Book excerpt: "In the early decades of the seventeenth century, the direction of the Reformed faith hung in the balance. A group called the Remonstrants, followers of Jacobus Arminius, presented a petition that argued for a version of the faith that watered down many of the distinctive theological positions inherited from John Calvin and from Augustine before him. The petition caused controversy in the Dutch Reformed Church, and it demanded a response. In 1618, the church convened a synod in the port town of Dordrecht. There, the document known as the Canons of Dort was crafted. This remarkable document sets forth clearly and forcefully the Reformed understanding of salvation, which preserved the theology of the Reformation and provided the world with an elegant and powerful defense of the biblical gospel. In Saving the Reformation: The Pastoral Theology of the Canons of Dort, Dr. W. Robert Godfrey examines the background and activity of the Synod of Dort, providing crucial historical context. He then provides a fresh translation of the Canons of Dort from the Dutch and a new, pastoral commentary, allowing a new generation of readers to understand and appreciate this important text for themselves"--