Some have rejected the instruction.
Some object to the means of grace.
Some believe they need no teaching.
One of the means of grace that is often rejected by self-styled lone ranger Christians, who reject what they call the teachings, and books of men, are the Historic Confessions of Faith, and a good solid Biblical Catechism.
Why do we advocate this? Why are these useful tools.
Here is a portion of one such useful tool;
From A Baptist Catechism with Commentary...by W.R.Downing
Some Objections Against Catechizing Answered
OBJECTION ONE: Why, as Baptists, use a catechism? Do not catechisms
belong only to the Romanists, Lutherans or Reformed Christians? We have
only one creed—the Bible! We will not and cannot put any literature on
par with the Scriptures, or add to the Word of God in any way.
ANSWER:
1. Catechizing, or repetitive oral instruction is scriptural. It was given by
Divine mandate in the Old Testament and is ratified in the New
Testament by inspired Apostolic example.
2. This is not a question of adding something to Scripture, but rather the
use of a necessary aid toward a comprehensive grasp of its doctrinal
teaching. God made us rational, morally responsible beings, created in
his image and likeness. We have been created with both the ability and
necessity to organize. An orderly or systematic approach to Divine
truth is a necessity, as seen in the necessary existence of doctrine and
theology. Sadly, many who object to the use of a catechism turn rather
to the very questionable use of other religious teaching materials
which are either doctrinally shallow or unsound.
3. A catechism is an organized elementary approach to the truth of the
Word of God. It is a primary introduction to the doctrinal teaching of
Scripture.
4. There is a great need for all believers to have at least two types of
knowledge concerning the truth of God: First, every young person
should at least have a general acquaintance with Scripture. What many
call “Bible Stories” gives the younger child a general knowledge of
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the Bible, its historical format, the basic principles of redemptive
history and some knowledge about the various books of the Bible and
their leading characters. Second, every young person should be taught
to understand, think and reason doctrinally from the Scriptures. For
centuries, this has been the purpose of a doctrinally–sound catechism.
Catechizing ceased among our Baptist forefathers when they no longer
emphasized their doctrinal distinctives and Confessions of Faith. In
Sunday schools catechisms were replaced by “Quarterlies,” which
have proven, we believe, to be vastly inferior.
5. Baptists used catechisms extensively and with much spiritual profit
until the past century. This objection itself demonstrates the sad
departure of some Baptists from their own doctrinal distinctives and
practice, and the ignorance of some modern Baptists concerning their
own history and spiritual heritage. Following are some of the more
well–known catechisms written and used by Baptists:
• Henry Jessey, Particular Baptist, A Catechism for Babes, or Little
Ones, 1652.
• Hercules Collins, Particular Baptist, The Orthodox Catechism
(adapted from the Heidelberg Catechism), 1680.
• Thomas Grantham, General Baptist, St. Paul’s Catechism (based
on the six principles of Hebrews 6), 1687.
• Benjamin Keach and William Collins, The Baptist Catechism,
1693.
• The Philadelphia Baptist Association of Particular Baptists
published a catechism appended to their Philadelphia Confession
of Faith, 1742.
• William Gadsby, Gospel Standard Baptist, published a catechism
entitled The Things Most Surely Believed Among Us, 1809.
• C. H. Spurgeon published A Baptist Catechism (compiled from
the Westminster Shorter Catechism and Keach’s Baptist
Catechism), 1855.
• The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention
published two catechisms: the first by J. P. Boyce, A Brief
Catechism of Bible Doctrine (1864) and the second by John A.
Broadus (1892). The latter work was jointly published by both the
Southern Baptist Convention and the American Baptist
Publication Society.