Book Review :: Welcome to a Reformed Church

A few years back, I spent quite a bit of time developing a “new member manual” for the church I served. My purpose was simple: Give inquirers an understanding of the basic doctrines and practices of the church. In the manual, I covered a number of pertinent topics, from history to theology, to the Christian life. And, throughout the manual, I offered a running refrain: “How Presbyterian do you need to be to join this Presbyterian Church?” The answer was this, “You don’t have to be Presbyterian at all!  The only requirements are your confession (a profession of faith in Jesus) and a commitment (your pledge to live in peace with the brethren, under the authority of our church’s Presbyterian government).

There was a reason why I invested so much time in this document. Many folks today are confused about the basic tenets of the Christian faith. We live in a day when individualism is more important than community. And where seeking one’s own success is the primary goal, while the success of the Gospel is only given lip service. In addition, many approach church as if it were a trip to Burger King – “Have it your way!” If you don’t like what’s being served at one church, you can pull up stakes and head down the street to the next one…until something better comes along.

I have to confess, I know the trends within the church universal because I have lived them. In my early days after salvation, I wandered from denomination to denomination, stopping for a time to visit a few “non-denominational” churches (which were indeed simply denominations unto themselves). Along the way, God slowly revealed to me the Doctrines of Grace, the covenantal structure of Scripture, and the success of the Gospel. This was quite a journey. And looking back, I have often considered the benefit a succinct book would offer to a Christian traveler on his spiritual expedition. It was in this spirit that I penned our membership manual.

So, it was with great excitement that I read through Daniel Hyde’s new book, Welcome to a Reformed Church: A Guide for Pilgrims. Reverend Hyde, pastor of Oceanside United Reformed Church in Carlsbad, California, is a man whose journey bears a striking resemblance to my own. Converted to Christianity in his late teens, Hyde spent many years in more evangelical circles before coming to embrace the Reformed faith. And, along the way, his growing desire to teach the truths of this faith became a passion.

Hyde’s engaging book, published by Reformation Trust Publishing, is laid out in a straightforward and systematic fashion. He leads the reader on a journey from the beginnings of Reformed thought to an exposition on a number of doctrinal distinctives that separate Reformed churches from other churches in the phone book. In just over 150 pages of very readable text, Hyde successfully differentiates the Reformed tradition from other prevailing theological perspectives.

I appreciated Hyde’s summary of the historicity of the church. In my own journey, Christian history was an often ignored and forgotten topic. For many, the roots of the church do not go far beyond Scofield and his 1909 reference Bible. Recognizing this, Hyde spends two chapters focusing on the history of the church—a history highlighted by our great creeds, confessions and catechisms, followed by a chapter on the canonicity of Scripture. Hyde points out how the creeds and confessions were developed because of the heretical struggles of the past. The confessions and creeds, while not inspired, are wonderfully rich declarations of doctrinal truth which are based on the infallible Word of God. The evangelical church of Christ would do well to reconsider the beauty and value of these documents.

Early on, as a young Christian striving to understand God’s Word, I found the hermeneutical approach of dispensationalism to be confusing and disjointed. But, I was not aware of the alternative covenantal view. Hyde does a commendable job laying out the Biblical basis for the Covenant of Works between God and Adam, and the Covenant of Life between God and His elect, which ties the Bible together from Genesis to Revelation. This concise chapter will be a great asset to the student of Scripture.

For the next five chapters, Hyde presents a condensed systematic theology, covering a number of critical topics that confuse Christians in our day: justification, sanctification, the essence of the church, biblical worship, and ending with preaching and the sacraments. All of these topics are potential battlegrounds for armchair theologians. Many believe and pontificate what they have been taught, rather than looking to the Scriptures to see if these things are so. Overall, Hyde accomplishes his goal of presenting a biblical defense of orthodoxy in each of these areas.

Of course, a concise manuscript like Welcome to a Reformed Church will likely miss some concepts, hence there were a few crucial areas that Hyde either overlooks or intentionally ignores. One of these is the concept of covenant succession. In Reformed churches, family worship is viewed as a priority and covenant children a blessing. Our charge from the Lord is to raise the children He gives us in His training and admonition, such that they become godly seed rather than covenant breakers. The catechisms of the church were written to this end – to teach children to walk in the truth of the Lord. A chapter on the biblical basis of family would have been very helpful.

Also, while Hyde obviously has a high view of the power of God’s Law, it seems he focuses more on its power to convict the unbeliever and humble the converted. What Hyde seems to overlook is the power of the Law to help us know how to worship our God and love our neighbor. The Law is not just a rod of iron or a taskmaster, it is to be a delight and a guide (Psalm 1:2)!

Lastly, Hyde could have done more to present the eschatological differences between most Reformed churches and their evangelical counterparts. While many Christians today perceive an imminent return of the Lord Jesus, Reformed pulpits often give hope that the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth like the waters cover the sea. We are to be mindful of missions, evangelism, and our individual Christian walk, recognizing that the Lord is using us in the expanse of His Kingdom. Thus, Reformed churches will often promote an active hope in the work of Jesus in this world; not just in the world to come.

Some may see this as a petty concern, but I was also not impressed with the overall cover design. The artist is the talented Chris Tobais, whose work wraps many solid Reformed works these days. I like Chris’ style. I have actually contracted Chris’ help on a couple of our projects. First, I like the way the welcome mat conveys an invitation—very creative. But why do we see two pairs of polished business shoes on the mat? It made my wife think of door-to-door Mormons. But, to me, it communicated a subconscious message that those interested in the Reformed faith are only those with a formal education and worldly success. It is possible that the cover may keep those from other walks of life from picking up the book.

Yet, even with its shortcomings, I believe Reverend Daniel Hyde’s work, Welcome to the Reformed Church, will be helpful in explaining the basics of the Reformed faith to the inquirer. Hyde has a fine pen; and his frequent use of Scripture, and the Reformed creeds, confessions, and catechisms help to build a solid foundation for the practices of our churches. I recommend that church leaders invest in a case or two of this work to give to visitors. It may be a great segue into deeper and more meaningful discussions.

My grade for Welcome to a Reformed Church: B

Welcome to a Reformed Church: A Guide for Pilgrims
Daniel R. Hyde
Reformation Trust Books

And to make it legal, the opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the other elders or members of Providence Church.