Flipbooks

7 who He is and what He has done for the world (the Creed); how we may and should seek His richest blessings for our lives (the Lord's Prayer); how He has made us His own (Baptism); and how He sustains and nurtures us in repentant faith and in the confidence of His forgiving presence in Christ (Confession and the Sacrament of the Altar). Through the years and centuries, the Small Catechism has been wonderfully adaptable, serving as a foundation and starting point for learning and growing in the faith. Already in Luther's lifetime, countless versions were produced—versions that included not only Luther's text but also additional explanatory material. With the expansion of Christianity beyond Europe into the Americas, Africa, and Asia, the Small Catechism was translated into numerous languages and became perhaps the single most important Lutheran missionary tool for bringing the Gospel to people who knew nothing of it. Already in the 1600s, the Small Catechism was the first book translated into a Native American language in the Americas. In other parts of the world, many Lutheran churches were established with the Small Catechism as the first (and often the only) confessional document—understandably so, as it provided an eminently practical tool for new believers as well as a confessional framework for thinking as a Lutheran Christian. In the United States, the Small Catechism was part of the layman's library for Lutheran immigrants alongside the Bible and a hymnbook. In LCMS history, a German edition of Luther's Small Catechism with explanatory material by Johann Konrad Dietrich (1575–1639) was of great significance. C. F. W. Walther (1811–87) modified Dietrich's work. Heinrich Christian Schwan (1819–1905) then built on that same heritage. In 1943, the Synod revised the material in response to the needs of its day. In 1991, the Synod revised the explanation section yet again. LU T H E R ' S S M A L L C AT E C H I S M W I T H E X P L A N AT I O N , 2 0 1 7 E D I T I O N The 2013 Convention of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod recognized that once again it was time to address new questions and circumstances. After receiving feedback from a lengthy period of research, discussion, and field testing, a new edition was released in 2017. Only the Explanation has been revised, not the actual Small Catechism from Luther himself. (The translation of Luther's texts has not changed from the 1991 edition.) Resolution 3-13A of the 2013 Convention cited as a key reason for the revision the "many changes in the understanding of morals, civil law and natural law in church and society" since the Explanation's last revision. Most notable about the 2017 Explanation is an additional layer of structure to help readers both learn and confirm the timeless truths of God's Word in their daily lives. After each essential section of the catechism (for example, the First Commandment), the new edition includes the following: • The Central Thought summarizes the key point for Christian identity and faith, with a key biblical narrative and questions for reflection and application. • A Closer Reading of the Small Catechism gives specific attention to the pattern and wording in Luther's text with key supporting Bible passages. • Connections and Applications provides wider application and ad- dresses additional relevant matters, together with further biblical and confessional support. • Psalm, Hymn, and Prayer invite devotional use of that portion of the catechism.

• Cover