Which are the best Reformed books?

[Jack Hectorman]

Lorraine Boettner The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination is up there.

Yes it is a great work. I think highly of Dr. Boettner's book and have had it on my desk for decades. Student ad X listed it in his post 28.

I will remember this thread for the many good Reformed books mentioned herein.

♫♫

 

[JM]

Welcome Jack.

 

[Iosias]

According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible

The Goldsworthy Trilogy

Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics: Foundations and Principles of Evangelical Biblical Interpretation

Christ-Centered Biblical Theology: Hermeneutical Foundations and Principles

 

[Iosias]

According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible

The Goldsworthy Trilogy

Gospel-Centered Hermeneutics: Foundations and Principles of Evangelical Biblical Interpretation

Christ-Centered Biblical Theology: Hermeneutical Foundations and Principles

 

[HereIStand]

You won't go wrong with Berkhof's Systematic Theology. It is a comprehensive treatment of all major aspects of Reformed doctrine and I consider it a must read.

AMR

I think that I'm going to purchase that. I had thought about buying Michael Horton's systematic theology text, but Berkhof seems like a better one to start with.

 

[Iosias]

I think that I'm going to purchase that. I had thought about buying Michael Horton's systematic theology text, but Berkhof seems like a better one to start with.

Berkhof is dated, Concise Reformed Dogmatics is far better.

 

[HereIStand]

Berkhof is dated, Concise Reformed Dogmatics is far better.

His work seems to have stood the test of time. There may be some current areas that a modern theologian could better speak to, but I really need more of a classic foundation that I believe Berkhof could better provide.

 

[Iosias]

I hope you find it useful then

 

[DocNH]

This list was composed by Reformed Theological Seminary. While some of it may be considered dated, it is still a pretty good list we had back when ... Note some of these are comparative reading and not necessarily healthy for young souls ...

Bible Content and Interpretation

A. Essential Reading

1.God's Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible, Vaughan Roberts
2.Reading the Bible with Heart and Mind, Tremper Longman III
3.According to Plan: the Unfolding Revelation of God in in the Bible, Graeme Goldsworthy
4.Playing by the Rules, Robert H. Stein
5.Survey of the Bible, William Hendricksen

B. Further Reading

1.Christ of the Covenants, O. Palmer Robertson
2.He Gave Us Stories, Richard Pratt, Jr.
3.Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament, Christopher Wright
4.Let the Reader Understand, Dan McCartney and Charles Clayton
5.The Progress of Redemption, William Van Gemeren

C. Advanced/Comparison Reading

1.Biblical Theology, Geerhardus Vos
2.Introduction to the Old Testament, Raymond Dillard and Tremper Longman III
3.The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses, Vern Poythress
4.Introduction to the New Testament, Carson, Moo, and Morris
5.The Coming of the Kingdom, Herman Ridderbos
6.New Testament History, F.F. Bruce
7.Hermeneutics, Authority and Canon, Carson and Woodbridge
8.Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation, ed. Moises Silva

II Spiritual Growth and Calling

A. Essential Reading

1.The Call, Os Guiness
2.Called to the Ministry, Edmund Clowney
3.A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, Eugene Peterson
4.Confessions, St. Augustine
5.Grow in Grace, Sinclair Ferguson
6.Pray With Your Eyes Open, Richard Pratt, Jr.
7.If God Already Knows, Why Pray?, Douglas Kelly
8.Born Free, Steve Brown
9.The Lord's Prayer, Derek Thomas

B. Further Reading

1.Studying Theology As A Servant of Jesus, John Frame
2.The Godly Man's Picture, Thomas Watson
3.The Disciplines of Grace, Jerry Bridges
4.The Way of Life, Charles Hodge
5.Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan
6.The Ascent Psalms, Derek Thomas
7.Cry of the Soul, Dan Allender
8.The Pleasures of God, John Piper

C. Advanced/Comparison Reading

1.Holiness, J.C. Ryle
2.The Religious Life of Theological Students, B.B. Warfield
3.An Introduction to Theological Studies, William Cunningham
4.Finding the Will of God, Bruce Waltke
5.Decision Making and the Will of God, Garry Friesen
6.The Enemy Within and Through the Looking Glass, Chris Lundgaard
7.A Resilient Life, Gordon MacDonald
8.The Devoted Life, Kelly Kapic and Randall Gleason

III Systematic Theology

A. Essential Reading

1.Knowing God, J.I. Packer
2.Salvation Belongs to the Lord, John Frame
3.Concise Theology, J.I. Packer
4.The Fabric of Theology, Richard Lints
5.Putting Amazing Back into Grace, Michael Horton
6.The Christian Life, Sinclair Ferguson
7.Summary of Christian Doctrine, Louis Berkhof
8.Introductory Essay to John Owens' The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, J.I. Packer
9.Perspectives on the Word of God, John Frame

B. Further Reading

1.Foundations of the Christian Faith, James Boice
2.Inspiration and Authority of the Bible, B.B. Warfield
3.The Infallible Word, ed. by Stonehouse/Woolley
4.Redemption Accomplished and Applied, John Murray
5.Studies in Theology, B.B. Warfield
6.Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms

C. Advanced/Comparison Reading

1.Institutes of Christian Religion, John Calvin
2.Systematic Theology, Louis Berkhof
3.Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem
4.A New Systematic Theology, Robert Reymond
5.The Holy Trinity, Robert Letham
6.The Doctrine of God, John Frame
7.The Atonement, Leon Morris
8.Adopted By God, Robert Peterson

IV Philosophy and Christian Thought

A. Essential Reading

1.Building a Christian World View (Vol. 1-2), W. Andrew Hoffecker and Gary Scott Smith
2.Sophie's World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy, Jostein Gaarder
3.The Christian Mind, Harry Blamires
4.The Universe Next Door, James Sire
5.World Views in Conflict, Ronald Nash
6.God and the Philosophers: The Reconciliation fo Faith and Reason, Thomas V. Morris

B. Further Reading

1.The Gravedigger File, Os Guiness and Nick Butterworth
2.Longing to Know, Esther Meek
3.The Way of the World, Craig Gay

C. Advanced/Comparison Reading

1.The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn
2.Reason Within the Bounds of Religion, N. Wolterstorff
3.Ideas Have Consequences, Richard Weaver
4.Lectures on Calvinism, Abraham Kuyper

V Church History

A. Essential Reading

1.Church History in Plain Language, Bruce Shelley
2.Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity, Mark Noll
3.Church History, Volume 1: From Christ to Pre-Reformation, Everett Ferguson
4.A Religious History of the American People, Sydney Ahlstrom
5.The Story of Christian Theology, Roger Olson
6.Historical Theology, Alister McGrath

B. Further Reading

1.Augustine of Hippo, Peter Brown
2.The Thought of Thomas Aquinus, Brian Davies
3.Luther, Heiko Oberman
4.Calvin: A Biography, Bernard Cottret
5.Jonathan Edwards: A Life, George Marsden

C. Advanced/Comparison Reading

1.The Early Church, Henry Chadwick
2.Early Christian Doctrines, J.N.D. Kelly
3.Christianity and Western Thought, Volume 1, Colin Brown
4.Western Society and the Church in the Middle Ages, R.W. Southern
5.The Christian Tradition: A History of the Development of Doctrine (5 vols.), Jaroslav Pelikan
6.The Medieval Theologians, G.R. Evans
7.A World History of Christianity, Adrain Hastings

VI Contemporary Western Culture

A. Essential Reading

1.Engaging God's World, Cornelius Plantinga
2.Christ and Culture, H. Richard Niebuhr
3.No Place for Truth, David Wells

B. Further Reading

1.Culture Wars, James D. Hunter
2.Resident Aliens, Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon
3.A Primer on Postmodernism, Stanlye Grenz
4.Postmodern Times, Gene Veith
5.Pop Culture Wars, William Romanowski
6.Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, Mark Noll
7.The Struggle for America's Soul, Robert Wuthnow

C. Advanced/Comparison Reading

1.The Culture of Interpretation, Roger Lundin
2.Total Truth, Nancy Pearsey
3.The Sensate Culture, Harold O.J. Brown

VII Apologetics

A. Essential Reading

1.Every Thought Captive, Richard Pratt, Jr.
2.God in the Dock, C.S. Lewis

B. Further Reading

1.Apologetics to the Glory of God, John Frame
2.Christian Apologetics, Cornelius Van Til
3.Why I Believe in God, Cornelius Van Til (available online)

C. Advanced/Comparison Reading

1.The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God, John Frame
2.Van Til: An Analysis of His Thought, John Frame
3.Van Til's Apologetic, Greg Bahnsen
4.Five Views of Apologetics, ed. Steve Cowan

VIII Missions and Evangelism

A. Essential Reading

1.Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, J.I. Packer
2.Right With God, John Blanchard
3.Powerful Evangelism for the Powerless, C. John Miller
4.Tell the Truth, Will Metzger

B. Further Reading

1.Let the Nations Be Glad, John Piper
2.Christian Mission, John Stott
3.An Introduction to the Science of Missions, J. Herman Bavink
4.The Pastor-Evangelist: Preacher, Model, and Mobilizer for Church Growth, Roger Greenway
5.Telling the Truth: Evangelizing Postmoderns, D.A. Carson
6.The Gospel in a Pluralistic Society, Lesslie Newbigin
7.Missionary Methods: St. Paul's or Ours?, Allen Rolland

C. Advanced/Comparison Reading

1.Perspectives on the World Christian Movevment, Ralph Winter
2.Mission in the Old Testament, Walter Kaiser
3.Gospel and Mission in the Writings of St. Paul, Peter T. O'Brien
4.God's Missionary People, Charles Van Engen
5.A Heart for Mission: Five Pioneer Thinkers, Ron Davies
6.What In the World is God Doing?, C. Gordon Olson

IX Task of Preaching

A. Essential Reading

1.How To Talk So People Will Listen, Steve Brown
2.The Supremacy of God in Preaching, John Piper

B. Further Reading

1.Between Two Worlds, John Stott
2.Biblical Preaching, Haddon Robinson
3.Preaching with Purpose, Jay Adams

C. Advanced/Comparison Reading

1.Christ-Centered Preaching, Bryan Chapell
2.Preachers and Preaching, Sam Logan
3.Preaching Christ in All of Scripture, Ed Clowney
4.Preaching for Revitalization, Michael Ross

X Pastoral Ministry and Leadership

A. Essential Reading

1.Jesus Christ Disciplemaker, William Hull
2.Spiritual Leadership, J. Oswald Sanders
3.Working the Angles, Eugene Peterson

B. Further Reading

1.Shepherding God's Flock, Jay Adams
2.The Reformed Pastor, Richard Baxter
3.The Work of the Pastor, William Still

C. Advanced/Comparison Reading

1.The Christian Ministry, Charles Bridges
2.The Making of a Leader, Robert Clinton
3.The Unnecessary Pastor, Eugene Peterson
4.Pastoral Theology, Thomas Oden

XI Christian Counseling

A. Essential Reading

1.The Care of Souls, David Benner
2.The Healing Path, Dan Allendar
3.Inside Out, Larry Crabb
4.Telling Secrets, Frederick Buechner
5.Connecting, Larry Crabb

B. Further Reading

1.Bold Love, Dan Allender and Tremper Longman III
2.The Cry of the Soul, Dan Allender and Tremper Longman III
3.Finding God, Larry Crabb
4.The Gospel According to Job, Mike Mason
5.The Sacred Romance, Brent Curtis and John Eldredge
6.Sacred Thirst, M. Craig Barnes
7.A Tale of Three Kings, Gene Edwards
8.When God Interrupts, M. Craig Barnes
9.The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen

C. Advanced/Comparison Reading

1. Ministry in the Image of God, Stephen Seamands
2.The Myth of Certainty, Daniel Taylor
3.The Awakened Heart, Gerald May
4.Yearning: Living Between How It Is and How It Ought to Be, M. Craig Barnes

XII Other Titles

A. Essential Reading

1.Truth in All Its Glory: Commending the Reformed Faith, William Edgar
2.How to Read a Book, Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren
3.Chosen by God, R.C. Sproul
4.Designed for Dignity, Richard Pratt, Jr.
5.God Has Spoken, J.I. Packer
6.The Church, Edmund Clowney
7.Seeking a Better Country: 300 Years of American Presbyterianism, D.G. Hart and John R. Muether

B. Further Reading

1.Give Praise to God, Ligon Duncan and Derek Thomas
2.With One Voice: Discovering Christ's Song in Our Worship, Reggie Kidd
3.Creation and Change, Douglas Kelly
4.The Bondage of the Will, Martin Luther
5.Plan of Salvation, B.B. Warfield
6.Created in God's Image, Anthony Hoekema
7.The Glorious Body of Christ, R.B. Kuiper

 

[JM]

This list could go on and on. A few more titles if you can find them.


John Spiilsbury (1598-1668), "A Treatise Concerning the Lawfull Subject of Baptisme", 1643.

Henry Lawrence (1600-1664), "Of Baptism", 1646.

Thomas Patient (?-1666). "The Doctrine of Baptism and the Distinction of the Covenants", 1654.

John Bunyan (1628-1688), "The Doctrine of Law and Grace Unfolded", 1659

Edward Hutchinson (?-?), "A Treatise Concerning the Covenant and Baptism", 1676.

Nehemiah Coxe (?-1688), "A Discourse of the Covenants that God made with Men before the Law", 1681.

Benjamin Keach (1640-1704),"The Display of Glorious Grace, or The Covenant of Peace Opened", 1689.

Benjamin Keach (1640-1704), "The Everlasting Covenant", 1693.

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

Here's a lengthy list of Puritan works recommended by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon of "A Puritan's Mind". And here is an exhortation from Dr. Joel R. Beeke as to why we should read the Puritans, endorsed by Ligonier Ministries.

 

[HereIStand]

Here's a lengthy list of Puritan works recommended by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon of "A Puritan's Mind". And here is an exhortation from Dr. Joel R. Beeke as to why we should read the Puritans, endorsed by Ligonier Ministries.

One that I'd would recommend on the Puritans is Visible Saints: The History of a Puritan Idea by Edmund S. Morgan. I wrote the following short review of it on Amazon:

Morgan's study focuses on important concepts within the history of Christianity in Colonial New England. What were the requirements for belonging to the church? And related to this, who could be baptized and receive the Lord's Supper? Morgan supplies the answers to these questions in a readable style. Further, for the most part, he reflects on these questions in terms of what the Puritans themselves believed. In short, this is a book that anyone interested in the history of Christianity in Colonial America, especially Calvinist-oriented Christianity, will want to read.

 

[jdbrown]

A Christian View of Men & Things (Clark)
A Time for Truth (Simons)
Assured by God (Parsons)
Charity and its Fruits (Edwards)
City of God (Augustine)
Classical Apologetics (Sproul)
Coming of the Kingdom (Ridderbos)
Confessions (Augustine)
Counted Righteous in Christ (Piper)
Creation and Change (Kelly)
Death of Death in the Death of Christ (Owen)
Ethics and the Christian (Sproul)
Freedom of the Will (Edwards)
God and Modern Philosophy (Collins)
Gospel Fear (Burroughs)
Gospel Worship (Burroughs)
Here I Stand (Bainton)
Institutes of the Christian Religion (Calvin)
Justification (Turretin)
Knowing God (Packer)
Principles of Conduct (Murray)
Redemption Accomplished and Applied (Murray)
The Bondage of the Will (Luther)
The Person of Christ (Berkhouwer)
The Religious Affections (Edwards)
The Sovereignty of God (Pink)

 

[Osage Bluestem]

I liked Salvation is of The Lord by John Frame.

 

[Jack Hectorman]

Welcome Jack.

Thank you JM, appreciate it.

 

[Jack Hectorman]

Death of Death in the Death of Christ (Owen)

I have this great work, and it is very difficult to actually get through it, imo you have to really ... really want it. The old English sentence construction will pound your brain into a pulp. 'Course, I am just speaking for myself here, there may be some that can just breeze on through it.

(On second thought. ..LOL.. I just said that to be "modest", I don't really believe anybody can "just breeze through" Owen's Death Of Death ...)

The Sovereignty of God (Pink)

I once had this book years ago and I let a friend have it. I hear it mentioned so often with such high praise that I am going to get myself another copy and hang on to it.

Great thread. Magnificient works referenced. This thread is a keeper for sure. Much appreciated.

Cheers.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

 

[ronathanedwards]

The best book on Romans 9 by far is John Piper's "The Justification of God" ... unrivaled and not even attempted to be refuted.

 

[Iosias]

Being and Time by Martin Heidegger