L E G AC Y O F LU T H E R ' S S M A L L C AT E C H I S M In 1517, when Luther posted on the Castle Church in Wittenberg his Ninety-Five Theses, or call for discussion on how one is saved, he began a movement that continues to change the world, even five hundred years later. Luther helped believers in small Wittenberg, in Germany, in Europe, and eventually, on every continent to remember and to be confident in the Gospel's promise of forgiveness, life, and salvation graciously given through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. These timeless truths of God's Word stood stronger than hostile human authorities, the fallen world's threats, and Satan's wiles and rage. It is worth asking how this Reformation message reached the world that it came to shape in so many ways. It is no exaggeration to sug- gest that the single most important reason Luther's message pros- pered is the Small Catechism. First published in 1529, Luther's Small Catechism contains fewer than three thousand words (in German). It condenses the biblical story and message and provides succinct meanings for the Ten Commandments, the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and passages about Baptism and the Lord's Supper (with Confession). This little document, the Small Catechism, has been a powerful tool for a task the Church has engaged in since the Day of Pentecost—teaching the Christian faith to new believers and children. Luther composed it because he discovered an appalling ignorance about Christian faith and life in Germany—baptized Christians with "no knowledge whatever of Christian doctrine" (Luther's Preface to the Small Catechism). It served the purpose of providing basic, crucial knowledge of the Christian faith for those first users. It has continued ever since as a tool that teaches what God forbids and what He commands (the Ten Commandments); PREFACE TO LUTHER'S SMALL CATECHISM WITH EXPLANATION— VISUAL EDITION 1 5 2 9 Martin Luther writes the Small Catechism. 1 8 5 8 C. F. W. Walther adapts the Explanation for the LCMS. 1 61 7 Johann Konrad Dietrich writes an Explanation to the Small Catechism. 1 8 8 5 The Explanation is translated into English for the first time. 1 8 9 6 An updated Explanation, often known as the "Schwan Catechism," is published. 1 9 4 3 An updated Explanation, often known as the "Blue Catechism," is published. 1 9 8 6 A new version of the Small Catechism is approved by the LCMS Convention. 1 9 9 1 An updated Explanation is published incorporating the new version of the Small Catechism. 2 0 1 7 An updated Explanation is published.

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