We live in an era marked by religious divergence. According to a recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center, the U.S. alone is home to over six significant religions and eight Christian denominations. Facing an increasingly secularized culture, many religious groups have turned to new forms of worship and marketing to appeal to the next generation. From the use of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram to modern concert-style worship sets—Christians today are doing everything they can to attract young people to the church. Yet amidst this movement, a rising tide of young individuals is defying convention by rediscovering the historical roots of Christianity. New interest in traditional Christian practices like liturgy and Catechesis (spiritual instruction received before baptism) has followed, priming the intellectual landscape for scholars specializing in how early Christians developed these practices—scholars like Alex Fogleman.
Fogleman is an Assistant Research Professor for the Institute for Studies of Religion at Baylor University. Holding a Ph.D. in Patristics and Theology from Baylor, Fogleman has extensively researched spiritual instruction in the Patristic age. His new book, Knowledge, Faith, and Early Christian Initiation, examines the role and development of catechetical instruction throughout the early church, offering unique insight into the ancient question—how can humanity know God?
The book explores Catechesis as a potential answer to this question, focusing on writers from the close of the second century to the mid-fifth century, particularly in Italy and North Africa. “[The] hope,” Fogleman writes, is for readers to understand that “what it means to know God is inseparable from the ways in which such knowledge is experienced,” i.e., “medium and message are tightly linked.” Diving into the writings of several key figures, including Irenaeus, Tertullian, and Augustine, Fogleman approaches the study from a theological and historical perspective—distinguishing his work by highlighting the specific role that educational institutions and practices played in communicating knowledge of God. Fogleman accomplishes just that, beautifully delineating the gradual change of Catechesis as not merely a change in beliefs surrounding if and how individuals should be trained before baptism, but rather that it reveals far more nuanced questions of how Christians are to gain knowledge of God and what role divine grace plays in the understanding of faith. Should the individual go through years of instruction before being baptized? or “hurry to the font”? For Fogleman, these questions are not strictly about baptism at all. Instead, he argues that the church fathers are asking how to teach others best to know God—is it through intellectual lessons and practices? or does God bestow understanding through baptism? The answer, for Fogleman, is both and more.
Fogleman adds his voice to the chorus of church fathers in discerning the relationship between mythos and logos—asserting the vital role of Catechesis in this age-old conversation.
The study’s primary limitation (though one readily acknowledged by Fogleman) is its narrow selection of catechetical writings. What Fogleman lacks in breadth, however, is more than compensated by the depth and complexity of his analysis of the writers and writings he interacts with. This allows him to explore the historical, philosophical, and theological convictions of each figure, expertly weaving together the book’s comprehensive view of both the practical components of Catechesis and the underlying posture towards questions surrounding knowledge, Christian learning, the role of mystery in faith, and even the Incarnation. Fogleman both tracks pre-baptismal instruction and explores its impact on the mind and soul. In doing so, he suggests that Chatachesis is not merely training for baptism—but for beatitude, the state of complete blessedness. In short, through his analysis of early Christian Chatachesis, Fogleman adds his voice to the chorus of church fathers in discerning the relationship between mythos and logos—asserting the vital role of Catechesis in this age-old conversation. As such, Knowledge, Faith, and Early Christian Initiation has established itself as a resource for scholars and laypeople alike, proving a valuable resource for anyone seeking to engage with Catechesis and, in doing so, “encounter the fullness of God in a way that initiates the ascent to eternal beatitude.”
