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New City Catechism

52 questions on the core of the faith
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Price
Free No ads
Questions
52 One per week
Audience
Kids + adults Two answer levels
Source
Keller & TGC Reformation roots

A modern catechism of 52 questions and answers on the essentials of Christian belief, with Scripture, prayers, and commentary.

Our verdict

New City Catechism, developed by Timothy Keller and The Gospel Coalition, adapts the great Reformation catechisms into 52 memorable questions and answers on the core doctrines of the Christian faith. Its logic is simple and time-tested: you cannot defend what you have not first internalized, and the app is built to help you actually learn and retain sound doctrine. Each of the 52 questions pairs a question and answer with a supporting Scripture, a short prayer, a commentary video or written meditation, and, for children, a kid-friendly song, so the same content works for a five-year-old and a fifty-year-old alike.

The execution is excellent. The app is genuinely beautiful, calm, and uncluttered, with both a shorter children's answer and a fuller adult answer, plus an interactive two-person mode that makes it easy to catechize a child or a friend. It is free, doctrinally careful, and warmly ecumenical within historic Protestant orthodoxy. The honest caveat is one of category: this is catechesis and discipleship, not apologetics in the debate-and-defense sense. You will emerge grounded in what Christians believe and why, but you will not find rebuttals to atheism, arguments for the resurrection, or engagement with skeptics here.

Understood on its own terms, it is close to ideal. As the foundation beneath your apologetics, a firm grasp of the doctrines you are defending, it is hard to imagine a more thoughtful, more accessible, or better-designed free tool. Families, new believers, and anyone wanting to shore up their doctrinal footing should install it happily, then reach for a dedicated apologetics resource when the goal shifts from knowing the faith to defending it.

“A beautifully made, free catechism that grounds you in the doctrine your apologetics is built on.”

How we scored it

Design & UX9.4
Trustworthiness9.3
Accessibility for beginners9
Value10
Depth of content8
Breadth of topics6
Media formats7.8

Standout features

📋

52 questions

Core doctrines distilled into a memorable, year-long question set.

📖

Adult & child answers

A fuller adult answer and a simpler children's version for every question.

🎬

Commentary videos

Short teaching videos and written meditations unpack each answer.

🎵

Kids' songs

Kid-friendly songs help children memorize the catechism with joy.

👥

Interactive mode

A two-person mode makes it easy to catechize a child or friend together.

📖

Scripture & prayer

Each question pairs with a supporting verse and a short prayer.

Pros & cons

✓ Pros

  • Beautiful, calm, and genuinely well-designed interface
  • 52 carefully written questions drawn from the great Reformation catechisms
  • Separate children's and adult answers, plus songs and an interactive mode
  • Doctrinally trustworthy, developed by Keller and The Gospel Coalition
  • Completely free with no ads

– Cons

  • Catechesis and discipleship rather than apologetics or defense
  • Fixed at 52 questions, so topic breadth is intentionally narrow
  • No engagement with skeptics, objections, or evidential arguments

Best for

Families, new believers, and anyone wanting a beautiful, trustworthy tool to memorize and internalize core Christian doctrine.

Look elsewhere if

You want to answer skeptics, engage objections, or study arguments for God and the resurrection.

Pricing

Free
Free with no ads. Developed by The Gospel Coalition and Timothy Keller and published with Crossway, the app and all 52 questions, videos, and songs are offered at no cost.

How it compares

 New City Catechism GotQuestionsReasonable FaithStand to Reason
Our score 8.0 8.68.88.4
Price Free FreeFreeFree
Primary purpose Catechesis Reference answersScholarly defenseConversation skills
Best format Q&A + songs Written answersDebate & coursesPodcast & training
Design & UX Excellent BasicFunctionalVery good

FAQ

Who created the New City Catechism?

It was developed by Timothy Keller and The Gospel Coalition, adapting historic Reformation catechisms.

How many questions are there?

There are 52, one for each week of the year, covering the core doctrines of the faith.

Is it really apologetics?

It is catechesis, teaching what Christians believe, which is the foundation for apologetics rather than defense against skeptics.

Is it suitable for children?

Yes. Each question has a simpler child's answer and kid-friendly songs, alongside a fuller adult answer.

Does it cost anything?

No. The app and all of its content are completely free with no ads.

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