Luther's Small Catechism - An Exposition of the Christian Faith in Asian Contexts and Cultures

If there is one enduring contribution of Luther, it undoubtedly is his catechisms. In order to educate the large number of clergy and laity about the basic elements of the Christian faith, Luther produced the Catechisms as guidebook for Christian living. This volume is a contextual reading of Luther's Small Catechism with Asian eyes, in which an ardent attempt is made to enlarge the meanings and significances of Catechism by taking account of Asian realities, especially the context of religious pluralism (which Luther was vaguely aware of) as well as a wide range of societal issues like poverty, patriarchy, inequality, ecological crisis, and other pressing issues facing Asian Churches. Surely, this volume will serve as a relevant instructional material for Asian Christians on the basic articles of Christian faith.

J. Paul Rajashekar is Luther D. Reed Professor of Systematic Theology at United Lutheran Seminary, Philadelphia, U.S.A. He is also the chair of the Asian Lutheran International Conference.

On the occasion of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation in 2017, the Asian Lutheran International Conference (ALIC) decided to initiate a project to produce a book as a tribute to the enormous contribution of Martin Luther to the church universal. It took more than a year to conceive a writing project that would serve as a resource to Asian churches and Asian ministries in the ELCA. That vision finally materialized in the form of this book through collective efforts. I am therefore pleased to present this volume to a wider audience, not only as a tribute to Martin Luther and also as a recognition of the faithful ministries of Asian churches and Asian congregations around the world.

If there is one enduring contribution of Luther, it undoubtedly is his catechisms. Luther was not the first to produce such instructional materials in the history of the church. As a matter fact, the question and answer method Luther used in presenting the essentials of the Christian faith preceded him by several centuries. However, in Luther's day, large number of clergy and lairy had no real understanding of the basic elements of the Christian faith. Luther therefore sought to address this situation by producing his Catechisms. They were intended to be handbooks or guidebooks for Christian journey in the world.