Shorter Catechism

American  

noun

1. one of the two catechisms established by the Westminster Assembly in 1647, used chiefly in Presbyterian churches.

---

Shorter Catechism British  

noun

1. Presbyterian Church the more widely used and influential of two catechisms of religious instruction drawn up in 1647

---

Example Sentences

And wherever Scottish Presbyterians went in the U.S., predestination, 90-minute sermons, and the "Shorter Catechism" went with them.

From Time Magazine Archive

Without batting an eye I quoted from the Shorter Catechism in my best Sunday school voice: “‘God is a Spirit, Infinite, Eternal and Unchangeable.’”

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns

She pored over the Shorter Catechism, and acquainted herself with her Bible.

From Leading Articles on Various Subjects by Davidson, John

Even the Shorter Catechism, not the merriest epitome of religion, and a work exactly as pious although not quite so true as the multiplication table—even that dry-as-dust epitome begins with a heroic note.

From The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition Vol. 24 (of 25) by Stevenson, Robert Louis

They must be terrible fellows to preach to, these men, fed on the Shorter Catechism, the Proverbs of Solomon, and the rest of the Old and New Testaments. 

From The Cruise of the Elena or Yachting in the Hebrides by Ritchie, J. Ewing (James Ewing)