Nicolaas H. Gootjes, The Belgic Confession: Its History and Sources (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007). $22.79.

Reviewed by Rev. Wes Bredenhof

Over the years, numerous commentaries have been published on the firstborn of our confessional family, the Belgic Confession. Most of these commentaries give a brief overview of the history of the Confession, but these introductions are typically regurgitated from the research of others. Moreover, up till the publication of this book, we did not have a work in English dedicated to the study of the history and background of the Belgic Confession.

The author, professor of dogmatics at the Theological College of the Canadian Reformed Churches in Hamilton, Ontario, has carefully studied all the available source documents and presents some fresh, surprising results. Since the publication of his earlier research on the subject, we knew for certain that the authorship of the Confession rests with Guido de Bres. But what we didn’t know was how much of a threat de Bres presented to the Roman Catholic Church. This knowledge comes through a relatively unknown painting of the era in which de Bres is included with other Reformers such as Calvin, Beza, and Luther. Gootjes includes a reproduction of the painting along with some valuable commentary.

Besides his fascinating discussions of the history and authorship of the Confession, the author also explores the influence of Calvin and Beza. The mention of the latter is especially interesting, since he is often overlooked in discussions (in English) regarding the sources of the Confession. Through the course of three chapters, Gootjes traces the development of the authority of the Confession, noting that it was adopted by the churches in the Netherlands very early on, probably even before its publication in 1561. Chapter 7 deals with the Synod of Dort and the discussions concerning the Confession at the Synod and leading up to the Synod. This is an engaging section, especially for its portrayal of Arminius and his fudging with the Confession. With an eye to discussions of our day, it was also remarkable that the Synod of Dort discussed the inclusion of the doctrine of the active obedience of Christ. The chairman of the Synod, Bogerman, attempted to have Article 22 rephrased so as to make room for a denial of this doctrine. In the end, all the delegates except for two (Bogerman and one other) voted this down and instead decided to strengthen the statement about this matter. The book concludes with a chapter surveying the various translations—this chapter is meant to be a survey, so it is not comprehensive (the early history of the Confession in Spanish is not mentioned, for instance). Nevertheless, it does reveal the widespread adoption of this creed.

Being a student of the Belgic Confession myself, I have been long anticipating this work. Gootjes did not disappoint! I am confident that this will be the definitive English source on the Confession’s history for many years to come.

Graeme Goldsworthy, Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics: Foundations and Principles of Evangelical Biblical Interpretation (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2006). $19.14.

Reviewed by Rev. Wes Bredenhof

There is nothing more important than rightly understanding the Bible. In its essence, we believe that the Bible is a clear revelation from God. Yet because of the fall, what should be clear is many times clouded by human sin and weakness. For this reason, when there are difficulties in understanding the Scriptures, it is the divine Scriptures themselves that must shed light and lead the way.

One man from our own tradition who understood this was Dr. Seakle Greijdanus (1871–1948). Greijdanus was a professor of New Testament in the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands. In 1946 he published his most important work, Scripture Principles for Scripture Interpretation. In this book (a summary of which can be found at my website, www.bredenhof.ca), Greijdanus drew out in detail what it means to believe that “Scripture interprets Scripture.” We call this a presuppositional approach to hermeneutics; this approach to the science of Scripture interpretation says that we have to begin with the presupposition that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God that also speaks to this science.

In Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics, Graeme Goldsworthy (a retired lecturer from Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia) follows the same presuppositional method of Greijdanus, develops it further, and applies it to our contemporary situation. In the first four chapters, Goldsworthy lays out the presuppositions for a Biblical way of interpreting the Bible. While not mentioning Greijdanus, he does give credit to another Reformed theologian from our tradition who promoted presuppositional methodology, Cornelius Van Til. In the following section, the author goes through the history of hermeneutics and illustrates the various ways in which the gospel has been eclipsed through different theological and philosophical developments. In the final section, using what he developed in the first section and taking the cautions of history to heart, Goldsworthy proposes a reconstruction of “evangelical hermeneutics” along biblical, gospel-centered lines. He concludes with a helpful section on “hands-on hermeneutics,” a “proposed list of some important ingredients in understanding the Bible.”

This is an important book for our age, an age (not unlike others) in which proper understanding of the Scriptures is under attack. While it is a technical book that would serve well as a text for college and seminary students, informed “laypeople” would also benefit from Goldsworthy’s gold. This is the third Goldsworthy book that I’ve read in the last year ( According to Plan & Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture being the others) and while the other two are also worth recommending, Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics is his best work I've read to date.

David Powlison, Seeing With New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition Through the Lens of Scripture (Phillipsburg: P&R, 2003). $13.21.

Reviewed by Rev. Wes Bredenhof

Whether we like it or not, we live in a psychologized world. By that I mean that psychology and psychiatry have donated various concepts to our general societal outlook. As believers, we are not immune to these trends—in fact, there are a good many authors who would try and have us accept various psychological theories and perspectives as consistent with the Christian worldview.

We can thank God for an author like David Powlison who thinks critically about these developments. Powlison teaches Practical Theology at Westminster Seminary in Philadelphia and is also on staff at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation in that same city. He has years of practical experience in the field of counseling and anyone who has heard him speak will remember his deep insights and strong commitment to the gospel of the Scriptures.

That commitment comes through consistently in this book, a collection of (revised) articles that have appeared over the last few years in the Journal of Biblical Counseling (a very worthwhile periodical). This is the first of a three-volume set on Christian counseling. This first volume deals with conceptual questions; the second (Speaking Truth in Love) deals with methodological and institutional questions. A third volume will deal with apologetical issues.

Some of the highlights from this book include Powlison’s expositions of passages from Ephesians and the Psalms in the first part, “Scripture Opens Blind Eyes.” I deeply appreciate Powlison’s pointed applications of God’s Word and his powerful use of illustrations and word pictures. In the second part, “Reinterpreting Life,” Powlison deals with a number of topics. For instance, the question, “What If Your Father Didn’t Love You?” is tackled in chapter 10. Can you have a proper understanding of God as Father if your earthly Father was absent or abusive? In another chapter, Powlison deals with the nature of God’s love. He shows us how it is “better than unconditional.” I came away from that chapter much more impressed with God. As one last example, he works through Gary Chapman’s idea of love languages in chapter 14. Is that a concept that we can work with? Powlison gives a balanced, biblical analysis that you won’t find elsewhere.

Who can I recommend this book to? Definitely to pastors and elders. But this book is also for teachers and others who are involved in helping people develop and change (parents too!). It isn’t a technical counseling manual that requires specialized knowledge. Rather, it’s written at a popular level and above all, Seeing With New Eyes endeavours to work consistently with the Scriptures and point people to the Saviour. I think Powlison succeeds.

F.L. Schalkwijk, The Reformed Church in Dutch Brazil (1630-1654), (Zoetermeer: Uitgeverij Boekencentrum, 1998). $30.00.

Reviewed by Rev. Wes Bredenhof

If we’re to believe most English-speaking writers on the subject, the age of Protestant missions did not really begin until Pietism and William Carey. Before then, they say, Protestants did not do missions on any meaningful scale—and this was especially true of the Reformed churches. Among other things, this book proves that “they” are quite wrong!

Using careful research and a readable style, Schalkwijk (a long time Reformed missionary and professor in Brazil) gives a vivid picture of religious life in a Dutch colony in the seventeenth-century. Along the way, he makes it clear that Reformed believers of this era saw their missionary mandate very clearly. For instance, Reformed missionaries (at least seven of them in this period, one of whom was a former Augustinian monk) were working among the South American Indians. The Reformed Church was also active in mission to the Jews, the Africans, as well as the Dutch and Portuguese nationals in Brazil. In short, there was intense, active evangelistic activity in this period, giving attention to every people group in northeastern Brazil.

But this book is also noteworthy for other reasons. For example, Schalkwijk gives a fascinating account of the history of Reformed confessions and catechisms in Reformed Brazil. Who knew that a Huguenot confession had been written in Rio de Janeiro in 1558?! The author outlines the degrees to which the Belgic Confession and Heidelberg Catechism were used. The matter of a suitable catechism was especially a hot issue in Brazil during this period. Because the Heidelberg Catechism in its original form was not considered helpful for missions, a new, trilingual Catechism was prepared – in the Tupi (a South American Indian language), Portuguese and Dutch tongues. The author (David a Dorselaer) meant to prepare a faithful summary of the Heidelberg Catechism, but the product of his work was met with suspicion and controversy. The whole account makes for engaging reading and it holds many lessons for those willing to learn from history.

In its original Portuguese edition, this book was a bestseller. It’s easy to understand why. It’s highly readable and addresses an eventful period of Brazilian history. However, I’m excited about it because, without a doubt, this is one of the most important books on history of Reformed missions. It deserves to be read and studied by everyone who cares about the glory of God among the nations then and now. Before ending, I would note that the English edition of this book is very difficult to come by. Godutch.com has a limited number of copies available—I recommend that you don’t put off buying this gem—it may soon be gone (it’s been out of print for several years already).

Daniel R. Hyde, Jesus Loves the Little Children: Why We Baptize Children (Grandville, MI: Reformed Fellowship, 2006). $9.50.

Reviewed by Rev. Wes Bredenhof

BOOKS DEFENDING infant baptism are plentiful. Over the years, many authors have tackled this subject and offered many solid defenses. But this book by United Reformed pastor (in Oceanside, CA) Daniel Hyde is different and the differences make this book worth recommending.

First of all, Pastor Hyde has offered a compilation of the best Biblical arguments for the baptism of the infant children of believers. The arguments are offered concisely but with footnotes and references for those who wish to dig deeper. The skeleton is here, so to speak, but those who wish to see more meat on the bones will not have far to look.

Second, the book presents the Biblical arguments with a sense of church-historical consciousness. Hyde is especially sensitive to the practices and beliefs of the first sixteen centuries of the Christian church. With his references to Reformed liturgies and creeds, he clearly shows that infant baptism has nothing to do with “popery” and everything to do with the apostolic church.

Finally, so far as I know, this is the only book on the subject that deals with the practice of dedication found in some evangelical circles. Pastor Hyde points out that many of the proof-texts used to support dedication are the same texts used to argue for infant baptism. He calls for consistency, but also points out the far greater richness of baptism—a sacrament that speaks of the sovereign grace of a covenant-making God.

This book could profitably be used in situations (i.e. church planting) where God is bringing in people not (yet) convinced of the infant baptism position. It could also be used for those who, having grown up Reformed, have had doubts planted in their minds.

If I would make one small suggestion for an improvement it would be the inclusion of the Bible texts with the “Reformed Confessions on Baptism” in Appendix 1. Aside from that small matter, this is an excellent explanation of “why we baptize children.”