In Christian theology, literally, preaching and teaching.
Kerygma means the proclamation of the Gospel , especially by the Apostles as recorded in the New Testament . In the early church, catechesis referred to the oral instruction (geared to the general absence of literacy) given before baptism to those who had accepted the message of salvation. As the practice of infant baptism spread, a shift took place to teaching the already baptized in preparation for full adult membership, and churches developed statements of basic doctrine called catechisms .