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

The Canons of Dort were written in 1618-19 by a large group of God-fearing men. They took years to meticulously put in writing the proper understanding and interpretation of the Bible regarding salvation. They did this for the benefit of all Christians for hundreds of years to come.It is important for every Christian today, regardless of their denomination, to read and understand these doctrines (teachings) from the Canons of Dort, along with the Westminster Confession (1647)/Catechism (1648), Heidelberg Catechism (1563), Belgic Confession (1561), Augsburg Confession (1530), and Puritan Catechism (1855). Reasons: (#1) If you were to trace any denomination's doctrines back far enough to see where they originated from, you would find that many of their doctrines of faith eventually lead to as coming from either the Canons of Dort, or one of the above mentioned confessions or catechisms. (#2) It will greatly help you to, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15) (#3) With the plethora of false teachers bombarding people by TV, radio, and the Internet today, knowing these old, established doctrines will help ensure that, “we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.” (Eph 4:14)Regarding this particular book on the Canons of Dort:I read this book as part of a men's study at church. The author’s writing style is conversational, making it easier to understand the Canons of Dort doctrines. The author provides vital Reformation historical background information throughout the book which is very helpful. I also liked that he has lots of modern historical information as well. Having this historical information helps in understanding why the doctrines were written the way they were, and also how they are still true and important today. The author also provides an abundance of footnotes for those who desire to read even further on the many subjects.

This book is a fantastic book to have in your library. It has been used at our men's fellowship for weeks and what a great time of exhortation and encouragement about our Reformation Confessions ("statements") of the faith: the Canons of Dort 1618-19. It is beautifully written for the scholar to glean great nuggets of truth and for the lay to be encouraged in their discipleship. Topics like "God’s wonderful work of preservation (enabling our perseverance)" or "humanity’s corruption and God’s conversion" will be an encouragement to anyone that reads this book.

Still reading it but so far seems to be good and sound theologically. It’s written from the reformed perspective so covenant theology is strong throughout. I have been a little disappointed that Hyde did not include the Armenian argument or papers that the canons of Dort were against. But again I haven’t finished it yet.

Every person regardless if you’re a scholar or laymen will benefit by reading Grace Worth Fighting For

Daniel Hyde’s work on the Canons of Dort is a welcome antidote for our contemporary church culture where truth and love are too much at odds. Each article and refutation of that historic Synod are explained here from a pastoral point of view, with great attention to the relevant texts of Scripture. Along the way, we are introduced to the wider catholic tradition where doctrines like unconditional election, or satisfaction of divine justice by Christ for a particular people, were already believed long before the Reformation. Persistent myths about historic Calvinism are slain and practical nuance in matters of assurance and evangelism abounds. Grace Worth Fighting For is a treasure for pastors, seminarians, and laypeople alike who want to get a fresh perspective on why the doctrines of grace matter.

Reverend Hyde's book Grace Worth Fighting For is a great read! It was very helpful for me in learning about the history around the Synod of Dort on its 400th anniversary. I learned about the doctrines of grace three years ago, but I knew little about where the TULIP acronym comes from. This book is not only an excellent defense of Dort's view on soteriology, but also tells the story of how the reformed church handled its biggest controversy in the 17th century. This book changed the way I think about "five-point calvinism."

This is purely a review on the physical appearance of the book I received, not the contents of the book itself. The book appears to be bound crookedly in the first half (see attached photos). It looks like all the pages are in the correct order but the book just looks a bit wonky.

We can see it play out in social media that there is far more tension regarding Calvinism vs Arminianism then there needs to be. People who share a common view on the effectiveness of the Gospel often disagree with how the grace to faith is administered. Daniel Hyde cuts through the legends of myth of Arminius vs Calvin to reveal the facts of how the reformation played out. Recommend reading his book on the Canons of Dort.