Children’s Catechism is written by Zinaida Lurie, a specialist in the educational culture of the Reformation era and a practitioner in Christian pedagogics.
The idea of the book emerged spontaneously on the way to work, yet as a complete vision, given from above. It took to years to write the text and more to get the book done. The author was consistently asking herself: what kind of Catechism would capture the attention of Lewis Carroll’s Alice? Which one would Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn listen to? What kind of book does a modern child need — one raised on comics and gadgets, but still a child?
It was children who helped to find answers: the author’s daughter Jeanne, Sunday school pupils and participants of Christian camps. All ideas were tested and proved, enriched with new jokes and explanations.
Family traditions played a significant role in creation of the book. The author’s grandfather, Feodor Nelyubin, was a professional artist and satirist. They used to play together creating humorous books and wall newspapers. In working on Enchiridion this experience has come back to life!
Professional knowledge gained while working on a PhD dissertation about the history of theater in the Reformation era (2017), as well as experience supervising student research at the Lutheran Seminary also proved invaluable. The Reformation education culture was the model the author wanted to adopt and actualize.