Keach's Catechism (also known as the 1677 Baptist Catechism or 1693 Baptist Catechism) is a Reformed Baptist catechism consisting of a set of basic questions and answers from scripture teaching readers the basics of the Baptist faith.
The Catechism is similar to the earlier Heidelberg Catechism and Westminster Catechism except for the sections on baptism. It followed the 1677 Baptist Confession which was later ratified by over 100 Baptist congregations in England and Wales as the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, which was signed by Hanserd Knollys, William Kiffin, Benjamin Keach, and others. The Confession was written by English Particular Baptists, who held to a Calvinistic analysis to give a formal scriptural explanation of their Christian faith from a Baptist perspective. One of the preachers active in creating Confession of Faith, Benjamin Keach, is often credited with the writing of the Baptist Catechism commonly known as "Keach's Catechism", although it was likely compiled by William Collins, Keach's associate in drafting the Confession. The catechism was officially published by the British Baptists in 1693. The confession which the catechism was based upon was later adopted by the Philadelphia Baptist Association in 1742 in America.[1] [2] [3]
It is interesting to note that various editions of this catechism contain different numbers of questions, some containing 114,[4] and some 118[5] Unfortunately, the textual history of this document is somewhat obscure and the exact timing of these modifications is unclear. However, it appears that the shorter 114-question version is original, and the longer version was introduced later. Below is a summary of the changes made in the longer version.
- The original second question was, "Ought everyone to believe there is a God?"
One final difference of interest between the original and modified versions of this catechism is the wording of question 46 in the original and 47 in the modified edition. The original version has, "What is the sum of the ten commandments?" while the modified version gives, "Where is the obedience of faith given in summary form?" This change may be theologically significant as the modified edition equates "obedience of faith" with what is commonly referred to as the moral law. Because some theologians in Reformed Baptist circles have suggested that there are two stages of justification, the final stage of which is dependent on obedience to the moral law, this modification may represent a tendency toward the two-stage justification model.