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!
Reader Comments (104)
The Gospel of the Kingdom- Eldon Ladd
BreakThrough by Derek Morphew
Once I read the guy, I realized what a moron he was and decided Calvin HAD to be right!
God's Way of Reconciliation, Ephesians 2, Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God, J. I. Packer
Chosen by God, R. C. Sproul
1. Verse-by-verse study of Romans
2. Chosen By God - Sproul
That's all it took!
There was no way I could ignore the truth contained in Romans, and Chosen By God was just incredible when I read it through for the first time.
"Putting Amazing Back Into Grace" by Horton
"Knowing God" by JI Packer
Packer's intro to John Owens' "Death of Death in the Death of Christ"
"The Sovereignty of God" by Pink
"The Bondage of the Will" by Luther
"The Confessions" by St. Augustine
I should also credit the White Horse Inn and Modern Reformation for not only helping me in my early years, but even now as the PCA is plagued by the Federal Vision.
Great question Kim.
Matt Holst
Philip E. Hughes, The True Image.
Kenneth E. Bailey, Poet and Peasant (on the Prodigal Son)
John Piper, Desiring God.
Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will
Knowing God - Packer
Boice's Commentary on Romans
and
John Calvin's Institutes... It was a done deal at that point. Even being a student at DTS could no longer keep me in their camp!
Blessings
Romans
Studying the Westminster Shorter Catechism for the first time
4 - Sproul, Chosen by God
3 - Sproul, Grace Unknown
2 - James White, The Potter's Freedom
1 - The Coming Evangelical Crisis (with chapters by Horton, Mohler, Godfrey, Sproul, Strimple, MacArthur, and others)
That number 1 book was published in 1996, but I didn't read it until 1999. It was one of those God-things: I was in an awful Christian bookstore and saw it, bought it, read it. It grabbed me by the collar and yanked me into reality; got me to critically examine my evangelicalism. I then re-read it. What a timely and great book that was for me. God is good, all the time.
Chosen by God, by Sproul, had started me on the road to Reformed thought.
Berkhof's Systematic Theology helped to answer many finer points.
SDG
Marcos
plus Doctrine of Absolute Predestination
/ (Jerom Zanchius)..and No Place for Sovereignty/(McGregor Wright).. Five Points../ (Thomas & Steele)... A Reformation Debate.(CalvinSadoleto)... all started with a simple essay "Never Perish"
by J.C. Ryle and a lot of those Calvinist
pamphlets from Christian Discount Books
2. Chosen By God by R.C. Sproul
3. What is Reformed Theology by R.C. Sproul.
4. A Case for Amillenialism by Kim Riddlebarger.
5. Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray.
In my opinion Murray's Redemption Accomplished and Applied is one of the best works on Reformed soteriology and is a must read. I would throw in as honorable mention Volume 2 of Francis Turretin's Institutes of Elenctic Theology.
2. "The Bible and the Future" by Anthony Hoekema
3. "Systematic Theology" by Louis Berkhof