DeYoung, The Good News We Almost Forgot

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Kevin DeYoung, The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism. Moody Publishers, 2010.

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LifeandLeadership.com Summary

DeYoung, who is noted for his renewal of established church tradition, captures the same spirit in this contemporary adaptation of the 16th century Heidelberg Catechism. One may not agree with his choice of this document and its doctrinal distinctives, but it is a good example of the posture of affirming Christian orthodoxy as found in another volume by DeYoung, Don’t Call it a Comeback.

Readers may also be interested in two other works DeYoung authored with Ted Kluck, Why We’re Not Emergent…From Two Guys Who Should Be, and Why We Love the Church. These volumes as a whole are a good first-hand depiction of an Evaluating-Emergent or Resurgent-Reformed perspective, which is an important sector of the churched millennial generation.

From the Publisher

If there is “nothing new under the sun” then perhaps the main task now facing the Western church is not to reinvent or be relevant, but to remember.  The truth of the gospel is still contained within vintage faith statements.  Within creeds and catechisms we can have our faith strengthened, our knowledge broadened, and our love for Jesus deepened.   

In The Good News We Almost Forgot Kevin DeYoung explores the Heidelberg Catechism and writes 52 brief chapters on what it has shown him.  The Heidelberg is largely a commentary on the Apostle’s Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer and the book deals with man’s guilt, God’s grace, and believers’ gratitude. The result is a clear-headed, warm-hearted exploration of the faith, simple enough for young believers and deep enough for mature believers.  As DeYoung writes, “The gospel summarized in the Heidelberg Catechism is glorious, it’s Christ gracious, it’s comfort rich, it’s Spirit strong, it’s God Sovereign, and it’s truth timeless.”  Come and see how your soul can be warmed by the elegantly and logically laid out doctrine that matters most:  we are great sinners and Christ is a greater Savior!

About the Author

Kevin DeYoung is the senior pastor at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan, across the street from Michigan State University. He is a graduate of Hope College and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He is the author of Freedom and Boundaries: A Pastoral Primer on the Role of Women in the Church and has written daily devotionals for Words of Hope: Daily Reflections. He and his wife, Trisha, have three children: Ian, Jacob, and Elizabeth.


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