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This article looks to the logic of grace and gratitude in the Heidelberg Catechism (HC) in order to examine a disposing pattern of sensibility and affection as well as four lessons for a contemporary Protestant theological ethic. It also suggests a revision of the catechism’s basic theology in light of the current ecological crisis and in conjunction with a theocentric strand in Reformed theologies of creation.

The Heidelberg Catechism has been part of the Reformed Confessional tradition for over 400 years. It has helped to shape and form generations of Reformed believers. The question however can be raised if the model of salvation that features in the Catechism is still relevant today? In the light of different contexts this article looks at the questions in the Heidelberg Catechism concerning the explanation of our salvation and reads this judicial model against other Christian understandings in the Catholic, Baptist and Orthodox tradition. The dialogue continues with the work of Ellen Charry that reminds us of the formative role that theology had in the works of the Early Church fathers and asks what the content and role of catechism are today and if we can still use this document fruitfully in our formation of young people.

Reflection on the origins of the Heidelberg Catechism reveals it to be a document of understanding between Calvinistic-Reformed, Zwinglian and Lutheran-Philippistic tendencies within Protestantism. One important reason for the success of the Heidelberg Catechism was the fact that each one of these groups appreciated the Catechism. At the same time it clearly distances itself from Tridentine Catholicism and from the Gnesio-Lutheran variant of Lutheranism. This occurs mainly in the doctrine of the Lord's Supper. The repudiation of the mass as "condemnable idolatry" is a result of the orientation to the Reformation of John Calvin. Here papal religion was seen as superstition and a fundamental violation of the true worship of God as well as an infringement of God's honour. The experience of persecution by the Papal church in France and the Netherlands aggravated the criticism.

This article focuses on the reception and the status of the Heidelberg Catechism in the Church of the Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) Nkhoma Synod in Malawi between 1889 and 2012. The constitution, the church order and the liturgical formularies of the CCAP Nkhoma Synod equally mention that the Heidelberg Catechism is one of the church's doctrinal standards. The Catechism had never been translated into the official language of this Church, implying that the content of the catechism has been withheld from its members. This leads to the following questions: Was the Heidelberg Catechism really received in the Nkhoma Synod? Why did the Nkhoma fail to make the content of the catechism available to its members? Did this Church realize the implication of a failure to translate the catechism into its official language? Therefore, this article argues that the Catechism had very little or no influence on the Church's theological discourse and practice.

The seemingly harsh texts about God’s justice and wrath in the Heidelberg Catechism turn out to be the core of the comfort that the catechisms proclaims, if we read the catechism contextually. The same is the case with regard to providence when the catechism claims that also poverty and illness come from God’s fatherly hand.

English Title: On the content and message of the Heidelberg Catechism English Abstract The essay argues that it is meaningful to speak about the theme, content and message of the Heidelberg Catechism, although these three should be distinguished. A first section claims that the Catechism shows more of a single argument and purpose than many other catechisms of the time, because they often consisted of a mere compilation of diverse material, without clear purpose. A second section further develops this claim by showing how the comfort of the first question and answer forms the continuing motif, providing the theme and structure of the Catechism . A third section serves as reminder of Barth’s claim that Jesus Christ is the content of this comfort and therefore of the Heidelberg Catechism. A fourth section suggests a final distinction, arguing that the message is still different from the purpose, theme and content, since it depends on specific readers in their own contexts, as the reception history has shown.

English Title: The Heidelberg Catechism and the catechesis material of the Dutch Reformed Church: a church history overview English Abstract In the year which we commemorate the 450 th anniversary of the Heidelberg Catechism, this article follows the historical tracks of the catechism through the history of the Dutch Reformed Church with special focus on the role it played in the catechesis of the church. It starts with a short introduction about the origin of the Heidelberg Catechism. Secondly it gives an overview of the material used by the church through its early history before it compares the different books which were used later on. This is done in order to establish what role the Heidelberg Catechism played in the learning material of the church. The article concludes with the finding that the Heidelberg Catechism indeed played and still plays a huge role in the catechesis of the Dutch Reformed Church.

The Heidelberg Catechism courageously mentions that Christians participate in the work of Christ as the eternal king. This means that, during their life on earth, Christians fight against sin “with a free conscience”. These words anticipate the call for human rights in the French Revolution. Although the Catechism uses the word “free” only at this point, the text shows the context in which we have to understand “freedom”. It instructs us that we have to understand the word not as a freedom “from” and, therefore, not as freedom only for myself, but as freedom “for” a life with others. The reason for this is that real freedom is founded in the gift of the divine liberator, who loves us only along with our neighbours. We are free in relation to God and our fellow human beings.

This contribution deals with the structure of Luther’s Catechism, one of Protestant basic texts. First an outline is given of the history of the composition of the text. Next some remarks are made on Luther’s purpose in bringing out this Catechism. The more as scholarly discussion about it raised attention is paid to the structure of Luther’s Catechism. Our conclusion is that the five parts of this Catechism are best understood in a circular form which challenges its users to go through the material time and again. Only then its specific dynamics will manifest itself which make Luther’s Catechism very suitable for instruction about the Christian Faith at several levels. Following this impetus this Catechism against a tradition of misuse as a confessional text book might be recaptured as life book which proves to be useful in handing down the relevancy of Protestant tradition in the entire faith community.

This article examines Calvin’s interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer by scrutinising it in the successive editions of his Institutes, the 1537 Catechism, the 1542 Geneva Catechism, the short paraphrase for the Geneva liturgy (1542), the exegesis of the Lord’s Prayer in the 1555 commentary or harmony of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), and his explanation of the questions and answers for the 43rd Sunday of the 1542 Geneva Catechism (c. 1563). These sources reveal that, in the texts prior to 1555, Calvin placed a dogmatic emphasis on the six petitions. Later he shifted his attention to the actual practice of prayer. Initially he tried to understand the correct theological meaning of the Lord’s Prayer; later he urged the person who prays to use it correctly. At the outset the theologian spoke, later he became the pastor of souls. A comparison of the various texts reveals that throughout his life Calvin endeavoured to enhance his understanding of the Lord’s Prayer and its meaning.

With the Belijdenis of Paul Roux we have an indigenous document of early eighteenth century theological reflection among some French refugees of the first generations at the Cape. It provides us with useful opportunities to analyse the theology of an important part of the history of the Huguenots. In this study, attention is given to the matter of the introductory question of this catechism book with regard to its importance as well as its content. It is argued that the angle of incidence of this catechism is pointing to a shift away from the reformed heritage towards the Aufkl?rung and Rationalism. Whether this applies to the rest of the Belijdenis in its entirety is not object of this analysis, though. Keywords: South African Church History, Suid-Afrikaanse kerkgeskiedenis, Paul Roux, Huguenots, Hugenote, Catechism book, Kategismusboek Acta Theologica Vol.22(2) 2003: 26-42