Pocket Dictionary of the Reformed Tradition

These approximately 300 entries by Kapic (theology, Covenant Coll.) and Vander Lugt offer brief (75–150 words) biographical sketches and definitions of theological terms. Institutions, such as church associations and schools, are not covered, as they are in Robert Benedetto and Donald K. McKim's much more lengthy Historical Dictionary of Reformed Churches. Asterisks placed at the start of words direct the reader to the abundant cross references that take the place of an index and are clearly the result of careful editing. Readers may feel overwhelmed by an entry that includes as many as 14 such references, but they are valuable. For example, students who remember the acronym TULIP to summarize John Calvin's ideas can use the TULIP entry as a guide to each of the topics mentioned. Likewise, there is not complete overlap between the biographies included here and those in other books. Herman Ridderbos, for example, is not profiled in Hart and Noll's Dictionary of the Presbyterian and Reformed Traditions. Kapic and Vander Lugt's five-page bibliography features most notably a chronologically organized list of classic works from the Reformed tradition, allowing the reader to trace the history from Calvin and Zwingli down through the centuries.