What to read?

[Presbyrino]

I am trying to be more disciplined about my reading habits. When I first became reformed, I went on a book purchasing binge and purchased a lot of books, more books than I could possibly ever read. I have a bunch of books that are half-read and find that I barely finish reading books, when I am off to conquer the next books and then repeat the cycle again. In my reading habits, I am a mile wide and an inch deep. I would really like to focus my reading and really master a couple of good, solid works.

If you had to read the works of just one or two authors, who would they be? Or, If you absolutely had to read one book on the following topics, what would they be?

1)Bible Commentary
2)Biblical Theology
3)Systematic Theology
4)Apologetics
5)Worldview
6)Biblical Ethics
7)Practical Theology (Christian Living)

Please don't respond with a "just me and the bible" response. If you feel urged to do so, please just ignore this post. I understand that the reading of scripture is primary. I am looking at books to aide in my understanding of scripture and I want to learn from saints of old who are definitely more learned than I am and definitely more wise then I am.

 

[RamistThomist]

Originally posted by Presbyrino
I am trying to be more disciplined about my reading habits. When I first became reformed, I went on a book purchasing binge and purchased a lot of books, more books than I could possibly ever read. I have a bunch of books that are half-read and find that I barely finish reading books, when I am off to conquer the next books and then repeat the cycle again. In my reading habits, I am a mile wide and an inch deep. I would really like to focus my reading and really master a couple of good, solid works.

If you had to read the works of just one or two authors, who would they be? Or, If you absolutely had to read one book on the following topics, what would they be?

1)Bible Commentary
2)Biblical Theology
3)Systematic Theology
4)Apologetics
5)Worldview
6)Biblical Ethics
7)Practical Theology (Christian Living)

Please don't respond with a "just me and the bible" response. If you feel urged to do so, please just ignore this post. I understand that the reading of scripture is primary. I am looking at books to aide in my understanding of scripture and I want to learn from saints of old who are definitely more learned than I am and definitely more wise then I am.

Me and my bible.

Ok, seriously,
1)
2) Vos with reservations. I think he is overrated but it is a landmark.
3) Bavinck
4) Bahnsen-Van til
5) David Wells
6) John Jefferson Davis, Ken Gentry's forthcoming book (Covenantal Theonomy, Greg Bahnsen's lectures, Carl F H Henry
7) John Piper probably

 

[C. Matthew McMahon]

1)Bible Commentary - Geneva Series, Hendricksen as well
2)Biblical Theology - Owen or Vos
3)Systematic Theology - Turretin or Calvin, maybe Shedd and Berkhof
4)Apologetics - Clark, Van Til, Gerstner
5)Worldview -
6)Biblical Ethics -
7)Practical Theology (Christian Living) - William Plumer "Vital Godliness"

 

[Scott]

5) Worldview - James Sire, The Universe Next Door. Very readable.

 

[matt01]

Peter Jefferey's Bitesize Theology: An ABC of the Christian Faith

 

[py3ak]

1)Bible Commentary Matthew Henry
2)Biblical Theology Vos
3)Systematic Theology Calvin
4)Apologetics Bahnsen
5)Worldview C.S. Lewis
6)Biblical Ethics Henry Scudder or ?
7)Practical Theology (Christian Living) Thomas Goodwin

 

[Puritan Sailor]

Originally posted by Presbyrino
1)Bible Commentary
2)Biblical Theology
3)Systematic Theology
4)Apologetics
5)Worldview
6)Biblical Ethics
7)Practical Theology (Christian Living)

Calvin's Institutes just about covers every category there except perhaps commentaries. And he's easy to read. Start there. Then add Berkhof's ST, Fisher/Boston's The Marrow of Modern Divinity, and Bahnsens big book on Van Til. For commentaries, you may want to ask about specific books. Matthew Henry and Calvin are good places to start fr a general picture. I also appreciate Fairbairn and Vos.

 

[Romans922]

1)Bible Commentary -
2)Biblical Theology - Vos
3)Systematic Theology - Berkhof
4)Apologetics - Van Til or anything on Scottish common sense realism
5)Worldview - Bible
6)Biblical Ethics - Something by Harold O. J. Brown
7)Practical Theology (Christian Living) - Calvin's Institutes

[Edited on 3-7-2006 by Romans922]

 

[RamistThomist]

I just realised something--the categories ethics and apologetics/worldview imply one another (no, this isn't a theonomy argument). Knowledge is ethical. The more I know God, the more godly a life I ought to live. The more I am faithful to God's word, the more I grow in understanding of him. It is a spiral, sort of. This insight isn't new to me. It is the book of Proverbs.

I am still stuck on Bible Commentary, though. Who should I recommend?

 

[TimeRedeemer]

Some theology learning - alot of it - requires an approach where you learn from a thousand different sources. Usually when you have a question - the kinds of questions that are born from the overall activity of learning and talking about theology in general - then you go to the internet and to reference books and systematic theologies and anything else you have to exploit. I.e. you don't have to read complete books to learn in that sense.

Then there are books that you are doing yourself a great disservice by never sitting down and reading cover to cover. Calvin's Institutes is the supreme example here. But maybe a person has to build up to that to be able to appreciate it or just understand it. Then you would want to read complete a lesser work of theology like Packer's Concise Theology or Milne's Know the Truth or Berkhof's Manual of Christian Doctrine.

At some point your learning has to be consolidated and focusing on a central book and really making it a part of you will do that.

A way to get a real sense you aren't just wasting your time with a book is to write simple questions as you read it. Write them on a 3x5 card and then write the answer on the back. Questions that apply to the basic point an author is making. Then take all the cards and review once you've read the book. Written questions, and drawing the answer from memory, is a way to get subject matter into you in a more than shallow way.

I recently did this with Vos' great article the Doctrine of the Covenant in Reformed Theology. It was my second time reading that, and I found it of such depth I wrote down what I saw as a central part of it and can remember it now as I write this.

 

[Romans922]

Depends on what you are reading in Scripture.

 

[DanielC]

Originally posted by Presbyrino
If you had to read the works of just one or two authors, who would they be? Or, If you absolutely had to read one book on the following topics, what would they be?

1)Bible Commentary
2)Biblical Theology
3)Systematic Theology
4)Apologetics
5)Worldview
6)Biblical Ethics
7)Practical Theology (Christian Living)

1)M. Henry
2)Vos
3)Berkhof
7)Owen - Communion with God, Fisher - Marrow of Modern Divinity, Baxter - Christian Directory