Daily Doctrine

Kevin DeYoung

Reviewed by: Tyler C. Detrick

Daily Doctrine: A One-Year Guide to Systematic Theology, by Kevin DeYoung. Crossway, 2024. Hardcover, 432 pages, $32.99. Reviewed by OP pastor Tyler C. Detrick.

How do we pass along the study of systematic theology to a new generation? How do we help newcomers to the Reformed tradition sharpen their theological vocabulary and to start to think as Christians who rightly divide the word of truth? Kevin DeYoung provides a helpful resource to this end in his Daily Doctrine: A One-Year Guide to Systematic Theology.

Daily Doctrine is designed in the style of a yearly devotional, but it is in fact a systematic theology. Over the course of 260 days (breaking for two days each week), DeYoung covers the primary topics of theology, including prolegomena, theology proper, anthropology, covenant theology, Christology, soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology. The reading for each day covers a complete subtopic but is no longer than a page and a half. Thus, the reader has an accessible volume that he can use either as a daily devotional or as a mini systematic theology. Consider this volume the utility knife of systematics.

I have appreciated DeYoung over the years for his clear, concise, and contemporary writing. He is gifted at taking seminary-level topics and transposing them into conversations at your family coffee table. Daily does not disappoint in this respect! DeYoung does an excellent job of introducing technical terms like “archetypal” and “ordo salutis“ without confusing his readers with unnecessary jargon. I also appreciate how DeYoung demonstrates the same skill while explaining tough topics; for instance, on Day 109 he contrasts Baptist and Presbyterian covenant theologies by using a memorable analogy of a puppy growing into a dog.

I also found Daily Doctrine to be rich in pastoral application. Although the transition between explanation and application occasionally feels clunky, I do appreciate DeYoung asking, “so what?” on a regular basis. For example, after a week of reading on the doctrine of the Trinity, he takes a day to ask (and answer), “So why does the doctrine of the Trinity matter? What is the ‘payoff’ for the ordinary Christian?” (72). DeYoung also includes relevant sections on pressing issues of our own day, including transgenderism, homosexuality, and church membership, as well as some controversial issues like creation days and republication. As a result, this volume feels relevant to our day and time.

One possible critique of this book is that it errs so much on the side of brevity that readers will walk away having only scratched the surface of each topic. Can someone really have a solid grasp of the doctrine of regeneration after reading only one page? DeYoung, however, is banking on his readers developing an appetite for faithful systematics and turning from his book to older and reliable theologians with hunger for more. DeYoung regularly quotes theologians like Bavinck, Hodge, and Turretin, as well as the Westminster Standards and the Three Forms of Unity so that his readers know where to go for a deeper dive into these topics. Equipped with new vocabulary and trained to think theologically, readers of Daily Doctrine will find after a year that Turretin or Berkhof are far less intimidating. They might even move Bavinck from the shelf to their coffee table.

One final thought on DeYoung’s Daily Doctrine: He has done an excellent job of getting systematic theology into the hands (and ears) of a new generation. I was surprised to find on Spotify this past week a podcast through Crossway called Doctrine Matters with Kevin DeYoung. This free resource complements Daily Doctrine, bringing systematic theology into the world of digital streaming. May our churches be blessed by an ever-increasing set of resources that encourage us to think deeply about our infinite God!