Reddit mentions of Christian Theology

I know Grudem's is really popular but between the ESS thing, the Trump thing, the Nashville Statement, thing plus the whole Baptist/charismatic/premil stuff I can't recommend him in good conscience.

Here's what I would recommend:

• Calvin's Institutes. Still the gold standard. The language isn't so bad. The Battle translation is the best and most readable, but pricy, the older Beveridge Translation is available for much less (and free online).
  
  
• Reformed Dogmatics (Abridged) by Herman Bavink. My appreciation for Bavink grows every time I read him. If you want a "modern" author, get Bavink. This abridged version is much cheaper and more accessible than the full four volume edition.
  
  
• Systematic Theology, by Louis Berkhof. This was for many years the standard "modern" Reformed ST., but now that Bavinck is available in English I think that is the better option, not that Berkhof is bad by any means. The one advantage Berkhof has over Bavinck is that it is availible for free online and as an ebook.
  
  
• Christian Dogmatics: Reformed Theology for the Church Catholic ed. by Allen and Swain. If you are willing to go with a multi-author collection instead of a traditional single-author volume, this is a good option. Building off of the ideas in Allen and Swains Reformed Catholicity, this book lays out dogmatic theology that is both catholic and Reformed. Many of the heavy hitters of Reformed Theology contribute. As with most multi-author volumes, some chapters are better than others.
  
  
• I had Sam Storms (who like Grudem is a charismatic, Calvinisht Baptist) for undergrad ST and we used baby Erickson. I thought it was quite good. It's broadly ecumenical, not reformed, but I found it very clear and balanced. I'd recommend it if that's the kind of thing you are looking for.
  
  I've heard good things about both Hodge and Frame, but no personal exposure. You could probably do a lot worse than either.

Nice try, Wayne Grudem.

I kid, I kid. Seriously though, I've not read Wayne Grudem. Back in seminary, however, I took Theological Overview under J.I. Packer and the texts for his class were:

Millard Erickson's "robustly evangelical, gently Calvinistic", Christian Theology

& Louis Berkof's 'strongly Reformational', Systematic Theology
___

Those were the weightier academic requirements. Also on the reading list were two volumes for the general reader:

Bruce Milne's helpful survey of Christian theology, Know the Truth


& J.I. Packer's own commendable, Concise Theology

Excellent resources all.

The ESV study Bible has some great study notes, and a even includes mini theology and ethics overviews in the back. I'd recommend a good Systematic Theology as it coves the great themes of the Bible. A good contemporary one would be Millard Erickson's Christian Theology. He deals with a lot of subjects, it's academic, and it might answer a lot of your questions. A more accessible systematic theology is Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology. It's thick, is very popular, and deals with a lot of subjects. It's also made for beginners.