Die plek en funksie van belydenisskrifte in die kategese van die Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk

Abstract

The purpose and function of the articles of faith in the catechism of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk Since the publication of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk van Afrika's most recent catechism text books (1982-1989), there has been concern that the articles of faith of the church, and particularly the Heidelberg Catechism, have not been taught sufficiently. In this study it is shown that the Heidelberg Catechism was only for a short period of time the exclusive text book used in teaching the dogma of the church to catechism pupils. Since 1985 it has become a general tendency in almost all reformed churches not to use one of the articles of faith or an abbreviated form thereof as basis in catechism anymore, but rather to use the Bible itself. This study attempts to point out that the Council for Catechism of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk has chosen correctly on sound theological, pedagogical, and didactic historical grounds to teach the Biblical content within the accompanying framework of the faith and not according to one or other article of faith of the church. Many factors, as indicated in this study, require that the witness of the church again be conveyed, based on the existing articles of faith, and that this then should serve as the accompanying framework for the catechism.