Resource by Matt Crocker
Our very own Matt Crocker wrote a book… and a good one at that! So we sat down with him to find out what it’s all about. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the book, you can find it here. Be sure to leave a review.
Interview
So obviously you wrote this book so solve a problem. What problem does this book address?
Well, in an increasingly secular society, foundational Christian concepts, beliefs, and doctrines are not widely known or understood. Sometimes, even by those in the church. Basic concepts such as original sin, the person and work of Jesus, salvation, the ten commandments, the sacraments, and so on have become foreign ideas and we can’t assume them as common knowledge in the church.
How does your book begin to solve this problem?
As people join a local church, one of the things they need is a comprehensive yet accessible means for being instructed in the Christian faith. Clearly, this happens every week with Sunday sermons, classes, and other ministries. Foundations simply attempts to aid in this by offering a way of developing deep theological ideas through a 100-day catechetical devotional.
Who is this book for then; everyone, or just new Christians, or those maturing in their faith?
In my view this book is written for anyone who wants to increase their knowledge of the fundamentals in an easy readable format. It is the perfect post-evangelism or post-baptism tool. It could also be utilized as a church curriculum or simply as a gift for a young person you would like to see strengthen their relationship with the Lord. All-in-all Foundations is the perfect resource for anyone looking to go deeper in their faith, but does not have the time to pour through some of the larger volumes that introduce basic theology.
How did you even get the idea for this book?
When COVID-19 first hit the world, our lives were completely upended and many of us had to stay at home. As a result of this our Youth Foundations catechism classes had to be cancelled. So I started writing daily reflections to post on Instagram that the students at our youth group could read. Over time these reflections evolved and grew into a devotional format which is now this book.
So is it a devotional or a catechism? What exactly is this book?
Foundations is a devotional tool that uses an updated version of the Westminster Shorter Catechism. The Westminster Shorter was written by a group of English Reformed Puritans to help teach people the essentials of the Christian faith during the 18th century. This catechism became so well-known and such an enduring resource that it is still used in many
major denominations today. In terms of updates all I have done is change some of the language to accommodate more modern English. Each day includes a question-and-answer from the catechism, a scripture verse, a brief reflection, a few questions for further thought, and a prayer. It is designed to intentionally provide a systematic overview of basic Christian Doctrines.
Why did you write this book?
It is my belief that the Western church, more than anything, needs to increase its biblical and theological literacy. We desperately need a renewed commitment to the reading of God’s word and a knowledge of what it teaches. The lack of this is already having a dramatic effect on the church today. This is fairly evident as it is leading people to think things that are unquestionably unbiblical and disconnected from the history of the church. This book is my attempt to help solve this issue and contribute to raising biblical and theological literacy.
Just one more question: how can we help support you with this project?
Well first of all thank you to everyone at Christ City for being such an encouraging church and loving me well as I worked on this. It would help me out a lot if you purchased a copy, left a review on Amazon, and shared it with people you think it would be useful to. As a first-time author even getting just a bit of exposure can be hard so any help is greatly appreciated in this.
Praise for Foundations
“If our ‘need today is neither for a therapeutic church nor for a political church but for a confessing church, one that will boldly confess the claims of Christ in the face of the heresies and heterodoxies of our age’ (Donald Bloesch), then we also need a new Reformation in which we recommit to catechesis in pursuit of deep and broad biblical and theological literacy. Matt Crocker offers us in this book a highly readable resource for ordinary Christian folk in pursuit of this goal.”
—Iain Provan, Marshall Sheppard Professor of Biblical Studies, Regent College
“Matt Crocker has written a book about something I worry about almost every day—how this generation is being formed in an age where their immersion in social media is deep and the distractions that lead to disintegration are unprecedented. I can’t imagine something better for formation than a series of daily devotionals that expound on the great confessions of the Christian faith and invite us into an encounter with Scripture and with the living God in prayer. When people take and use this book faithfully, they will have been exposed to the whole counsel of God in a way that will form not only their Christian minds, but their hearts
and lives also. Matt has written this in an engaging, accessible, and culturally conscious yet countercultural way, and I heartily endorse it.”
—Ross Hastings, Sangwoo Youtong Chee Professor of Theology, Regent College