What Books Did It for You?

 
What books did it for you?

I thought it might be interesting to poll my readers to see what book (or books) finally pushed you over the edge so that you cried "uncle" and embraced Reformed theology. 

These are five books that were very instrumental in my conversion to Reformed theology from Arminianism and dispensationalism back in 1979-80--although what really did it was Donald Gray Barnhouse's tape series on TULIP.  My list includes Warfield's Inspiration and Authority of the Bible and Plan of Salvation, Bavinck's Our Reasonable Faith, Murray's Redemption Accomplished and Applied, and Berkhof's Systematic Theology.

So, I am looking for those books (not tapes or videos) which were most instrumental in your own journey to Calvinism.  Leave your list in the comments section below.  This could be fun! 

Comments

[BrianR]

Chosen By God by Sproul was the one!

Ironically, I'd heard a series on predestination by a local Calvary Chapel. I was intrigued, I'd never studied this topic before! I went out to my local Christian bookstore and wanted to learn more. I picked up Chosen by God and before long realized, "this isn't the same view I had just heard espoused by Calvary!"

Sproul's writing was instrumental, but it was how he kept pointing the reader BACK TO SCRIPTURE. I couldn't disagree with Scripture, and before long, started letting my friends borrow this book. Those were exciting days.

Lastly, it was a few episodes of White Horse Inn and an article by either Kim or Horton (can't remember) on Israel that finally pulled me out of Dispensationalism.

[AerodynamicPenguin]

Strangely, my breakthrough started to come while reading Kevin Vanhoozer's The Drama of Doctrine, where he develops the idea that our identity as Christians is rooted in election. But, strangely, the clincher came as I read James K.A. Smith's book, Introducing Radical Orthodoxy. While reading Smith I realized that my Arminianism was idolatrous -- a subversion of biblical teaching because of a prior commitment to a modern conception of free will. So I repented of my idolatry and embraced what the Bible teaches. Halleljuah!

[Raymond McPherson]

Hmm, to be honest, I embraced Calvinism before I started reading Reformed books, but what convinced me of Covenant (Reformed) Theology (aside from WHI) was "God of Promise" by Michael Horton and what helped me even further was "A Better Way" by Horton. The best Reformed book that I've ever read was the Bible (Old and New Testaments)! John 10 converted me (with the help of a Calvinist friend).

[rsola5]

luthers bondage of the will
james whites the sovereignty of God
rc sprouls chosen by God
and the most influential was the white horse inn radio program

["lee n. field"]

Wish I could remember. Same time frame, roughly (1977-ish), I picked up a primer on Calvinism at the local Christian bookstore. It was a short paperback. I remember reading it, and thinking "this all makes sense". Everything clicked into place. Last to fall into place was "limited atonement".

That, and a "chance" (providential) comment by someone in a bible study, that had me immediately think "Hey. God isn't limited like that. He's omnipotent. He does what he wants."

Pretty soon I was reading Warfield, and going to PCRT 1978 (on the atonement) at Wheaton, etc.

No idea was that first primer was -- nothing like it has survived in my library, that I can find (much has been boxed since the early 1990s).

[Jeremy]

I was actually won over to Calvinism by preaching. I don't know where my dad got it from, but he started preaching Calvinism, and I started reading my Bible.

Then my brother had a set of videos by Sproul on the Holiness of God. Those videos added a new dimension to my Calvinism.

Finally, I read Putting Amazing Back into Grace and In the Face of God by Horton, and The Pleasures of God by Piper. The reading of those three books made me the poster boy for Reformedicity in the Baptist tradition that I am today.

Interestingly enough, I wasn't much of a reader until I read The Pleasures of God. God used that book to awaken a love for reading that I had never known before. Since I first read that book six years ago, I have read at least one book every two weeks.

["lee n. field"]

As an addendum to my post above, my best friend at that time (best man at my wedding, all that stuff) followed pretty much the same path I did. I lost track of him for a few years. When I reconnected, I found that he'd fallen in among Jesuits and jumped the Tiber for Rome.

[mattb]

The Sovereignty of God by A.W. Pink -- for Calvinism.

To A Thousand Generations by Douglas Wilson -- for pedobaptism.

Christ of the Covenants by O. Palmer Robertson -- for Covenant Theology.

Postmillennialism, An Eschatology of Hope by Keith Mathison -- for Eschatology.

[Greg]

Romans Romans Romans Romans Romans

Several years ago, I decided that the time had come for me to seriously study a book of the Bible; and, in God's providence, I selected Romans. Little did I know how this would change my life. I began by reading through Romans in one sitting numerous times. By the time I had completed reading it only three or four times, I was acutely aware that the "gospel" that I had been taught all my life was a subtle twisting of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Certainly, there have been other books (in and out of Scripture) that subsequently contributed to (and continue to contribute to) my understanding of Reformed theology.

Ephesians; John (especially chapter 6)

Numerous books my Mike Horton (Putting Amazing Back Into Grace, A Better Way, In the Face of God)

Packer's Knowing God; Numerous by Sproul

Finally, Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life must be given mention. When my (now former) church adopted the PDL program and gave me the book, I began to read it carefully, footnote by footnote. I never did finish the book; I was exasperated after just a few chapters by RW's abuse and misuse of Scripture. The effect of the book was to drive me to Scripture. RW may well have been the "straw that broke the camel's back" and pushed me into Romans... thanks Rick ;)

[Brent N.]

"Putting Amazing Back into Grace", by Michael Horton

[TimP]

2, myself - Chosen by God by Sproul, for Calvinism itself, and A Case for Amillenialism, by Dr. R. Never had really seen an explanation of Reformed theology (covenants and all) explained simply. Still on that journey, but what joy there is!
TimP

[RON H.]

As one of the earlier comments, I came to the Reformed position by reading the Bible. When seriously studied, I think it leads logically to the Reformed position, especially taking the whole biblical record into account. But some books have been influencial. 1) Bondage Of The Will, 2) Chosen By God, Sproul, 3) God Of Promise/Putting The Amazing, 4) any of the better commentaries on Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Romans. Maybe somewhere the Holy Spirit had something to do with it, too. That's that.

[CraigP]

John Owen's the Death of Death.

I had never heard of reformed theology before. (But what would you expect with a Wheaton education?)

[David A Booth]

Romans
R.C. Sproul: Chosen by God
Charles Ryrie: Dispensationalism Today
Dwight Pentecost: Things to Come
John Walvoord: The Revelation of Jesus Christ

The last three books might seem really odd. I was attending Calvary Chapel in Vista and didn't really see how dispensationalism was "rightly dividing the word of truth". Several people told me that Dallas Seminary was the flagship school of dispensationalism - so I read their books and found out that they really didn't have the goods in terms of explaining the Bible. After reading these works - I read Sproul's Chosen by God, which was like a breath of fresh air.

[Markus]

I had attended Westminster back in the 70's, and it's not like I rejected any of it; rather I went through a phase where doctrine didn't matter, I just wanted to see God at work in people's lives. Then in the 90's I underwent a return to my Reformed roots. Several books were instrumental:

Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by Packer.

Spurgeon versus Hyper-Calvinism by Iain Murray.

The Pleasures of God by Piper; particularly the chapter on election.

2 books by Sproul: Chosen By God, and Willing to Believe.

Revival and Revivalism by Iain Murray.

By the end of the decade I was pretty settled on the sovereignty of God in salvation; since then the big issue in my life has been learning to trust in the sovereignty of God in daily life. Two books have been particularly influential:

Trusting God by Jerry Bridges

Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology, chapter on Providence.

[David R.]

Authors like John Piper, J.I. Packer and Francis Schaeffer helped prime the pump.

But what finally and decisively converted me from my Arminian, Baptistic, Dispie tendencies was Calvin's Institutes, which I devoured over the course of several weeks.

That was closely followed by Luther's Bondage of the Will, and then Edwards on Freewill, and then anything and everything Reformed I could get my hands on - and it hasn't stopped (and it's been four years or so now).

[Taliesin]

As with many others here, serious Bible study loosened the grip of natural Arminianism. Then JI Packer's "Knowing God" continued the process. RC Sproul's Chosen by God was the pivotal book. From there Reformed books became the staple of my library.

Sitting under the ministry of Dr. S. Lewis Johnson and Dr. Curt Daniel didn't hurt.

[SS]

Dietrick Bonhoffer, The Cost of Discipleship

John MacArthur, Hard To Believe

[Reg Schofield]

A friend way back in the 80's shortly after my conversion introduced me to a little book introducing the "Tulip" and then told me to read sermons by Spurgeon and Lloyd-Jones and the rest is history!

[Jeff S]

The book that drove me to a Reformed understanding of soteriology was Norm Geisler's "Chosen But Free." The CBD catalog really pumped it up so I bought it. Got about half way through it and, even though I would say I was semi-Pelagian back then, I couldn't finish it. I thought it was horrible, even though I was sympathetic towards its purpose.

Then I saw James White wrote a response and it was all over. Throw "Chosen By God" on top of that and, well, here I am...