This morning I woke up at an ungodly hour and could not go back to sleep (was it because I was giving my first ever Hebrew ordination exam?).  So what was I to do?  Lo and behold my eyes wandered to my night stand and the pile of books thereon.  In that unwieldy stack there lay a little book and I thought to myself that I might just be able to complete it before I had to get up.  And that is what happened.  And I must confess the book held my attention because it dealt with an interesting topic and was written in an engaging manner.  Daniel R. Hyde, pastor of Oceanside United Reformed Church in Carlsbad/Oceanside, CA, has written a delightful little book that augers well for the series it introduces to the reading public.  In In Defense of the Descent: A Response to Contemporary Critics the author addresses a fascinating subject within brief compass (the text proper amounts to 74 pages).  The book is the first in the series Explorations in Reformed Confessional Theology published by Reformation Heritage Books and can be obtained here.  The descensus clause ("he descended into hell") of the Apostles Creed has historically been confessed in Reformed circles but in more recent days has come in for criticism.  Pastor Hyde traces the history of the clause and its varied interpretations and offers a persuasive defense of the historical Reformed understanding.  Rather than reveal what that is I recommend that you read this gem for yourselves.