Recommended Reading

I am occasionally asked for book recommendations on various subjects, so in this page I will recommend some resources that I have found useful in my own ministry and education.

  1. Systematic Theology
    1. Most Recommended
    2. Baptist
    3. Evangelical
    4. Medieval
    5. Reformed/ Presbyterian
    6. Wesleyan
  2. Historical Theology
    1. Reformation & Post-Reformation Theology
  3. Practical Theology
  4. Philosophy
    1. Introduction
    2. Logic
      1. Primary Texts
      2. Secondary Texts
    3. Metaphysics
      1. Primary Texts
      2. Secondary Texts
  5. Mathematics
    1. Proofs & Logic
    2. Foundations & Set Theory

Systematic Theology

Systematic Theology (henceforth abbreviated, ST) pulls all of what we know about God together to form a comprehensive account of Christian doctrine. Although it’s tempting to pick your favorite ST and stick to it, it’s best to work through a single doctrine using several different ST texts. This way, you get different points of view and gain a wider range of knowledge. I’ve included some ST texts I’ve read and am familiar with, although this list is by no means comprehensive. The list is divided into denominations with the level of difficulty ascending (beginner to advanced) under each heading.

Baptist

  • Manual of Theology & Church Order – John Dagg. Dagg was the first Southern Baptist theologian and wrote the first Southern Baptist ST. His work is staunchly Calvinistic and he devotes a lot of effort into critiquing Landmarkism. This is an excellent place to start for a Baptist ST.
  • Abstract of Systematic Theology – James P. Boyce. Boyce was the founder of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a graduate of Princeton Seminary where he studied under the great Charles Hodge. This is a great place to start if you want a good Baptist ST. Read it free here.
  • A Complete Body of Doctrinal & Practical Divinity – John Gill. Anybody who knows me knows that I am a huge fan of Gill. His ST is not overly technical, but is difficult to read because he can be wordy and verbose. Still, this is the cream of the crop of the English Particular Baptist tradition. Get the clothbound hardcover edition from the Baptist Standard Bearer, if you can find it. Otherwise, read it here for free.

Evangelical

  • What Christians Ought To Believe – Michael Bird. If you’ve never read a book on theology, this is a great place to start. Michael Bird uses the Apostle’s Creed to introduce the reader to basic Christian doctrine. This book is great, because it is not dogmatic and only presents the “bare bones” of the Christian faith.
  • Systematic Theology – Norman Geisler. This is hands down the best advanced Evangelical ST text out there. At almost 1600 pages (over 2600 for the four volume set!), this is an absolute beast of a ST. Geisler offers a unique perspective as an Evangelical Thomistic Philosopher and Classical Apologist, and his genius shines all throughout the text. Readers will find that he is Conservative, moderately Calvinistic, and Dispensational.

Medieval

  • Sentences – Peter Lombard. This was the standard theology textbook during the Middle Ages, which all Masters of Theology were required to write a commentary on. What makes the Sentences so interesting is that it is essentially an encyclopedia of Church Father quotes on various questions of theology, systematically arranged by distinctions. Sadly, there is no online version I am aware of, and the only complete English edition is published by the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies (PIMS) in paperback.
  • Summa Theologiae – Thomas Aquinas. The immense influence and technical depth that Aquinas achieved is incredible, and any serious student of theology (and philosophy) must deal with Aquinas at some point. The Summa Theologiae was written as a manual for beginners, but is not for the faint of heart. It will require years of dedicated study to truly grasp Aquinas. Although many editions exist, the Opera Omnia edition (10 vols.) by the Aquinas Institute is by far the best, if you can afford it.

Reformed/ Presbyterian

  • Systematic Theology – Louis Berkhof. This is a great introduction to theology from a Reformed perspective. What makes Berkhof so great is his encyclopedic knowledge of doctrine and accurate representation of various views. This book will acquaint you with the major positions and a brief critique from Berkhof. This is a great ST for those looking for a Reformed perspective, or a good ST in general.
  • Systematic Theology – Robert L. Dabney. Dabney’s ST brings to the table the wisdom and learning of a Southern Statesman, Soldier, Pastor, and Scholar. Dabney was a strong defender of the Southern States, but don’t let that deter you from the rich well of theology that lies within this book. Because of his life experience, Dabney has a stronger Political Theology than most. You can read it here for free.
  • Systematic Theology – Charles Hodge. Hodge was a professor of Theology at Princeton University. He wrote this ST to replace Turretin, which was the standard text at Princeton. This ST represents the best of the “Old Princeton Theology” that was so influenced by Scottish Common Sense Realism. You can read it free here: Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3.
  • Reformed Systematic Theology – Joel Beeke & Paul Smalley. Dr. Beeke is by far my favorite contemporary theologian and one of the foremost scholars on the Puritans today. It should come as no surprise that his ST is full of Puritan spirituality and engages with the historical development of Christian doctrine. Every chapter concludes with a relevant Hymn and questions for meditation and deeper reflection. All four volumes are now available.
  • Reformed Dogmatics (4 vols.) – Herman Bavinck. One of the greatest minds to ever write about Theology, Bavinck is modern, scientific, and deeply philosophical. Readers will find Bavinck to be conservative and orthodox, yet he reformulates traditional arguments and ideas to engage with contemporary issues in theology. Bavinck is highly recommended.
  • Institutes of Elenctic Theology (3 vols.) – Francis Turretin. Often described as the Protestant Aquinas, Turretin is the quintessential Reformed Scholastic theologian. His work, as the name suggests, is heavily polemical against his theological opponents (Rome, Anabaptists, Socinians, etc.) and was the standard theological text at Princeton for years.
  • Theoretical-Practical Theology – Peter Van Mastricht. Van Mastricht really grew on me as a theologian, but I’m most impressed with his consistent method of theology. Each subject is treated in four parts: Exegetical, Dogmatic, Elenctic, and Practical. His work is highly technical, but also highly practical, being a product of the Dutch “Second Reformation”, which was comparable to English Puritanism. As of now, only four volumes of an anticipated seven have been translated and published.

Wesleyan

  • Classic Christianity – Thomas Oden. I cannot express how influential this text was on me in my early years of reading theology. The father of Paleo-Orthodoxy, Oden paved the way for the current revival of Ancient and Medieval Christianity among Evangelicals. In this book, he makes the case for why Christians should continue to listen to the consensus of the Church.

Historical Theology

Reformation & Post-Reformation Theology

  • Reformational Theology: A Systematic Summary – Matthew Barrett (editor). An ingenious combination of Systematic and Historical Theology, this book is excellent in that it brings together the major (and some lesser known) figures of the Reformation and systematically surveys their theology.
  • Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life – Joel Beeke. As I’ve said before, Dr. Beeke is the foremost scholar on the Puritans and this book proves it. This massive volume (1000+ pages) systematically surveys Puritan Theology in its entirety, showing that the Puritans sought to engage both the head and the heart in their theology.
  • Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics (4 vols.) – Richard Muller. This set is the Muller’s magnum opus and one of the greatest works to ever grace academic theology. In these volumes, he surveys the development of doctrine among the Reformed from the late 15th-mid 17th centuries, specifically Prolegomena, Holy Scripture, Theology Proper, and the Trinity. Muller’s work is highly technical and not recommended for beginners.
  • Introduction to Reformed Scholasticism – Willem Van Asselt et al. If you’re not ready to take on Muller, this is the place to start. This book is a concise and basic introduction to Reformed Scholastic Theology, the division of eras, and major thinkers of Reformed Orthodoxy.

Practical Theology

Reformed Preaching – Joel Beeke. This book isn’t as much about structuring sermons or delivering them as it is about recovering the art of “Experimental Preaching”. Dr. Beeke has a lot of great advice for preachers, like reading older authors and patterning your sermons after theirs. To this point, Dr. Beeke includes a host of biographies of Reformed preachers and their methods of preaching. What I love most about this book is its insistence on preaching “to the heart and the mind”, so if you think your preaching lacks application or substance, Dr. Beeke will show you how to integrate both through Experimental Preaching.

Philosophy

Introduction

Philosophy: A Christian Introduction – James Dew & Paul Gould. I took my Young Adult Sunday School class through this book and they loved it. This is an excellent introduction to philosophy that approaches the subject from a Conservative Evangelical and Analytic point of view. The authors guide the reader through the major subdisciplines of philosophy while introducing them to the most recent scholarship in the Philosophy of Religion today.

Christian Philosophy: A Systematic and Narrative Introduction – Craig Bartholomew & Michael Goheen. This is a really unique book in that it surveys the history of philosophy from a Neo-Calvinist/ Kuyperian perspective in the first part of the book, then introduces the reader to Reformed Epistemology and the “Reformational Philosophy” of Herman Dooyeweerd. This perspective is at odds with Classical/ Scholastic perspectives on philosophy, but should be studied by the serious student of philosophy, nevertheless. I recommend starting here if you’re interested in Neo-Calvinism or Dooyeweerd.

Logic

Primary Texts

Organon – Aristotle.

The Logic of Peter Ramus – Peter Ramus.

Secondary Texts

Socratic Logic – Peter Kreeft.

Metaphysics

Primary Texts

Metaphysics – Aristotle.

Secondary Texts

Four Views on Christian Metaphysics – ed. Timothy Mosteller. This is a great introduction to the various views on Christian Metaphysics. The views represented are Platonism, Aristotelianism, Idealism, and Postmodernism, and each of these positions are defended and critiqued by the contributors. This is an excellent place to start.

Scholastic Metaphysics – Ed Feser. This is an excellent textbook on an Aristotelian-Thomistic Metaphysics that would be considered Intermediate-level. Feser mounts an attack against Scientism, then takes the reader through the essential elements of Metaphysics.

Metaphysical Themes 1274-1671 – Robert Pasnau. This massive text is Pasnau’s attempt at surveying Late Medieval and Early Modern Metaphysics. This is an Advanced-level text, so the reader needs to be familiar with the major topics of Metaphysics, as well as the main schools of thought during the Late Medieval and Early Modern periods, before reading.

Mathematics

Proofs & Logic

The Book of Proof – Richard Hammack. This is my favorite introduction to proofs and higher mathematics. Hammack’s book is full of exercises and examples with selected answers in the back. It’s perfect for self-study and also freely available online.

Foundations & Set Theory

The Joy of Sets – Keith Devlin. A great introduction to contemporary set theory. My favorite part of this text is chapter 4, Topics in Pure Set Theory, which applies what the reader has learned to other areas of Pure Mathematics (Borel Sets, Lebesgue Measures, etc.).