There are tons of threads listing the best systematics, but if you had to pin down the top ten best theology books of all time, what would they be?

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Jeff Bartel
Mechanical Engineer
Member - Trinity Reformed Church - RPCNA

"To believe in the power of man in the work of regeneration is the great heresy of Rome, and from that error has come the ruin of the Church. Conversion proceeds from the grace of God alone, and the system which ascribes it partly to man and partly to God is worse than Pelagianism" (The Reformation in England (London, 1962), Vol. 1, p. 98)

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In no certain order...

Calvin's Institutes
Luther's Bondage of the Will
Augustine's Confessions
Edwards' Religious Affections
Bahnsen's Van Til's Apologetic Readings and Analysis
Westminster Standards
John Owen: Death of Death in the Death of Christ
William Whitaker - Disputations on Holy Scripture
Lex Rex - Samuel Rutherford
Having a hard time picking #10 - will edit later

#10 John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress. Huge impact

[Edited on 11-4-2005 by crhoades]

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Chris Rhoades -33
Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church (PCA) Nashville, TN-Under Care

Vera theologia non theoretica, sed practica est; Finis siquidem eius agere est hoc est vitam vivere deiformem. - Martin Bucer
""True theology is not theoretical, but practical. The end of it is living, that is to live a godly life."

No hierarchical order, but these came to mind:

Institutes of the Christian Religion by Calvin
Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) by Westminster Divines
By Oath Consigned, by Meredith Kline
Human Nature in its Fourfold State by Thomas Boston
The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination by Loraine Boettner
The Freedom of the Will by Jonathan Edwards
The Death of Death in the Death of Christ by John Owen
The Canon of Scripture by F.F. Bruce or Christ of the Covenants by O. Palmer Robertson
Systematic Theology by Berkhoff
City of God or Confessions by Augustine

__________________
--chRis
Psalm 115:1

Christopher Reeder
Husband to Kara, Father to Abigail (7), Caleb (6), Grace (4 1/2), Zoë (3), Elijah (1 1/2) and Hannah (born 8/8/2008)

Member: Pilgrim Presbyterian Church (OPC), Raleigh, NC

I haven't read all the books to know...sorry!

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Rev. Andrew J. Barnes
Husband of Dena
Pastor of Tchula Presbyterian Church

Tough to choose...

Calvin's Institutes
Augustine's Confessions and City of God
Luther's Bondage of the Will
Dabney's Discussions
Rutherford's Lex Rex
Ames' The Marrow of Divinity
Ursinus' Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism
Poole and Henry's Commentaries on the Bible
Fisher's The Marrow of Modern Divinity and Catechism
Boston's Human Nature in its Fourfold State
Edwards' History of Redemption and Religious Affections
Westminster Standards

I think I exceeded ten...oh well...


[Edited on 11-6-2005 by VirginiaHuguenot]

__________________
Andrew Myers
Husband of Jessica, Father of Jackson, Katie and Samuel
Member, Presbyterian Reformed Church of Northern Virginia
Warrenton, VA USA
Editor, The Matthew Poole Project

"Let your Morning Thoughts, and your last Evening Thoughts, be what shall become of you to all Eternity." -- Matthew Poole

In no order:

1) The Westminster Standards
2) Institutes of the Christian Religion, by John Calvin
3) Institutes of Elenctic Theology, by Francis Turretin
4) Bondage of the Wlill, by Martin Luther
5) The Works of Edwards
6) The Works of John Owen
7) Disputations on Holy Scripture, by William Whitaker
8) Pastoral Theology, by Thomas Murphy
9) The Art of Prophesying, by William Perkins
10) Historical Theology, by William Cunningham
11) Marrow of Theology, by William Ames
12) Systematic Theology, by Dabney, R. L.
13) Systematic Theology, by Hodge, Charles (3 Volumes)
14) Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (12 Volumes), by Kittel
15) A Treatise On Regeneration, by Peter Van Mastricht
16) Calvin´s Calvinism, by John Calvin
17) The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, by Loraine Boettner
18) Pilgrim´s Progress, by John Bunyan
19) The Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man, by Herman Witsius

Ooops - went a little over.

__________________
C. Matthew McMahon, Ph.D.
John 5:39, "...search the Scriptures..."

Dr. C. Matthew McMahon.com, www.apuritansmind.com and www.puritanpublications.com
Member - Christ Presbyterian Church, Professor at WTS for Puritan History & Theology.

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Life Maxim: Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.
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So what you're saying is:
http://www.apuritansmind.com/Suggest...ryAdvanced.htm

Draught Horse speaks from the grave:

1)Calvin's Institutes
2)Luther's Bondage of the Will; to quote Dr Rushdoony, "This book is one of the finest documents in the history of human thought."
3) Bahnsen's Van Til's Apologetic Readings and Analysis: Van Til decimated humanistic thought. Bahnsen goes on to exegete, explain, and apply Van Til's richest insights.
4) Lex Rex - Samuel Rutherford--ungodly and tyrannical judges and leaders are to be feared and hated, and given the proper preconditions, resisted. Rutherford explains why
5)Rushdoony's Messianic Character of American Education. Although the Reformed world didn't take his predictions and arguments seriously, humanistic America did--and feared! This book poured life into the Home and Christian School Movement. When tyrannical big government was closing in on education and instituting Molech worship, Bahnsen and Rushdoony appeared in courts as expert witnesses and won the battle!
6) Owen's Death of Death--still to be answered.
7) Augustine's Confessions--instrumental in forming Western Spirituality.
8) City of God--While this did less for me than it did for others, still quite useful in decimating pagan apologetics
9) Athanasius De Incarnatione--Set the foundation for Western liberty
10) Kuyper Lectures on Calvinism--Calvinism applied to all of life.

It probably would be better to say - what are the top 5 books in each discipline that your would choose. Its too hard to cover everything important inside of 10 books.

I definitely think Whitaker is a must. Its just too good on the authority of Scripture.

Ames' work and a bible could easily train up a minister.

Murphy's pastoral Theology is a must have for any minister of the Gospel.

edwards, Owen, Calvin, Turretin, Luther - nuff said.

I'd love to list the Scottish Presbies and thier works.

Westminster is obviously a must.

It is impossible to leave a good historical theology book. (Cunningham)

You have to have a good Covenant Theology book (Witsius).

The Two Wills of God by Mcmahon on accomodation, and interpretation is a necessary must (oops, had to plug that one!).

I can't see leaving out the systematics - Turretin, Dabney, Hodge, etc.

Choosing is hard.

Here's a list more focused on Reformed books:

http://public.csusm.edu/guests/rsclark/Books.html

rsc

__________________
R. Scott Clark, D.Phil
Professor of Church History and Historical Theology

"For Christ, His Gospel, and His Church"
Associate Pastor
Oceanside URC
The Heidelblog

Now that's some late night reading for ya!

BTW, where did you get the extra two volumes? :P

Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 10 Volumes

1. Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin
2. WCF
3. The Death of Death in the Death of Christ, Owen
4. Anything by Jonathan Edwards
5. Shedd's Dogmatic Theology (vol. 1-3)
6. The Doctrine of God, Herman Bavnick
7. Principles of Sacred Theology, Abraham Kuyper
8. The Satisfaction of Christ, Pink (reading this one NOW!)
9. Systematic Theology, Wayne Grudem
10. The Spiritual Man, Watchman Nee
11. The Eternal Church, Bill Hamon
12. The Sovereignty of God, Pink
13. The Harvest, Rick Joyner

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Chuck Stoltz
Intercessory Missionary
International House of Prayer
Kansas City, Missouri

"Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is as strong as death, jealousy as cruel as the grave; its flames are flames of fire, a most vehement flame. Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it. If a man would give for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly despised." (Song of Solomon 7:6-7)

Whats so special about Rick Joyner and his book the harvest ?

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* Ralph Wilms (7-10-1974)
* Church : Christengemeente Roermond (The Netherlands)
* Credobaptist who hold towards Covenant Theology
* Husband of Reena & father of Naomie and Gideon
* 1729 Goat Yard Declaration of Faith
* 1646 & 1689 Baptist Confession of faith
* 1595 The Lambeth Articles
* 1618-1619 The Canons of Dordt

What I meant was, "check it out!"

Hey, Chuck, I like your tag line.

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Gerry Winebrenner
member Christ Presbyterian Church (OPC)
Janesville WI

Psalm 95:6-7
Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Rick Joyner is a heretic.

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DAVIDIVS DOCTVS VTRIVSQVE LINGVAE
Husband of Emilia
Member: First Reformed Presbyterian Church of Durham (RPCNA) - Durham, NC
Currently in the process of transferring membership to an as-yet-undecided church in Chapel Hill
Student: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, German Literature and Classics

I am hitting Imitation of Christ definately number one for me. I will get back on the other 9 easier said than done.

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~etexas~