Resources for the Calvinist

Once one has been fully convinced of the soundness of the doctrines of grace (points of Calvinism), he/she is resolute in their conviction....that is usually until they are called to the carpet on it.

You can believe in Unconditional Election wholeheartedly but you seem at a lost when trying to defend your position—especially against those who are seasoned in whatever doctrines they hold to. Or it could be that you know you the doctrine of Irresistible Grace is true but can't explain why.

So I narrowed down the top 5 resources for the Calvinist. I'm gonna try to list this from essential or introductory to advanced.

1. Of course number is the Bible. And not just any bible but one that is more formal/literal but that is understandable. Those two things usually come at trade-offs. I would say nothing as literal/formal as the KJV or even the NASB (the NASB is a great version but the KJV to me just isn't readable...most of the time it doesn't even sound like English) and nothing more dynamic than the NIV. The Bible should be our textbook. It should actually be read...not checked. Read whole books/epistles—especially essential books/epistles like John, Romans, and Ephesians.

2. Though often overlooked, the creeds and historical documents since the Reformation are very helpful. You could casually read through the Canons of Dort, the Westminster Confession, Shorter Catechism and Larger Catechism, and the Heidelberg Catechism. I personally agree with everything in them (such as cessationism) but they are a theological goldmine.

3. One book I have found to be very helpful, clear, and straight to the point: "The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Defended, and Documented" by David N Steele, Curtis C Thomas, and S Lance Quinn. It is a quick read, full of scripture, and well-organized.

4. This will be a little hard to find but Curt Daniel's "The History and Theology of Calvinism" is great for a more in-depth look at the doctrine. It gives you the background of what we call Calvinism, important beliefs, and also does a good job at addressing questions and arguments you may deal with (whether personal or not).

5. And finally, if you wish to dig deeper (much deeper) the Reformed student's favorite: Wayne Grudem's "Systematic Theology". This is seminary-grade stuff, but Dr. Grudem does a great job making it accessible for the average person. I'm sure he wouldn't claim it to be an exhaustive study of the Christian faith from the Reformed perspective, but it seems to be just that.

There are other great resources out there. There are great websites out there like monergism.com, spurgeon.org, and fivesolas.com to name a few. I believe these would be enough to build a strong understanding in the doctrines of Calvinism. Let me know in the comments of any particular favorites of yours.

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