Articles by Daniel R. Hyde
Some of these articles first appeared in peer-reviewed academic journals and scholarly venues written for colleagues in the academic guild and the ministerium—Calvin Theological Journal, Puritan Reformed Journal, Mid-America Journal of Theology, and The Confessional Presbyterian. Some are more popular pieces written for church members that read carefully. For a full list, see my Curriculum Vitae.
They explore the history and practice of Reformed liturgy (including the neglected place of absolution), the theology of the Heidelberg Catechism and the broader Three Forms of Unity, the task of preaching, and disputed questions in Reformed history and catholicity.
The journal articles date from 2006 to 2017, written across two decades of pastoral ministry and doctoral work at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Each article is available in full text, as a PDF, or both.
The Kind of People God Uses
Paul says the gospel is carried in "jars of clay" — cheap, breakable vessels. This exposition of 2 Corinthians 4:1–12 argues that the weakness of the messenger is not an obstacle to God's power but the deliberate display of it, and that this holds for every servant in a congregation, not only the preacher.
Ministering after Miscarriages
Seminary didn't prepare me for this. Miscarriage is the most common form of pregnancy loss, and it will come to your congregation. Here is pastoral counsel drawn from Scripture, the Canons of Dort, and ten years of grieving alongside God's people.
Anointing the Sick with Oil: A Missing Aspect of Pastoral Ministry in the Reformed Tradition
Reformed churches have a strong tradition of elders as officers of prayer and care — yet one thing has been missing since the sixteenth century. This study works through James 5:14–15 in its context, weighs the medicinal, Roman Catholic, historic Reformed, and Pentecostal readings, and argues that anointing with oil remains a valid ministry for Reformed elders today.
On Being a Church Planter
There is little written on church planting from a confessionally Reformed perspective. Drawing on nearly a decade of planting, this essay offers principles and aptitudes for the work.
The Principle and Practice of Preaching in the Heidelberg Catechism
Why is preaching so central to Reformed worship? This article reads the Heidelberg Catechism’s teaching on preaching as being the Holy Spirit's medicine, prescribing guilt, grace, and gratitude for the believer.
Handling a High Mystery: The Westminster Confession on Preaching Predestination
How should a pastor preach predestination? This article explores the seventeenth-century Westminster Assembly divines' pastoral handling of this doctrine that was meant to give God’s people humility and comfort.
A Catechism on Catechetical Preaching
Dr. Daniel R. Hyde’s outline of instruction for his pastoral interns at Oceanside United Reformed Church, on the age-old practice of “catechetical” or doctrinal preaching especially through the Heidelberg Catechism in the Dutch Reformed tradition.
A Catechism on Pastoral Theology
Dr. Daniel R. Hyde’s brief catechism, or, instruction using questions and answers, on pastoral theology, reflecting on the understanding and application of the Word of God in pastoral ministry since 2000.