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[[[The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism]]]

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More review soon.

What is a catechism anyway? [...] defines it as "an elementary book containing a summary of the principles of the Christian religion, esp. as maintained by a particular church, in the form of questions and answers" and "a series of formal questions put, as to political candidates, to bring out their views."



However, the author of this book has made up for what the original catechism left out by providing Scripture for the catechism, along with his own commentary. It is a well-rounded in-depth study.

The translations used in this book are ESV, KJV, NIV, and NRSV with ESV being used the most.

Thanks to Moody Publishers for sending me the review copy in exchange for my honest review.





That, ultimately led DeYoung to write The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism. DeYoung structures the book as a devotional commentary, sharing his insights on each of Heidelberg's 129 questions over 52 Lord's Days. The catechism's questions are run opposite each of DeYoung's essays, allowing readers like me to appreciate the Heidelberg for itself.

That, honestly, is one of the things I appreciate most about The Good News We Almost Forgot. I love learning about historical Christian thought and seeing the catechism's structure--covering the broad topics of guilt, grace, and gratitude while explaining the Apostles' Creed, the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer--is fascinating. The authors understood well the necessity of our understanding our sinfulness before we can grasp the importance of God's grace. That's not to say that they spend an inordinate amount of time on it; as DeYoung notes, "The guilt section is by far the shortest with only three Lord's Days and nine Questions and Answers. The authors of the Catechism wanted Heidelberg to be an instrument of comfort, not condemnation" (p. 25).

And a great comfort it is. Reading the Heidelberg itself was, in some ways, more enjoyable than reading DeYoung's commentary. It's a very pastoral document, challenging readers and encouraging them in their understanding of Christian doctrine. One of my favorite Question and Answers is Q. 28:

"How does the knowledge of God's creation and providence help us?

"We can be patient when things go against us, thankful when things go well, and for the future we can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that nothing will separate us from His love. All creatures are so completely in His hand that without His will they can neither move nor be moved." (p . 58)

It's simple, yet profound.

DeYoung's commentary, meanwhile, is lively and fast-paced; if you've read any of his other books, this will be no surprise to you. He doesn't try to come off as showy, but he is very sharp. I especially enjoyed his defense of the virgin birth on pages 75-78. Here, he writes:

"Is the virgin birth really that essential to Christianity? The answer . . . is a resounding Yes! First, the virgin birth is essential to Christianity because it has been essential to Christianity. That may sound like circular reasoning, but only if we care nothing about the history and catholicity of the church. . . . But if Christians, of all stripes in all places, have professed belief in the virgin birth for two millennia, maybe we should be slow to discount it as inconsequential. . . . Second, the gospel writers clearly believed that Mary was a virgin when Jesus was conceived. . . . If the virgin birth is false, the historical reliability of the Gospels is seriously undermined. Third--and this intersects the Catechism--the virgin birth demonstrates that Jesus was truly human and truly divine. How can the virgin birth be an inconsequential spring for our jumping when it establishes the very identity of our Lord and Savior? . . . Fourth, the virgin birth is essential because it means Jesus did not inherit the curse of depravity that clings to Adam's race. . . . So if Joseph was the real father of Jesus, or Mary had been sleeping around . . . Jesus is not spotless, not innocent, and not perfectly holy. And as a result, we have no mediator, no imputation of Christ's righteousness (because He has no righteousness to impute to us), and no salvation. So yeah, the virgin birth is essential to our faith."

In my opinion, De Young 's final appeal, probably the most important part of this book. After writing books on theology and loving of Theology, he reminds readers that theology makes sense if it works it down to our core. Everything else makes us unbalanced.

\\ "If it is worth anything, our spiritual heart of our spiritual momentum predicts that makes us into people who are more devout prayer more and more passionate about the Bible, lost, and the world around us. We are theologically solid core, without unnecessary cortex. It's like the Heidelberg Catechism. And something like Jesus. "(p. 244)

The Good News We Almost Forgot is a delightful, pastoral read that reminds readers to appreciate the wisdom of the saints who have come before us--because their insights can remind us of the beauty of the gospel, and the God who brings it.



This book is so good and so convicting. It shows how very relevant this 16th century catechism is, and the helpful commentary by the author is both informative and entertaining. This was a great book, and I recommend it to anyone.



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