Book Review: Hold Fast the Faith: A Devotional Commentary on the Westminster Confession of 1647



Hold Fast the Faith: A Devotional Commentary on the Westminster Confession of 1647
Matthew Everhard
PLC Publications
PO Box 2210                                                    
Lenoir, NC 28645
www.layman.org
Copyright: 2012
ISBN: 978-1934453100; $11.99
Reviewed for Deus Misereatur by: Rev. Dr. Michael Philliber

Theological Introspections– 4 ½ of 5 stars

How do you bring theology and the spiritual disciplines together? Often, in personal discussions, theology and doctrine are disparaged by teachers and the taught so that the devotional can be developed. Usually this is heard in the notion that head knowledge must be trumped by heart knowledge. Yet Matthew Everhard has recently made a masterful attempt at pulling together the two in his delightful work, “Hold Fast the Faith: A Devotional Commentary on the Westminster Confession of 1647”, a 296 page paperback meant for theological students, parishioners and pastors.

Everhard takes up the 1647 version of the Westminster Confession of Faith, a document of some weight and significance for Reformed Christians. His choice of this version of the Confession, over other ones, makes his book useful for the various flavors of Presbyterians in the United States and throughout the West. But the fact that he has even selected to spend so much time, ink and paper reflecting on the Confession is noteworthy. The author insightfully remarks, “( . . . ) confessions and creeds are to help assure us that the doctrinal faith that we articulate today has not subtly changed over time by being subject to the warping influence of secular society” (5). Beyond the Biblical validity for creeds and confessions, this point should hold great weight for 21st Century Christians.

The author works his way through each of the 33 chapters of the Confession, with an intentional pattern in mind. After the Confession’s chapter is quoted in full, then there are Scripture passages listed. Next comes a short prayer written by the author. Then follows a four-part reflection in which Everhard (1) examines the historical thought of the chapter (“Reach Back”); (2) brings the Confession to bear on the heart (“Search Inward”); (3) draws the reader into adoration and worship (“Gaze Upward”); and finally, (4) leads us to think out ways the chapter might be applied (“Step Out”).

In the midst of this four-fold reflection, the author attempts to meld the “spiritual disciplines”, made popular by Richard Foster and Dallas Willard, to the doctrine just discussed from the Confession. He covers many exercises, focusing on one per chapter, from silence to prayer to confession to spiritual directors. For some this may be the weakest part of the book, or most annoying. Nevertheless, the way Everhard handles each of these can give a thoughtful reader purposeful pause to think over what is said and maybe attempt a few of his suggestions so that they can go deeper than they previously had with a particular chapter of the Confession. I found this approach helpful, and worth some thought on my part. The book concludes with appendices that have the Larger and Shorter catechisms, and the two extra chapters added by later American Presbyterians, but he spends very little time on these.

“Hold Fast the Faith” is a delightful read. The theological content is not so deep as to bore a non-seminary trained reader, but gently explains most of what is covered in a given chapter of the Confession in a way that is accurate and beneficial. And the devotional content is of such a quality as to draw even the most staid Presbyterian to her knees in loving adoration of our God. This would be a nice resource to use in adult Sunday School classes, seminaries, and leadership training. I highly recommend the book.

 A copy of the book can be purchased here: Hold Fast the Faith

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

“The Shift” - 2023 Movie. A Review

Image
  What do you get when you cross a dark dystopian storyline with sci-fi, alternative dimensions, theological and philosophical questions, and the biblical book of Job? You get The Shift , written and directed by Brock Heasley, produced by Ken Carpenter, and distributed by Angel Studios. This roughly one hour and 45 minute tale swirls around Kevin (Kristoffer Polaha) as he moves from one realm of life, with it’s happiness and heartbreak, to another dimension that is a dismal existence clearly governed by The Benefactor (masterfully played by Neal McDonough). A viewer will be asking questions all the way through, and picking up clues and answers that pull the story together bit-by-bit. The story bumps up against an infinite set of alternative possibilities, of time, space, and versions of one’s self that will likely stoke a viewer’s imagination. But the heart of the narrative - besides love, grief, loss, trust/distrust - is around the place of evil, specifically, personal or human evil.
Read more

"On Getting Out of Bed" by Alan Noble. A Review

Image
  When it comes to family members or friends going through a significant mental crisis, or suffering, we often can feel like we’re fumbling about to help them. Sometimes, we can become like Job’s friends, whom he had to call “miserable comforters” (Job 16:2). But very recently Alan Noble, assistant professor of English at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee Oklahoma, and cofounder and editor-in-chief of “Christ and Pop Culture” penned a deeply beautiful 120-page hardback that addresses mental affliction. “On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living” is written for those who struggle with mental affliction, but also pastors, teachers, parents, and loved ones, to “help them understand their loved one’s suffering. It is for anyone who ever struggles to get out of bed” (3). I finished this book earlier this week, and kept finding myself saying, “Finally! Someone gets it!” Eight chapters fill up this handy manual. They run through several subjects, like not sounding like Job’s f
Read more

Community?

Image
  (This is from my letter to my congregation I sent out today, 30 August 2023) As one of my elders was leading us through Carl Trueman’s Strange New World in our adult class , I appreciated Trueman’s emphasis on community. And our discussions, especially the last two Sundays, were very fruitful as we thought out loud together about this subject. Therefore, I thought I would share something from David Brooks, an Op-ed columnist that leans into this discussion.   Brooks published a book in 2019 titled, “The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life”. In that work he was taking a gentle punch at destructive trends he has been seeing, and giving some helpful correctives. And so, he notes that “Individualism, taken too far, leads to tribalism” (34). He then shows how the loneliness and spiritual emptiness of individualism taken too far have become more prevalent in our time and the ways that they lead to very dark social consequences. These darker social consequences foster the need t
Read more