Course: By heart

By Heart is a course built around three kinds of source material that the creators see as essential to a meaningful experience of Luther’s Small Catechism.

• Scripture and Tradition. For example, the Ten Commandments as cited in Exodus 20 or the Apostle’s Creed as we have it from Christian traditions.
• Luther’s explanations of the scripture or doctrine from Christian traditions.
• The "backstory" of Luther’s own life and times, the fertile soil of the Reformation itself.

There is also a "For You" Focus where the contributions to By Heart address the reader in the second person. This is to keep faith with both the everyday, ground-level language that Luther uses in the explanations and to embody the declarative nature of the gospel which he strove to encode in that language. By adhering to the "for-you-ness" of the gospel in the design of this course we hope to do some justice to Luther’s intentions in the Small Catechism.

About -  the book
This comprehensive resource for the study of Martin Luther's Small Catechism examines the Small Catechism as a historical, confessional document rich with history and applicable to life today. Augsburg Fortress is pleased to offer By Heart: Conversations with Martin Luther's Small Catechism to meet the needs of those looking to explore scripture, tradition, and Luther's explanations, set among the backstory of Luther's life.
The authors of each chapter bridge the historical context of the Small Catechism with life today by addressing the reader in the second person. It is in keeping with the everyday language that Luther used in the explanations and embodies the declarative nature of the gospel that he strove to encode in that language.
The book follows the order of Martin Luther's Small Catechism and is enriched with images (contemporary and historical) and marginal notes that connect the text to history and also to life today. This book is both visually pleasing and informative, written in an approachable manner that will provide enrichment to personal study and inspire conversations in small groups. It provides an initial point from which to jump into the rich history of the person of Martin Luther, beginning with one of his most appreciated works.

The starter pack includes:

• a copy of the book By Heart: Conversations with Martin Luther’s Small Catechism,
• a Facilitator Guide, 
• the Course DVD

To order and view a sample visit here