Customer Reviews

The Good Confession: An Exploration of the Christian Faith

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It doesn't matter whether you've been in the Reformed church your entire life or whether you are brand-new to the Reformed faith. You need to get this book. This book will help you to understand why you believe what you believe. Rev. Hyde looks at such topics as "The Attributes of God," "The Trinity," "Election," "The Church," "Worship," and many more. This is an excellent resource for membership classes, profession of faith classes, or small group Bible studies. Many years ago, John Stott bemoaned what he called "Mindless Christianity." Rev. Hyde has done the Reformed churches an invaluable service by providing this book to combat that very thing.

Pastor Hyde has provided us with an excellent summary of "the faith once delivered." This book is especially useful for church membership/inquirers classes or for those seeking to understand "the basics" of the faith. It is a well-proportioned exposition of the reformed faith with helpful study questions and recommendations for further reading.

Many churches today fail to prepare people for membership. This failure results in new members who are ignorant of basic biblical doctrines. Rev. Hyde's book encourages Reformed churches to prepare people adequately for membership. His book helps to guide new members through the Belgic Confession hitting the high points of each article. It is carefully done and encourages thoughtful interaction with the Belgic and the Scriptures. I recommend this book to all Reformed churches.

The Good Confession by Danny R. Hyde

It is sad and perplexing how doctrinal books do not get any light of day. This is not another Joel Osteen critical slander, but I am just giving a comparison based on the number of Amazon reviews. Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential came out on August 2007 and currently has 471 reviews. And The Good Confession a book many probably have yet to hear about has only 1 review. It is like paying for and eating rubbish from the trash as opposed to eating a hearty and healthy meal that also comes with dessert. This might be a little harsh (and maybe your thinking skewed since I did not factor in book marketing and exposure in America), but I believe it's necessary to say the Christian Christ-less books that sell most today are rubbish. As a professor once said, "We live in the new dark ages." And the so called Christian books that sell seem to reflect these dark ages about what we already know by nature, the law, in the light of no Gospel.

The Good Confession, written by Danny Hyde, pastor of the Oceanside United Reformed Church, brings the light after the darkness: the book teaches the reader the rich and time-tested truths of the classical Christian faith through the ecumenical creeds and Reformed confessions. He starts by explaining the importance and use of the ecumenical creeds and Reformed confessions and then covers their essential Christian doctrines.

Here are the chapter contents:

A "Confessional" Church
The Attributes of God
Knowing God in His Word
The Holy Trinity
Creation and Providence
The Creation and Fall of Humanity
Election
The Covenant of Grace
Jesus Christ
The Death of Christ
Justification
Sanctification
Preservation/Perseverance
The Church: Part 1
The Church: Part 2
The Sacraments
The Return of Christ and Heaven
Understanding and Enjoying Worship

The thing about this book is it is written with brevity, care, and thoughtfulness. Rev. Hyde had written it through years of teaching membership classes; hence, it is dedicated to the Oceanside United Reformed Church. In addition to the clear and thoughtful writing of this book it can be used not only for membership classes, but also adult Sunday school, Bible study, and for personal study. So it acts also as a workbook that interacts with the reader. There are questions throughout the chapters (not just at the very end), which are very helpful for teaching purposes. Here are some of the questions from the third chapter entitled, Knowing God In His Word: What is the purpose of God giving us the Bible? What do we learn of God in special revelation? Can we add to the "canon" of the Old and New Testaments? Is the canon of Scripture, therefore, "open" or "closed?" Do newly inspired words of God from prophets and apostles exist today? Why or why not? What do we mean when we say that the Scriptures are "sufficient?" What implications arise from saying scripture is sufficient for worshipping God?

Make me to know your way, O LORD; teach me your paths.
Lead me in your truth and teach me. (Ps. 25:2-5)

"After the darkness, light."