Instruments of Change: The Christian Brothers’ Catechetical Texts, 1943–1969

The Christian Brothers’ high school religion textbook series, Living with Christ, published in two editions between 1943 and 1969, reflects the changing landscape of Catholic catechesis in the mid-twentieth century. The catechetical movement influenced the revised edition, beginning with the kerygmatic approach to catechesis and culminating in the incorporation of “ongoing revelation,” a revolutionary approach that emphasized how Catholics might know God by examining their personal experiences rather than relying on the teachings of the pope and bishops—the magisterium—as the primary authority on theological matters. The theological transformation highlighted in these textbooks reveals the wider trends adopted by U.S. Catholics whose subjective experiences significantly informed their approach to God and Church teaching.