Let's memorize the Larger Catechism !

[Wayne]

Browsing through the 1943 volume of The Christian Observer this morning, looking for articles by a particular author, and I spotted this:

Roll of Honor for 1942: Boys and Girls Who Have Memorized the Catechisms of the Church.

The published names total 1,381 persons, larger by 124 names than the previous year, and yet it is observed in a related article that the number generally keeps shrinking year by year!

Some 330 had memorized the Shorter Catechism. Two had memorized the Larger! [Rebecca Eldredge of TN and Henrietta Seacrest of NC] And the rest, about 1,050, had memorized the Child's Catechism.
Of those memorizing the Shorter, over 1/3 of them were from North Carolina.

 

[InSlaveryToChrist]

Two had memorized the Larger!

How old were these two children, to be accurate?

 

[Wayne]

Samuel, there is a picture of Rebecca Eldredge inset in the article and she appears to be pre-teen. No other indication of the age of either child.

Which reminds me of another I came across once who had memorized the Larger Catechism, his name escapes me now, but he grew up to become a pastor in the PCA. In that fellow's case, he was well into his teenage years when he completed the task.

 

[InSlaveryToChrist]

Samuel, there is a picture of Rebecca Eldredge inset in the article and she appears to be pre-teen.

Now, that's impressive!

 

[Wayne]

I had seen this some years ago and just came across it again.

Annually, for decades, The Christian Observer would publish a roster of names of those who had memorized catechisms in the previous year. Certificates were awarded by the Observer in honor of their accomplishment.

Annually there were almost always at least one and perhaps two who had memorized the Larger Catechism. In 1960, it was James Benjamin Watson who was noted for this accomplishment.
Following a brief career as a lawyer, he went to seminary and has been a PCA pastor since 1987. He is currently pastor of the First Presbyterian church in Ellerbe, NC.

 

[au5t1n]

I'm learning the WLC now too. Church accountability makes all the difference.

 

[Notthemama1984]

I'm learning the WLC now too. Church accountability makes all the difference.

Is your church learning it together?

 

[au5t1n]

I'm learning the WLC now too. Church accountability makes all the difference.

Is your church learning it together?

Since my church doesn't have an evening service (due to rented facilities that are used for other things), I've been attending the evening service of a nearby church plant, followed by their catechism and Scripture memory class, which is for both adults and children. This past Lord's day Rev. Mark Koller (http://www.puritanboard.com/members/markkoller/) was there to preach and administer the Lord's Supper. His four-year-old daughter humiliated the adults on the Shorter Catechism.

 

[Notthemama1984]

That is cool.

 

[Wayne]

[Stage whisper: What our friend Josh doesn't realize is that this whole memorization thing was just a clever ploy to keep him occupied, off the street, and out of trouble. . . .]

 

[Pilgrim Standard]

I just started... [again]

 

[JS116]

Me and my friend are doing doing this! Along with bible in a year..PLENTY enough to keep us busy.

 

[JohnGill]

Since that link is down I offer this one: The Westminster Larger Catechism (practice edition) - Reformed Forum

 

[Zach]

I'm impressed gentlemen. I feel like I'm hardly making any progress on the Shorter Catechism

 

[JohnGill]

Fantastic!

 

[JohnGill]

Rednecks don't have accents. Only Yankees have accents.