1. A Changed Mind [Head]

2. A Changed Affections [Heart]

3. A Changed Will [Hands]

For more info, check out this page or go to Logos West on Facebook. There are $70 scholarships to help defray the registration cost as well.

“…and thereafter ought the minister openly to pronounce to such as sincerely repent and believe in Jesus Christ, to be absolved from all damnation, and to stand in the favor of God.”

Here are the over-the-top puffs:

“Danny Hyde offers encouragement for Christians that is intelligent, winsome, and pastoral. It does not cave in to atheistic demands, but sets out from the conviction that the one true God exists and has left his testimony in this world. Christians will be encouraged to profess their faith more boldly and to call others to join them in acknowledging God as the Lord of heaven and earth.”

David VanDrunen, Robert B. Strimple Associate Professor of Systematic Theology and Christian Ethics, Westminster Seminary California

“Danny Hyde captures so much of what a pastor should be: learned, thoughtful, orthodox, down-to-earth, easy to read, and with a genuine care and love for people. It is thus a great pleasure to commend this little booklet. I hope it will encourage those who read it to rest yet more secure in the love of the Heavenly Father.”

Carl R. Trueman, Professor of Historical Theology and Church History, Westminster Theological Seminary (Philadelphia)

Students will often attempt to answer the question, ‘Why do we believe in God?’ using only their own experience and reasoning. We encourage them to consider the question in the context of the Word and the Spirit. In this booklet by Daniel Hyde, we now have a clear and adequate resource to place in students’ hands. Why do we believe in God? begins and ends with the right arguments. Students will read it!

Rod Mays, National Coordinator, Reformed University Fellowship

Table of Contents

BIBLICAL STUDIES

Our View of the Old Testament—David Murray

The Father’s Love for His Son—Bartel Elshout

The Age of the Spirit and Revival—Joel R. Beeke

SYSTEMATIC AND HISTORICAL THEOLOGY

Jerome Zanchi on Union with Christ and Justification—J. V. Fesko

Calvin on Sovereignty, Providence, and Predestination—Joel R. Beeke

Puritan Studies in the Twenty-First Century: Preambles and Projections—Randall J. Pederson

Reformed, Puritan, and Baptist: A Comparison of the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith to the 1646 Westminster Confession of Faith—Paul M. Smalley

A Half Reformation: English Puritanism According to Samuel Rutherford—Michael Brown

EXPERIENTIAL THEOLOGY

The Puritan Doctrine of Preparationism—Cor Harinck

The Content and Context of Jacobus Koelman’s Remarks on Thomas Hooker’s The Soules Humiliation—Pieter Rouwendal

Jonathan Edwards and A Divine and Supernatural Light—Kevin C. Carr

An Uncommon Union: Understanding Jonathan Edwards’s Experimental Calvinism—William M. Schweitzer

PASTORAL THEOLOGY AND MISSIONS

William Ames and the church’s Worship: A Puritan’s Analysis of a Contemporary Question—Jonathon Beeke

Handling a High Mystery: The Westminster Confession on Preaching Predestination—Daniel R. Hyde

John Owen’s Principles of Nonconformity—James E. Dolezal

Consider Christ in Affliction: An Open Letter to True Believers—Joel R. Beeke

”Surely It is Worth While”: William Carey’s Personal Application of His Enquiry—Nathan A. Finn

CONTEMPORARY AND CULTURAL ISSUES

On Theological Writing—Ryan M. McGraw

William S. Plumer on Pastoral Writing—Ryan M. McGraw

The First Amendment’s Religion Clauses: The Calvinist Document that Interprets Them Both—Leah Farish

BOOK REVIEWS

Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 4—Roger Nicole

Iain M. Duguid, Daniel—Lane Keister

Cornelis P. Venema, Children at the Lord’s Table: Assessing the Case for Paedocommunion—Ryan M. McGraw

Jason Zuidema, Peter Martyr Vermigli, and the Outward Instruments of Divine Grace—Carl Schouls

Now available for pre-order and will be available as of April 15th from Reformation Heritage Books where you can also read chapter 1 as a .pdf here.

Endorsements:

“For creedal and confessional Christians, the clause in the Apostles’ Creed ‘he descended into hell’ is important, but sometimes puzzling. Even as intelligent lay folk often struggle to articulate a brief, cogent, accurate reply as to its precise meaning, they may not fully appreciate the history of discussion behind the phrase, or the origins and function of its inclusion in what is probably still, liturgically, the most widely used creed in the Reformation churches. Daniel Hyde has come to the rescue with a brief, helpful, historical, biblical, and pastoral treatment of this clause, and the crucial theological truth it is designed to propound and protect. I warmly commend it to the Christian reader.”

— Ligon Duncan, Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi and Adjunct Professor of Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary

“Every pastor knows that sinking feeling when the congregation recites the ‘descent into hell’ clause of the Creed. What do we say to them? Written for laypeople and pastors alike, this slim volume not only gives us a good answer; it offers a terrific summary of broader Christian reflection. Danny Hyde convincingly argues that, far from an idle question, our Lord’s descent into hell is a precious facet of the gospel.”

—Michael S. Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminster Seminary California (Escondido, CA)

Chapter one, “Roots: Our History” available as a .pdf here.

Endorsements:

“In the providence of God through Rev. Daniel Hyde, you have in your hands an excellent instrument to use in developing the life and ministry of new members, church leaders, and all disciples. This book illustrates the blessings of the historical legacy of the Reformed church with confessional integrity to equip believers and churches with evangelical breadth and theological depth. This is sound doctrine for sound lives. The key to the apostolic church is prominently displayed and easily accessible throughout the pages of Welcome to a Reformed Church.”

—Dr. Harry L. Reeder, III, Senior pastor, Briarwood Presbyterian Church (PCA), Birmingham, Alabama

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“As one who has made much the same journey as I did, Rev. Hyde offers a thoughtful and compelling guide to the distinctive emphases of the Reformed churches for those coming to them. He explains how those wonderful doctrines are worked out in the life and worship of Reformed and Presbyterian churches. If only I had had a book like Rev. Hyde’s Welcome to a Reformed Church, my own journey would have been a bit easier, for I would have had someone to ‘connect the dots’ for me.”

—Dr. Kim Riddlebarger, Senior pastor, Christ Reformed Church (URCNA), Anaheim, California

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“Daniel Hyde has written an invaluable road map for pilgrims new and old so they can know what Reformed churches believe and why. With this book, Christians can navigate the often-confusing landscape of different denominations and understand what makes Reformed churches unique and, more important, biblical. Pastor Hyde’s work is clear, succinct, informative, and faithful to the Scriptures. I highly recommend this work to anyone who desires to understand the theological pillars of the Reformed faith.”

—Dr. J. V. Fesko, Academic dean and associate professor of systematic theology, Westminster Seminary California, Escondido, California

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“Daniel Hyde’s popular introduction to the Reformed faith will prove a wonderful tool for busy pastors who are looking for help in welcoming new believers into membership in the local church. Welcome to a Reformed Church will also serve as a kind of road map for those who are new to the Reformed faith—to its history, confessions, doctrinal commitments, and patterns of worship and ministry. In its own way, this book is a great example of the kind of ‘hospitality’ Reformed churches are called to show to those whom the Lord is gathering into their fellowship by His Spirit and Word.”

—Dr. Cornelis Venema, President and professor of doctrinal studies, Mid-America Reformed Seminary, Dyer, Indiana

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“As a minister in a Reformed church, I am delighted to be able to commend this book by Daniel Hyde, as it provides one of the most useful studies of the basics of Reformed belief, worship, and practice that I have come across. I will be commending it not only for people wishing to know more about the basics of the Reformed faith, but also for those who sit in Reformed churches and need to know more deeply their own heritage.”

—Dr. Mark Jones, Pastor, Faith Presbyterian Church (PCA), Vancouver, British Columbia

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“Daniel Hyde has done the church (and church planters) a great service by giving us this well-written, concise, easy-to-understand book explaining what it means to be a ‘Reformed’ church. Yet, at the same time, this is a theologically deep book that will send us back to Scripture and our confessions so that we might understand just what the church really is. In a day of great doctrinal confusion, especially about the church, I know of no better tool to give to those who want to know more about Reformed churches.”

—Rev. Kevin Efflandt, Pastor, Bellingham United Reformed Church (URCNA), Bellingham, Washington

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“As a fellow import to the Reformed faith from the Pentecostal/ charismatic movement, I can say that Daniel Hyde has summarized our Reformed distinctives in a clear and concise manner, answer- ing many of the questions modern evangelicals ask. I heartily commend this book to newcomers in my church and all Reformed churches.”

—Rev. Jerrold Lewis, Pastor, Lacombe Free Reformed Church (FRCNA), Lacombe, Alberta

Below is the proposal (footnotes converted into parenthetical references), which should come to reality by May when I am scheduled to graduate, Deo volente.

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“The Liturgical Theology of John Owen”

by Daniel R. Hyde

John Owen (1616–1683) was called “the Calvin of England” [Memoirs of Ambrose Barnes, ed. W.H.D. Longstaffe (London: Surtees Society, 1867), 16] and the “Atlas and Patriarch of Independency” [Anthony Wood, History and Antiquities of the University of Oxford, ed. John Gutch, 2 vols. (Oxford, 1791), 2:650] by his contemporaries while his epitaph depicted him as “worthy to be enrolled among the first Divines of the age” (Et Seculi hujus Insignissimis annumerandus). Over the past decade the secondary literature on this preeminent and voluminous theologian of the high orthodox period has increased. In 1987 Sinclair Ferguson’s PhD thesis on Owen’s doctrine of the Christian life was published [John Owen on the Christian Life (Edinburgh, Scotland: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1987)]. Eleven years later in 1998 Carl Trueman published a significant study of Owen’s Trinitarian theology [The Claims of Truth: John Owen’s Trinitarian Theology (Carlisle, England: Paternoster Press, 1998)]. 2002 marked the publication of Sebastian Rehman’s important study of Owen’s theological method [Divine Discourse: The Theological Methodology of John Owen, Texts & Studies in Reformation & Post-Reformation Thought, gen. ed. Richard A. Muller (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002)]. In 2004 two more popular books were published, one by Richard Daniels on Owen’s Christology [The Christology of John Owen (Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books, 2004)] and another by Jon Payne on Owen’s doctrine of the Lord’s Supper [John Owen on the Lord’s Supper (Edinburgh, Scotland: The Banner of Truth Trust, 2004)]. In 2007 two substantive works came to press. Carl Trueman published another considerable study of Owen’s doctrines of God, covenant theology, and justification that located his thought within the High Orthodox period [John Owen: Reformed Catholic, Renaissance Man, Great Theologians, eds. John Webster, Trevor Hart, and Douglas B. Farrow (Hampshire, England: Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2007)]. Alan Spence’s PhD thesis was published, dealing with Owen’s Christology [Incarnation and Inspiration: John Owen and the Coherence of Christology (London/New York: T&T Clark, 2007)].

Yet no study has yet come to press on his liturgical theology despite the prominence of liturgical theology in the Works of John Owen. While he wrote simply on worship early in his ministry, in his second and third published works, The Duty of Pastors and People Distinguished (1643)  and Two Short Catechisms (1645),  especially of note is the prominence of liturgical theology after 1660, when he stepped down as Vice-Chancellor of Oxford, and 1662, when he was ejected by the Act of Uniformity. For example, he dealt with liturgical theology contra Rome in Animadversions on a Treatise Entitled Fiat Lux (1662) and contra the Anglicans in A Discourse Concerning Liturgies, and Their Imposition (1662). In A Brief Instruction in the Worship of God (1667) he gave a positive presentation of the Congregational way. Later, he wrote A Discourse of the Work of the Holy Spirit in Prayer; with a Brief Inquiry into the Nature and Use of Mental Prayer and Forms (1682).  Sometime towards the end of his life he wrote An Answer unto Two Questions . . . with Twelve Arguments against any Conformity to Worship not of Divine Institution (published posthumously in 1720).

Originality

Despite the important secondary works above, there is scant material devoted to Owen’s liturgical theology. This thesis attempts to fill that lacuna. There are only brief references to Owen’s important 1662 liturgical treatise, A Discourse Concerning Liturgies, and Their Imposition, within several books and essays. As far as journal articles, there is a dearth of material on Owen’s liturgics. In a survey of journals only two articles deal directly with Owen’s liturgical theology. The first is a popular article that draws general applications for today [Douglas Jones, “Liturgy Lessons from Owen,” Reformation & Revival 5:3 (Summer 1996): 111–118] while the other is a journal article that briefly surveys Owen’s doctrine of worship in his massive commentary on Hebrews [A. Craig Troxel, “‘Cleansed Once for All’: John Owen on the Glory of Gospel Worship in ‘Hebrews,’” Calvin Theological Journal 32:2 (November 1997): 468–479]. Owen’s liturgical theology represents an area for further scholarly enquiry. In 2008 I sought to begin making a contribution of Owen liturgical studies [“For Freedom Christ Has Set Us Free: John Owen’s A Discourse Concerning Liturgies, And Their Imposition,” The Confessional Presbyterian 4 (2008): 29–42].

Viability

The viability of this thesis is found in two facts. First, despite the lack of secondary material on this specific topic, the growing secondary literature will be invaluable in placing Owen’s liturgical theology in its high orthodox context. Second, there are major primary sources in Owen’s Works mentioned above that have yet to be studied in great detail.

This material shows is that Owen’s liturgical theology was governed by several key factors: first, the sufficiency of Scripture; second, Christian liberty won by Christ; third, the work of the Holy Spirit in equipping ministers; fourth, Christ’s heavenly priesthood; and fifth, Owen’s desire for true catholicity.

Potential

The potential of this Master of Theology (Th.M.) thesis is twofold. First, this thesis will serve the academy by making a significant contribution to the growing field of John Owen studies in an area where no study has yet been done. Second, this thesis will serve the church by providing a study of a Puritan’s practical/pastoral theology. Since all Reformed ministers, consistories/sessions, and believers engage in the worship of God every Lord’s Day and seek to do so in an ever-increasing idolatrous context, this work will equip these for authentic Reformed ministry in the twenty-first century.