Book Recommendations

Jon_ · Dec 29, 2005

Paleoconservatarian said:
Let's say a young Reformed Christian has about a $100 to spend, and he wants to buy some books. He does not shy away from "heavy" or challenging content, of course . What would you recommend to him, so that his money is best spent?

I think you already know who I'm going to suggest.

Soli Deo Gloria

Jon

HiredGoon · Dec 29, 2005

I recieved about $150 in amazon gift cards for Christmas and purchased these books:

"Richard Sibbes: Puritanism and Calvinism in Late Elizabethan and Early Stuart England" by Mark E. Dever.
"The Puritan Experiment: New England Society from Bradford to Edwards" by Francis J. Bremer.
"The New England Soul: Preaching and Religious Culture in Colonial New England" by Harry S. Stout.
"Puritans in the New World: A Critical Anthology" by David D. Hall
"The Origin of Paul's Religion" by J. Gresham Machen.
"Dictionary Of The Presbyterian & Reformed Tradition In America" D.G. Hart and Mark Noll, eds.

Erinwilcox · Dec 29, 2005

littleapologist said:
So I was just brousing www.christianbook.com, the site previously recommended, and Calvin's 22 Volume Commentary set is only $100! Me want bad!

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=24442&netp_id=296945&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW#details

I got mine two years ago for the same price! I LOVE them!

Next on my list is Matthew Henry's Commentaries on the Whole Bible. My parents have a set and we often use them in family devotions. It is incredible. I think that a set usually goes for about $50.

Also, my family is currently reading Bunyan's Holy War. Awesome book!

Paleoconservatarian · Dec 29, 2005

Jon_ said:
I think you already know who I'm going to suggest.

Soli Deo Gloria

Jon

Which of his books would you say I should start with? I've been eyeing the "Christian Philosophy" volume they have on monergismbooks.com, which includes Religion, Reason, and Revelation; Three Types of Religious Philosophy; and An Introduction to Christian Philosophy. What do you think of those? Worth the money?

Jon_ · Dec 29, 2005

Paleoconservatarian said:
Which of his books would you say I should start with? I've been eyeing the "Christian Philosophy" volume they have on monergismbooks.com, which includes Religion, Reason, and Revelation; Three Types of Religious Philosophy; and An Introduction to Christian Philosophy. What do you think of those? Worth the money?

That's a good place to start. I just finished that one, in fact. I got the clothbound hardback from Trinity, which I believe is the same edition that Monergism offers. Religion, Reason, and Revelation talks about the relation between the three concepts. Three Types of Religious Philosophy talks about Rationalism (Hegelianism for the most part, but there is some Descartes, Leibniz, and Spinoza thrown in there), Irrationalism (Kierkegaard, Schleiermacher, Barth/Brunner/Bultmann, etc.), and Dogmatism (religion based on revelation). Introduction to Christian Philosophy sort of pieces together the beginnings of Clark's formulation of Christian Dogmatism. By the time I read this particular volume, I had already read almost a dozen of Clark's books, so it was nothing new. As a starting point, though, I'd wager it's much better. If you get that edition, don't bother buying God and Evil: The Problem Solved. That is actually chapter 5 of Religion, Reason, and Revelation.

If you decide to get the book and you decide you want to read more of Clark, I recommend moving on to his Christian View of Men and Things. After that, if you haven't decided that Clark is a nitwit, the order is: God's Hammer, Historiography, Biblical Doctrine of Man, and Language and Theology. If you read those and understand them, you will basically know Clark's philosophy.

He wrote a bunch of books on theology too. As far as that goes, he is your typical orthodox Presbyterian. He's a staunch defender of the Confession and expounds on it very well in What Do Presbyterians Believe?

Soli Deo Gloria

Jon

lmnop9876 · Dec 29, 2005

if CD's are OK, i'd recommend the works of thomas boston on CD, for $40 from reformation heritage books. then the confessions of St. Augustine for $5 in paperback (these are all Australian prices. ). don't really have any other recommendations.

Cajun Huguenot · Dec 29, 2005

There have been some great recommendations so far (well over $100 dollars worth), but I want to add some more to the list.

Given For You: Reclaiming Calvin's Doctrine of the Lord's Supper by Keith Mathison is an important book (Sproul says it is a must read) that Reformed Christians need today. ($12.99 at CBD)

The Shape of Sola Scriptura also by Keith Mathison is also a very important book for the Reformed Christian today. ($13.99 at CBD)

Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 Volumes is also a must have. It is on the web and on CD (I use both but you gotta have a hard bound set.) ($57.99 at CBD)

How Should We Then Live: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture by Francis Schaeffer

That will have to do cause I have to go.

In Christ,
Kenith

cygnusx1 · Dec 29, 2005

Erinwilcox said:
I got mine two years ago for the same price! I LOVE them!

Next on my list is Matthew Henry's Commentaries on the Whole Bible. My parents have a set and we often use them in family devotions. It is incredible. I think that a set usually goes for about $50.

Also, my family is currently reading Bunyan's Holy War. Awesome book!

Matthew Henry 6 vol set is a must !

some further winners !

I would also go for The works of John Bunyan (3 Vols)
C H Spurgeon .... Treasury Of David
Alan Sell ..... The great Debate (Calvinism / Arminianism )
John Gill ...... The Cause of God and Truth.
Gordon Clark ....... Predestination
John Owen ... The Death Of death (Limited Atonement)
Berkhof .... Systematic Theology
Bavink ......... The Doctrine of God.

McWilliams · Dec 29, 2005

Check your library against the suggested reading list for Initial and Advanced on apuritansmind.com:

http://www.apuritansmind.com/SuggestedReading.htm

I very loosely followed this list when I first came to the doctrines of grace and it is very helpful to me. But what do you think?

Cajun Huguenot · Dec 29, 2005

Cajun Huguenot said:
There have been some great recommendations so far (well over $100 dollars worth), but I want to add some more to the list.

Given For You: Reclaiming Calvin's Doctrine of the Lord's Supper by Keith Mathison is an important book (Sproul says it is a must read) that Reformed Christians need today. ($12.99 at CBD)

The Shape of Sola Scriptura also by Keith Mathison is also a very important book for the Reformed Christian today. ($13.99 at CBD)

Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 Volumes is also a must have. It is on the web and on CD (I use both but you gotta have a hard bound set.) ($57.99 at CBD)

How Should We Then Live: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture by Francis Schaeffer

That will have to do cause I have to go.

In Christ,
Kenith

and Christ of the Covenants by O Palmer Robertson

mlqurgw · Dec 30, 2005

I would add Gill's Body of Divinity as a must. It can be downloaded as a commentary in e-sword I believe.

ChurchandCrown · Dec 30, 2005

Gill is fantastic!

Paleoconservatarian · Dec 30, 2005

Cajun Huguenot said:
There have been some great recommendations so far (well over $100 dollars worth), but I want to add some more to the list.

Given For You: Reclaiming Calvin's Doctrine of the Lord's Supper by Keith Mathison is an important book (Sproul says it is a must read) that Reformed Christians need today. ($12.99 at CBD)

The Shape of Sola Scriptura also by Keith Mathison is also a very important book for the Reformed Christian today. ($13.99 at CBD)

Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 Volumes is also a must have. It is on the web and on CD (I use both but you gotta have a hard bound set.) ($57.99 at CBD)

How Should We Then Live: The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture by Francis Schaeffer

That will have to do cause I have to go.

In Christ,
Kenith

I received The Shape of Sola Scriptura for Christmas, actually. It was an excellent read, and I would also recommend this to everyone. I also have Schaeffer's book, as well as his True Spirituality, which I would buy copies of for every member of InterVarsity on my campus, if I could. I've read Calvin's Institutes online, but I agree that I should get a copy.

For those who have recommended books on CD, thank you. However, I guess I'm old fashioned, because I like a book that I can hold in my hand and take with me.

GrinningDwarf · Dec 30, 2005

Paleoconservatarian said:
For those who have recommended books on CD, thank you. However, I guess I'm old fashioned, because I like a book that I can hold in my hand and take with me.
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You and me both!

Sometimes the CD really is the best choice, though. I've got the full set of Schaff's History of the Christian Church and Calvin's Commentaries (I guess that's one more commentary I have that I'd forgotten about!) and a whole bunch more on my laptop, whaereas I would never have had shelf-space for even one of those sets.

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