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

Grace Worth Fighting For: Recapturing the Vision of God's Grace in the Canons of DortCalvinists are well known for their fighting, and on the rare occasions when the Synod of Dort is remembered, it is often highlighted as an example of Calvinist squabbling and dogmatism. But few know the real story, or why the battles at Dort were worth fighting. In celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Canons of Dort, pastor and scholar Daniel Hyde reminds us what Dort was all about: protecting and proclaiming the glorious gospel of grace!

Calvinists are well known for their fighting, and on the rare occasions when the Synod of Dort is remembered, it is often highlighted as an example of Calvinist squabbling and dogmatism. But few know the real story, or why the battles at Dort were worth fighting. In celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Canons of Dort, pastor and scholar Daniel Hyde reminds us what Dort was all about: protecting and proclaiming the glorious gospel of grace! Dispelling harsh caricatures and whitewashed hagiographies alike, Hyde leads us on a patient journey through the history and text of the Canons, illuminating the fine-grained theological distinctions and simple Scriptural truths encapsulated in their ninety-three articles. Along the way, the reader will discover the startling catholicity and breadth of this foundational statement of Calvinism, and its remarkable pastoral value for nourishing Christian faith, hope, and love today.

Publisher: Westminster Seminary Press
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781949716924

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Daniel R. Hyde serves as Pastor of Oceanside United Reformed Church (Carlsbad/Oceanside, California). He is the author of numerous books on Reformed theology and Christian piety. He is also Adjunct Instructor of Ministerial Studies at Mid-America Reformed Seminary (Dyer, Indiana) and Adjunct Instructor of Systematic Theology and Missions at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary (Grand Rapids, Michigan). He has earned degrees from Westminster Seminary California (MDiv) and Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary (ThM) and is currently writing his PhD on John Owen’s liturgical theology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

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“Danny Hyde’s Grace Worth Fighting For may be the most thorough exposition of the Canons of Dort to date. Through careful exegesis and attention to the historical context, he not only explains what these canons mean but why they are biblically grounded and theologically essential. One of the best features of Hyde’s scholarship is his refusal to detach the doctrines of grace from pastoral ministry and Christian piety. A careful reading of the Canons knows that this marriage between theology and doxology is original to Dort, contrary to common caricatures. Hyde also busts every myth—and there are a lot!—surrounding Dort, removing the centuries of stereotypes to present readers with Calvinism in pure form. This book is indispensable for students of Reformed theology and irresistible to its skeptics.” MATTHEW BARRETT, Associate Professor of Christian Theology, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; executive editor of Credo Magazine; author of The Grace of Godliness: An Introduction to Doctrine and Piety in the Canons of Dort