As a pastor, I want to be as prepared as I can to feed and lead the saints under my care. The following books have been helpful to my own personal faith, but they have also assisted me in the task of building up the faith of others in our church. Most of the books here I have read completely, though there are some on the list I have only partially completed. In either case, I trust these resources will benefit you as you dig deeper into the Analytic, Baptist, and Confessional worlds we cherish on The London Lyceum.
Analytic Theology
Oxford Readings in Philosophical Theology: Volume One – Trinity, Incarnation, and Atonement, Edited by Michael C. Rea (Oxford University Press, 2009)
Oxford Readings in Philosophical Theology: Volume Two – Providence, Scripture, and Resurrection, Edited by Michael C. Rea (Oxford University Press, 2009)
The Love of Wisdom: A Christian Introduction to Philosophy, James S. Spiegel and Steven B. Cowan (B&H Academic, 2009)
Philosophy for Understanding Theology, Second Edition. Diogenes Allen and Eric O. Springsted (Westminster John Knox Press, 2007)
An Invitation to Analytic Christian Theology, Thomas H. McCall (IVP Academic, 2015)
Reason for the Hope Within, Edited by Michael J. Murray (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1998)
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion, Michael J. Murray and Michael C. Rea (Cambridge University Press, 2008)
T&T Clark Handbook of Analytic Theology, Edited by James M. Arcardi and James T. Turner (Bloomsbury, 2021)
Baptist Theology
From Shadow to Substance: The Federal Theology of the English Particular Baptists (1642-1704), Samuel D. Renihan (Centre for Baptist History and Heritage, 2018)
Baptists and the Christian Tradition: Toward an Evangelical Baptist Catholicity, Edited by Matthew Y. Emerson, Christopher W. Morgan, and R. Lucas Stamps (B&H Academic, 2020)
By His Grace and For His Glory: A Historical, Theological, and Practical Study of the Doctrines of Grace in Baptist Life (Revised and Expanded 20th Anniversary Edition), Thomas J. Nettles (Founders, 2006)
The Baptist Story: From English Sect to Global Movement, Anthony L. Chute, Nathan A. Finn, and Michael A.G. Haykin (B&H Academic, 2015)
The Mystery of Christ, His Covenant, and His Kingdom, Samuel D. Renihan (Founders, 2020)
Edification and Beauty: The Practical Ecclesiology of the English Particular Baptists, 1675-1705, James M. Renihan (Paternoster, 2008)
Orthodox Radicals: Baptist Identity in the English Revolution, Matthew C. Bingham (Oxford University Press, 2019)
Manual of Theology, John L. Dagg (This is the first systematic by an American Particular Baptist)
A Defence of Calvinism, C.H. Spurgeon (Banner of Truth, 2010)
Kiffen, Knollys, and Keach: Rediscovering our English Baptist Heritage, Michael A.G. Haykin (H&E, 2019)
“A Critical Evaluation of Paedobaptism,” Greg Welty
The Distinctiveness of Baptist Covenant Theology, Pascal Denault (Solid Ground, 2013)
John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible
Confessional
New Hampshire Baptist Confession of Faith
The Roots of Our Faith: The Abstract of Principles Explained and Applied, Morgan Byrd (H&E, 2022)
Know the Creeds and Councils, Justin S. Holcomb (Zondervan Academic, 2014)
The Creedal Imperative, Carl R. Trueman (Crossway, 2012)
An Orthodox Catechism, Hercules Collins (Reformed Baptist Academic Press, 2013)
Below I have listed a few of my favorite works that do not fit neatly into the Analytic, Baptist, or Confessional buckets:
The Works of John Newton – Four Volume Set (Banner of Truth, 2015).
More often than not, one of these volumes is on my nightstand. I love Newton’s story. I love the way he writes. If you take the time to get to know Newton and his story, you’ll truly appreciate “Amazing Grace” all the more. Be sure to read his letter “On Controversy.”
Theology of the Reformers (25th Anniversary Edition), Timothy George (B&H Academic, 2015).
There’s not much to say here. It’s a classic.
Not the Way It’s Supposed to be: A Breviary of Sin, Cornelius Plantinga Jr. (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1995).
This book is only about 200 pages, but it’s the best treatment of the doctrine of sin I’ve read.
