Tag: Daniel R. Hyde

This Is the Word of the Lord: Becoming Confident in the Scriptures by Daniel R. Hyde: A Sound and Basic Defense of Scripture

DETAILS:
Publisher: Christian Focus Publications
Publication Date: January 17, 2023
Format: Paperback
Length: 121 pg.
Read Date: February 26, 2023

As yearly surveys and our own experience shows, we are living in a time of famine of the true Word of God. The ancient prophet Amos spoke of such a coming famine in his day: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord God, when I will send a famine on the land—not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord’ (Amos 8:11). How true is this still? We are living in that day. This is why when we find the Word, we need to mine it for its riches, cultivate it for its food, and drink from it like a well in the desert. Sadly, Amos says in those days that ‘they shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the Lord, but they shall not find it’ (Amos 8:12). This describes our time. The apostate church blindly wanders from the sentimentality of Protestant Liberalism to the so-called authoritative and immovable word of Rome or Orthodoxy, to the relativistic Emerging Church, to the skeptical Bart Ehrman, to the happy Joel Osteen, and the list goes on. There is a lot of searching but no finding. Yet in the Word written, our searching turns to resting as the silence of our hearts is filled with His living voice.

What’s This Is the Word of the Lord About?

Very simply, the book is Hyde’s response to that quotation—that’s the book’s thesis—everything else is the details. The primary concern of the work is to build and establish the reader’s confidence in the Scriptures—and that from that confidence the reader would build their life, faith, and sanctification on those Scriptures.

He covers topics like the revelation, inspiration, authority, canonicity, sufficiency, and perspicuity of Scripture—largely the typical points focused on in books about the Doctrine of Scripture. His last chapter, “Experiencing the Word,” tackles something I haven’t often seen in this kind of book, however. He calls his reader to “consider how the presence and power of the Spirit works causing us to experience the Word.” This is done particularly “to effect my recognition of in my life,” “to effect my reception of the Savior,” and “to effect my realization of sanctification.” Knowing everything in the previous nine chapters is all well and good—but if it remains an intellectual exercise, it’s pointless—the element of the Scriptures impacting your life—causing you to see your sin, need of a Savior, and resulting in sanctification (roughly the outline of the Heidelberg Catechism, to the surprise of no one), is essential.

So, what did I think about This Is the Word of the Lord?

As much as I appreciated the tone and urgency Hyde displays through the book, his obvious earnestness, the much-needed emphasis in the last chapter, and the overall soundness of every point he makes…I found the book to be adequate. But not much more than that.

Perhaps I’ve just read too many books written on this level for this general purpose, so it feels like so much of a retread for me.

I liked it but wanted and expected more. Hyde generally delivers that for me, but here he didn’t. Would I recommend this to anyone wanting a good foundation in the doctrine of Scripture? Absolutely. But for me, it fell a little flat.

3 Stars

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God with Us by Daniel R. Hyde: A Look at The Mystery of the Incarnation

By HCNewton

On January 30, 2022

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

God with Us:
Knowing the Mystery
of Who Jesus Is

by Daniel R. Hyde

DETAILS:
Publisher: Reformation Heritage Books
Publication Date: June 29, 2021
Format: Paperback
Length: 155 pg.
Read Date: January 16, 2022

Machen powerfully stated, “Let us not deceive ourselves; a Jewish teacher of the first century can never satisfy the longing of our souls.” No mere man, however holy, can bring us into fellowship with God.

What is amazing in Scripture is that this is the case because God not only desired to give us grace that met our crimes against Him but that His grace would “super-abound” (hupereperisseusen) beyond our sins (Rom. 5:15-21). Only an infinite Savior could bring us an infinite grace. Had Christ not possessed the two natures of divinity and humanity in His one person, we would be without salvation.

What’s God with Us About?

Hyde begins his Introduction by talking about some of the problematic teachings he was introduced to as a young Christian as an example of the wide range of problematic teachings being promulgated throughout Evangelicalism (whatever that means).

The antidote for that is a better understanding of what the Bible teaches—as developed, defined, and defended by the Early Church. In five chapters he talks about the singularity of the Incarnation, helps the reader to understand the doctrine of the hypostatic union, and also clarifies understanding of Christ’s Human Nature and His Divine Nature. Why was it necessary for Christ to be both God and Man, and the benefits for believers that He was.

Hyde closes with a chapter comparing the Christ presented in the Qur’an and the Christ of the Bible as a means of applying the rest of the work.

So, what did I think about God with Us?

This is the Second Edition of this book, and Hyde refers to improvements he made, but without spending time reading both, I really couldn’t tell you what was changed. He does quote some hymns from The Trinity Psalter Hymnal, that wasn’t published when the first edition was, so I guess that would be a change (he may have cited some of those same hymns before, just from a different hymnal)—oddly, though, he didn’t update his Bavinck quotations from Our Reasonable Faith to The Wonderful Works of God.

Throughout Hyde’s footnotes refer to dense, heavy theological tomes, but he distills the points to easy-to-digest wording.

Not only does he provide good explanations of the teachings of the Early Church as they worked through these doctrines, but he also ties it into the Reformation churches to demonstrate their continuity with the Early Church. Hyde made particular use of the Belgic Confession, of the Three Forms of Unity, it’s the one I see cited the least, so that was nice to see.

The book as a whole was great—Hyde does yeoman’s service in laying out these doctrines in a clear and helpful manner. For me—this time through, at least—the most meaningful chapter was Chapter 6, “The Importance of this Mysterious Doctrine.” Faith, sanctification, worship, personal comfort, evangelism, and more are tied to and grounded by our understanding of the Incarnation, of God truly being one of us. Outside of reading the whole book, it’s a chapter to return to.

Do I recommend this book? Absolutely, for those new to the Christian faith and those who are not—a better understanding, or a refreshed understanding, of these vital truths is always called for and Hyde is a great guide through them.

4 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

My Favorite Theology/Christian Living Books of 2020

By HCNewton

On January 5, 2020

In News/Misc., Theology/Christian Living

I read a lot of good, inspirational, thoughtful and devotional work this year, but these were the ones that stuck out in my mind. I’d encourage the careful reading of all of them.

(in alphabetical order by author)

None Greater: The Undomesticated Attributes of God

by Matthew Barrett

I haven’t had a chance to write about this book yet, but it’s great. Barrett provides a wonderful tool to introduce believers of all ages/background to the main attributes of God to shape belief and practice. It’s a corrective, but not scoldy. It’s deep, but not hard to understand. It appreciates mystery and doesn’t try to overexplain anything but it also grapples with what we’re given to understand. I’ll say more in a week or two, but for now, just know it’s one of the best things I read last year.

4 Stars

Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 1: Theology Proper

by Geerhardus Vos, Richard B. Gaffin, Jr. (Translator and Editor)

My original post
Yeah, it’s only a picture of one of the volumes (but they all pretty much look alike). This set concisely, yet comprehensively, discusses the major theological loci in a way that’s scholarly and yet warm and practical.

5 Stars

Saving the Reformation: The Pastoral Theology of the Canons of Dort

by W. Robert Godfrey

My original post
This look at the Synod of Dort, as well as the Canons produced by it, is well-researched, careful, encouraging and pastoral—this is not dry and dusty history, nor dry and dusty doctrine. This book, like the Synod it focuses on, seeks to defend, protect and further the cause of the Protestant Reformation, the Gospel itself. As such, it succeeds and you’d do well to study it.

5 Stars

Grace Worth Fighting For: Recapturing the Vision of God’s Grace in the Canons of Dort

by Daniel R. Hyde

My original post
Is a fantastic companion to the previous book. Hyde focuses on the Canons themselves and what they’re getting at, showing how Church History developed those ideas to this point and how the Reformed church built on them. I didn’t expect anything to beat the Godfrey volume in this year where we got multiple books (thanks to the Canons’s anniversary), but this one did. it’s warm, pastoral and approachable. Anyone over 13 should have no problem with it. Sure, some of the topics will leave some scratching their heads and pondering for a while, but that’s because these are weighty, thought-provoking topics, not because of Hyde’s text. I may have read a better theological book this year, but I can’t think of it off the top of my head. This is simply excellent—rich theology, rich application, solid history, smartly writing, occasionally stirring.

5 Stars

Beyond Authority and Submission: Women and Men in Marriage, Church, and Society

by Rachel Green Miller

My original post
This book made me re-examine a lot—and will probably continue to do so as I mull on what she has to say (and I’ll probably find a lot to disagree with ultimately, and a lot to agree with—as it ought to be). How much of what I think about how women and men should interact with each other (in the home, Church and society) comes from Scripture and how much from the culture? How much of what I think it means to be a man or what it means to be a woman has more to do with Ancient Greek culture or the Victorians? (more than it should). The core of the message should be heard and weighed, and hopefully, after the hubbub around its publication has died down a bit, we can start to deal with it.

4 Stars

Theological Retrieval for Evangelicals: Why We Need Our Past to Have a Future

by Gavin Ortlund

My original post
A fantastic mix of theory and practice—showing why and how Evangelicals should mine the treasures of the past to shape the theology of today and tomorrow.

4 Stars

The Imputation of the Active Obedience of Christ in the Westminster Standards

by Alan D. Strange

I was sure I’d written a post about this book, and was embarrassed to discover that I hadn’t—I somehow let this not be included in the November Retrospective, too. This is why I don’t get paid for this blog, folks.

Anyway, Strange packs a lot into this 176 page tome. It is dense. But somehow, it’s also an easy read. He explores the historical debate—particularly around the Westminster Assembly—around this doctrine and explains why the Standards express things the way they do. Then he applies it to contemporary debate in a straightforward manner. Pound for pound, possibly the most helpful book I’ve read this year.

4 Stars

Grace and Glory: Sermons Preached in the Chapel of Princeton Theological Seminary

by Geerhardus Vos

My original post
This is exactly what a collection of sermons ought to be—the language is clear, precise and almost lyrical. You can almost hear them as you read them. Solid theology, warm application and gospel-centered. My only problem with this collection is that it was so short.

5 Stars

Books that almost made the list (links to my original posts for those I wrote about): The Future of Everything: Essential Truths about the End Times by Willaim Boekestein, The Whole Armor of God: How Christ’s Victory Strengthens Us for Spiritual Warfare by Iain M. Duguid, Rediscovering the Holy Spirit: God’s Perfecting Presence in Creation, Redemption, and Everyday Life by Michael S. Horton, The Prayers of Jesus by Mark Jones, and Baptism: Answers to Common Questions by Guy M. Richard.

Grace Worth Fighting For by Daniel R. Hyde: An Accessible and Inspirational Look at a Vital Reformation Document

By HCNewton

On November 24, 2019

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Grace Worth Fighting For: Recapturing the Vision of God’s Grace in the Canons of Dort

by Daniel R. Hyde

Paperback, 378 pg.
The Davenant Press, 2019

Read: September 1-29, 2019

We need the canons in our fight to preserve and propagate a pristine doctrine of God’s grace in the salvation of sinners like you and me. Here we are plunged to the depths of depravity then raised to behold the eternal love of God. Here we are taken to the cross where we bow before the satisfaction made for us but then arise because it is so sufficient that we must promiscuously publish its news to all tribes, in every nation, on every continent. Here we experience the uncontrollable power of the Holy Spirit (John 3) efficaciously applying the infinite merit of the Son of God to the hearts of sinners like us. Here we feel the pain and struggle that comes with being Christian, loved by the Father but struggling to love, buried with Christ but constantly digging up our sins, filled with the Holy Spirit but being led astray by our own passions. Yet God the triune God is powerful to preserve us in his loving arms and to bring us to the Celestial City.

He goes on from this point for five more paragraphs but to have included it all would’ve been overkill (and possibly copyright infringement), but it’s hard to imagine a more inspiring rally-cry to a book about a 400-year-old document.

It’s always with the books that I take the most notes on that I have the hardest time writing about—I just have too much to sift through to come up with a post. That’s definitely the case here. It’s taken me about a month to come up with a post I can live with (although I’ll probably be mentally re-writing it until February).

In this 400th anniversary of the Synod of Dort which produced the subject of this book, the Canons of Dort, I’ve read three books about the Canons. I apparently saved the best for last (although I started strong, too). This combines the best parts of the other two and builds on them. We get the depth and pastoral insight of Godfrey and the approach of deYoung.

After a great chapter giving the historical background and explaining why the Canons were needed—then and now (see above)—Hyde gives a commentary on each Head of Doctrine, both the positive position and the rejection of errors (the rejections are pretty short, Hyde focuses on what is affirmed).

I don’t have the time to write, and you likely don’t have time to read, a good overview of the book as a whole, so I’m going to use Chapter 7, which covers the Fifth Head of Doctrine “The Perseverance of the Saint.” Sixty-three pages on fifteen paragraphs might seem like overkill, but it almost feels like it’s not (I don’t mean to suggest that Hyde skimped on anything, but you can’t help but feel there’s more to say about all of this). The details will vary, but this’ll give you a taste.

He starts off explaining the Remonstrant position, aka the stuff the Canons are responding to, acknowledging that parts of their position are correct, before highlighting the major problems and then showing how large segments of contemporary Evangelicalism agree with the Remonstrants. Following this Hyde looks at the development of this doctrine throughout Church History, focusing on the contributions of Augustine and Aquinas. Then he summarized the Reformed position. With the context established, Hyde goes through—paragraph by paragraph—the text of the Canons, explaining Scriptural references, focusing on and teasing out particular phrases. He not only explains the position but shows how it’s relevant to the reader’s life and interacts with contemporary critics. A particular strength of this chapter was Hyde’s focus on the Trinitarian nature of God’s preserving His people and tying that to the assurance of faith.

This is an intimidating looking book—over 400 pages if you include the appendices and bibliography—and there’s something daunting about that cover. But no one should be intimidated by it. It’s not a breezy read by any means—but it’s warm, pastoral and approachable. Anyone over 13 should have no problem with it. Sure, some of the topics will leave some scratching their heads and pondering for a while, but that’s because these are weighty, thought-provoking topics, not because of Hyde’s text.

There’s so much more that I want to say, but I’m going to call it quits here. I may have read a better theological book this year, but I can’t think of it off the top of my head. This is simply excellent—rich theology, rich application, solid history, smartly writing, occasionally stirring. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

5 Stars

In Defense of the Descent by Daniel R. Hyde

By HCNewton

On April 27, 2014

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

This is the first book of a series edited by Daniel Hyde and Mark Jones called, “Explorations in Reformed Confessional Theology.” Although I haven’t read it, I’ve heard an interview with the author of the second book in the series. Based on that interview and this book, the only thing I can say is, “Where’s the rest of the series?”

—–

In Defense Of The Descent

by Daniel R Hyde

Paperback, 88 pg.
Reformation Heritage Books, 2010
Read: April 27, 2014

Wow. Hyde crammed a lot of history and theology (and history of theology) into these 74 pages! This book could’ve easily been another 50 pages longer if he’d taken the time to fully flesh out some of these points. But the book isn’t lacking because he didn’t do that — not at all. It’s just concentrated, a double shot of espresso instead of the grande drip it could have been.

We may like to think our generation (or so) is the first to be enlightened enough to have qualms with the clause in The Apostle’s Creed, “He descended into Hell,” but that’s just not the case. It’s a centuries-old controversy, and each time the orthodox response has been, “keep the descent,” and Hyde sees no reason to change that.

Hyde examines 6^* possible interpretations of the phrase — from the ridiculous (and heretical) to the orthodox. While his critiques of the more lacking views are helpful, he’s at his strongest when he’s giving a positive presentation. When Hyde explains the Reformed and Presbyterian view of the descent clause — first as expressed by the Westminster Larger Catechism (Q. 50), and then as expressed by the Heidelberg (Q. 44). At this point Hyde interacts with a variety of Reformed theologians and catechisms to fully explain the perspective — all very helpful.

Other highlights are his careful examinations of Ephesians 4:7-10 and 1 Peter 3:18-19 (used to support some explanations of the clause) and the four benefits to retaining the clause — a very pastoral section.

It’s short, sweet, to the point. For the believer who feels strange every time they confess “He descended into hell,” Hyde helps you understand just what you’re saying, so next time that clause comes up you can boldly and confidently confess that it is just what you believe.

—–

^* 5, really. Two of them are just flip-sides of the same explanation.

—–

4 Stars