450th Anniversary of the Translation of Guido de Brès

Guido de Brès (1522 – May 31, 1567) was a French-speaking Walloon minister of the gospel, who studied under both John Calvin and Theodore Beza. Raised a Roman Catholic, he was converted to Christ before the age of 20. He would spend most of the rest of his life on the run for his faith. Most famous for his authorship of the Belgic Confession (1561), one of the Three Forms of Unity of the Reformed Churches (he also wrote another confession as well). It is an eloquent and profoundly spiritual milestone in the history of Reformed confessions and creeds, and it is the only Reformation creed written by a martyr. He also wrote Le Baston del la Foy (The Staff of Faith, Able to Shut the Mouths of Faith’s Enemies) (1562) and La Racine, Source et Fondement des Anabaptistes (The Root, the Origins, and the Foundation of the Anabaptists or Rebaptizers of Our Time) (1565), responses to both Roman Catholic and Anabaptists, the two greatest threats to the Reformed Faith at that time. Arrested in 1565, he was tried by the Spanish Inquisition, and ultimately hanged at Valenciennes, France on the last day of May, 1567, 450 years ago today. Before he was executed, he wrote a letter to his wife expressing his faith in Christ and encouraging her in the same, a letter which stands in the annals of church history’s most inspirational writings.

For more on his life, writings and significance, please consult Trust God, Keep the Faith:  The Story of Guido de Bres by Bartha Hill-de Bres; Three Men Came to Heidelberg  and Glorious Heretic: The Story of Guido de Bres by Thea B. Van Halsema; The Belgic Confession: Its History and Sources by Nicolaas H. Gootjes; The Church Says Amen: An Exposition of the Belgic Confession by J. Van Bruggen; Reformed Confessions of the 16th and 17th Centuries in English Translation, Vol. 2 by James T. Dennison, Jr., ed.; For the Cause of the Son of God: The Missiological Implications of the Belgic Confession of Faith by Wes Bredenhof; With Heart and Mouth: An Exposition of the Belgic Confession by Daniel Hyde; and many other works could be named.

(The Countess de Reux Visiting De Bray and Le Grange in Prison, 

Illustration from James Wylie's History of Protestantism)

Meet the Puritans

Back in 2006, Reformation Heritage Books published an invaluable introduction to the Puritans by Joel Beeke and Randall Pederson called Meet the Puritans. I read it daily for a long time, and still refer to it often; it has proven a wonderful resource for me and countless others who appreciate those godly men and women of old.

Yesterday, a new site entered the blogosphere with the same name, Meet the Puritans, with a similar aim. It is a collaborative effort by Danny Hyde, Mark Jones and Rowland Ward.

The purpose of this website is to promote the seventeenth century English Puritans. We intend to do this by means of original research, theological and devotional commentary upon the writings of the Puritans, reviews of books about the Puritans, recommendations of books about the Puritans, and by providing Recommended Reading of helpful materials in your study of the Puritans.

There is a special emphasis on their favorite Puritans -- John Owen, Thomas Goodwin and Thomas Manton -- but this looks to be another great resource for the study of Puritanism in general. Stay tuned and keep reading if you want to "meet the Puritans."

With Heart and Mouth and Culture

There is a modern exposition of the Belgic Confession, a creed built upon the rock of God's Word, which those will love the historic Reformed Faith, and also desire to see it expressed and applied in our modern age, will appreciate. It is Danny Hyde's With Heart and Mouth: An Exposition of the Belgic Confession (2008). Reformation Heritage Books says it was one of their top-10 non-RHB bestsellers for 2008. It has been well reviewed previously by David VanDrunen and G.I. Williamson, and there is little I could add to their remarks. This exposition is steeped in Biblical and historic theology, and while I cannot give it a complete, unqualified endorsement as to every word, I am very grateful for it's valuable contribution to the modern understanding and application of a precious part of our Reformed heritage.

I will add this: One of its particular strengths is a willingness to engage popular culture. Readers of this blog may be surprised to know that I don't spend all my time reading only 17th century literature. Those who know me well know that I believe that it is important for Christians to interact with contemporary society, including its art, with appreciation for what is good (Phil. 4.8) and discernment concerning that which is evil (1 Thess. 5.21). In that spirit, I take note of the 20th and 21st century cultural references which one does not often see in the exposition of a 16th century creed. In the context of a book addressed to Christian laymen which contains a range of Biblical and historical citations, they add, I think, a dimension of cultural awareness that serves to enrich, rather than trivialize, the exposition. Read it for yourself and see. A handful of such references are given below.

A RECENT popular song [Dishwalla, Counting Blue Cars] had a refrain that went like this:

Tell me all your thoughts on God,
'cause I'd really like to meet her.
Ask her why we're who we are.

This song illustrates that humans are by nature incurably religious. Sadly, we are also incurably rebellious. We have many "thoughts on God," but where do they come from? As mentioned earlier, although 97 percent of Americans believe that God exists, many do not believe in the God of Scripture but rather in a god they have made in their own image. [p. 54]

"I'LL SHOW you all the beauty you possess, if you only let yourself believe: that we are born innocent..." I can hear my radio now, as Sarah McLachlan [Adia] catechizes American culture with her mantra that we are inherently beautiful and born innocent."
...
We still think of ourselves as existing at the height of the glory in which we were created. The harsh reality, though, is that Adam and the rest of humanity were plunged into depravity when he willfully sinned. "Houston, we have a problem" [Apollo 13] is an understatement. [p. 198]

BRITISH ROCK singer Sting's 1993 hit song, "If I Ever Lose My Faith in You," sums up our age's attitude toward the church: "You could say I lost my belief in the holy church." [p. 376]

And "[n]othing comes from nothing" (p. 7) is a phrase that, intentionally or not, evokes memories of a line from "Something Good," a song from the musical The Sound of Music.

Popular culture is something we do well to measure against the touchstone of the Scriptures, which teaches us to "[p]rove all things; hold fast that which is good." The Belgic Confession, like the Scriptures it is grounded in, is not a document whose usefulness is confined to a past age, but is timeless in its application and very much needed by contemporary society. Danny Hyde's exposition likewise, grounded in timeless truth, interacts ably with and offers an engaging, Scriptural and confessional touchstone to the modern 21st century reader.

In Living Color: Images of Christ and the Means of Grace

Pastor Danny Hyde of the Oceanside, CA URC has again performed a great service to the church with today's announcement of the release of his new book In Living Color: Images of Christ and the Means of Grace (2009, Reformed Fellowship, Inc.). It is a much-needed contemporary defense of the second commandment's prohibition against images of Christ and an encouragement for us to seek after God in the appointed means of grace. The foreword is written by Joel Beeke. It is available for purchase at Reformed Fellowship and Amazon.