(Part 2) Best products from r/Reformed

I think you are absolutely right in your assessment of the situation and linking the events of childhood to the beliefs of now. It seems to me that you've precisely identified both the cause and the problem which is impacting your prayer life - even though you understand intellectually that God is good, there's a wall that comes up preventing this truth from entering your heart.

Through this author, I have broken through a wall very similar to what you are expressing here. This book is particularly focused on how to break through this wall into the truth of Scripture:

https://www.amazon.com/Victory-Over-Darkness-Realize-Identity/dp/0764213768/

The backstory of this book is very relevant to the situation, I believe. The author came into the ministry out of a burden: he saw that in Scripture Jesus came to set us free and transform us, but when he looked around, he didn't see many Christians who were living as though what the Bible says were truth for today. So he became a professor at Talbot seminary and ran a graduate course for 10 years in which he worked with Christians who are struggling to believe the Gospel and live a transformed life. This book is what he has discovered as part of personally counselling 2,000 Christians and leading a ministry that has impacted millions.

After going through this author's work I was able to move into persistent prayer. At times I was able to experience uninterrupted prayer that would stretch for hours. It became a delight rather than a burden because I fell in love with God and just wanted to lay at His feet and praise Him. The "switch" for me was allowing the love of God to move from my head to my heart and that changed everything. This book gives super practical guidance and help for doing just this.

Here's a few quotes that capture the heart of the book:

• "I believe that your hope for growth, meaning and fulfillment as a Christian is based on understanding who you are - specifically, your identity in Christ as a child of God. Your understanding of who God is and who you are in relationship to Him is the critical foundation for your belief system and your behavior patterns as a Christian."
  
  
• "We must have a true knowledge of God and know who we are as children of God. If we really knew God, our behavior would change radically and instantly."
  
  
• "We don't serve God to gain His acceptance; we are accepted, so we serve God. We don't follow Him to be loved; we are loved, so we follow Him. It is not what we do that determines who we are; it is who we are that determines what we do."
  
  
  It helped me in a very similar situation that you are in. I'd highly recommend it! (I own it on Kindle and can send it to any email address for two weeks - if you want to read it but don't want to buy it, just PM me an email [throwaway is fine] and I'll shoot you my copy)
  

I'd recommend against Barth's Church Dogmatics unless you are quite well versed in theology, and like reading long and sometimes confusing sentences.

Interested in Church Fathers?

Oden's Classical Christianity is pretty decent. It tries to break down the typical "systematic theology" headings using the early church (and some later ones). Not perfect, but there isn't one I've read yet that beats it.

Augustine's Confessions is a must if you haven't read it yet. Its autobiographical yet very spiritual and insightful at the same time.

Chrysostom's On the Priesthood is a great writing that can apply to anyone, not just those seeking ordination.

Athanasius' On the Incarnation focuses on the person of Christ, and what it meant for God to become man.

Basil's On the Holy Spirit is a great exposition on not just how the Holy Spirit is argued to be part of the Trinity, but also Christ. Very great reading for people questioning it or curious about it.

Reformation Fathers?

Peter Martyr Vermigli's Predestination and Justification is great. John Calvin in a letter said Vermigli had a better understanding of Predestination than he did, which is funny since Calvin is known for predestination today.

Martin Luther's Theological Works has most of his important works, including Bondage of the Will.

Richard Muller's Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics, 4 vol. but try not to pay $325 for it. Its out of print so might be a bit hard to find for a reasonable price. If you are able to find it though, it's a gold mine. Also check out other of his books.

More contemporary?

Abraham Kuyper's Lectures on Calvinism is a classic on the Reformed faith.

Herman Bavinck's Abridged Reformed Dogmatics is great, and in my opinion one of the best Systematic Theologies available. More of a Dutch Reformed than Presby bent, but essentially the same.

Karl Barth's Dogmatics in Outline is a very abridged version of Church Dogmatics, and would recommend it over the original source unless you have a lot of free time or want to be a Barth scholar.

Thats what I can think of off the top of my head. If you have other specific ones I can find other stuff.

I'm sure you'll get sarcastic remarks about "just read the Bible" (which, as a Reformed Baptist [charismatic] I'd agree with) but I think you're looking for solid theological interactions on the issue. In some ways, I think these are good starter books for not only the issue at hand (baptism) but also how it fits within the larger theological vision of the Christian life and community. Baptism is one of those issues that, for being seemingly simple, reveals a great deal about how one understands the nature of faith, the entire Christian life, and the nature of the Gospel itself. Just taking a guess, but I assume you're approaching it from the sobriety that the issue deserves given your reading thus far, so I commend you for looking for further resources on the topic and continuing to read!

Here are a few that are good starters, and for more reading, I'd look to their bibliographies and footnotes.

Believer's Baptism - This is a good resource. There are a few points here or there where I'd disagree with various articles. I'd want to emphasize different aspects here or there, but especially at points where the covenants (Covenant Theology v. New Covenant Theology) becomes the issue. So, good starter, and the basic presentation of a thoughtful credo-baptist view.

The Distinctiveness of Baptist Covenant Theology - Taking up that point of covenant theology, this is a very thorough book on how the covenants play within a Reformed Baptist view of baptism. Very good.

Covenant Theology: A Reformed and Baptistic Perspective on God's Covenants

Covenant Theology: A Reformed Baptist Primer

The Confessing Baptist - This is a website and podcast. A good resource for articles and podcasts on various issues related to Reformed Baptists.

If you're looking for one book, I'd go with Believer's Baptism, and supplement with materials available at The Confessing Baptist website. That'll get your versed in the logic of the credo-baptist position, and hopefully provide some good things to mull over.

Hope that helps!

> A group of Christian libertarian economists.

Name names. That description can range anywhere from James Gwartney to Peter Boetke to many full-on kooks. "Libertarian economics" isn't exactly a well-defined term, let alone "Christian Libertarian economics."

I am rather sympathetic to some libertarian ideas myself, but the extremes of "all taxation is theft" is simply a non-starter from a Christian perspective. "Render under Caesar that which is Caesar's " puts the kibosh on that.

>Does anyone have good resources supporting or opposing Christian-based libertarian economics?

My recommendation would be to simply learn good economics and evaluated from a Christian perspective. Don't worry so much about if it is "Christian-based libertarian economics." Here is my standard recommended reading list for a Christian understanding of economics:

• Economic Shalom: A Reformed Primer on Faith, Work, and Human Flourishing by John Bolt. Bolt's perspective is as a theologian, not an Economist, but the book is quite good.
  
  
• [Economics in Christian Perspective: Theory, Policy and Life Choices](
  https://www.amazon.com/Economics-Christian-Perspective-Theory-Choices/dp/0830825975) by Victor V. Claar and Robin J. Klay. Claar and Klay are both Economists so this book is a really good complement to Economic Shalom.
  
  
• Bob Goudzwaard's Capitalism and Progress: A Diagnosis of Western Society is a classic work. It's a bit dated, and I actually disagree with most of what he has to say, but its well worth reading and wrestling with (do read Claar and Klay first though).
  
  
• Another one in the "I don't agree with it much" is Stories Economists Tell: Studies in Christianity and Economics by John Tiemstra. Read the rest of this list first.
  
  
• I'd also recommend "Are Economists Basically Immoral?": and Other Essays on Economics, Ethics, and Religion by Paul Heyne. Heyne wasn't Reformed (he was an ordained Lutheran minister who spent his life teaching economics) but he's one of the clearest expositors of economic principles in the last 50 years and a trained theologian to boot. Free and legal pdf available here.
  
  Of the list I'd classify Heyne as the most libertarian leaning, followed by Claar and Klay. Goudzwaard is definitely the least, followed by Tiemstra. Another resource you might benefit from is this talk on 'Economics with a Christian Vision' by PJ Hill. PJ would be the first person that comes to my mind when I think of a Christian libertarian economist.
  
  

Well I've used it weekly for the last three-ish years, both from the perspective of the disciple and the discipler, and it seems to be the best model that I've seen. Most of the material is from or related to Cru, but I'll just try to include some stuff that isn't.

Here's a massive wealth of articles and videos from Cru on how to go about it. You don't have to use all (or any) of it, but there are a lot of articles for people who are new to discipleship on there, though it is definitely geared towards college aged people.

Life Concepts is another great resource from Cru if you're working with a new believer or someone who doesn't have a very strong understanding of their faith.

For books, I recommend going through the Gospel Centered Life, it's a great short book that has wonderful lessons, and a pretty Reformed view of the gospel. I highly recommend that one.

Some other great books (depending on the individual and what they're going through) would be Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper, Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung (I can't recommend this one enough), and Surfing For God if you wanna talk lust and purity.

I also know a few people who use the Bible Project and their resources to go through books of scripture--for example, Matthew. On there you'll find the videos going over the book, an overview of each section, and some different resources at the bottom of the page.

Ultimately, you have to decide on the content yourself based on the needs of the disciple and what they're going through, and you kind of just have to figure all that out as you go.

Edit: also, I have a ton of articles saved on my Drive related to specific topics for some reason, so if there's ever anything specific you want resources for, feel free to ask and I can see if I have something!

It's a wonderful desire to be a good example and leader for your wife. I think that is one of our motivations to dig deep into the Word. However, it can't be your only motivation and can't be a sustaining motivation.

You need to desire to meet with God, hear from Him, speak with Him, and fellowship with Him. It begins small, but consistent:

• can you spend 5 minutes reading the Bible every day for a month? (take off weekends if you need, though)
  
• Can you spend 10, 15, 20 minutes after you're faithful in the 5?
  
• Can you not only read, but journal and pray (I simply write my prayers sometimes)?
  
• And can you take this fellowship with God (prayer) into your day, all day? (That's a hard one, but a goal to have nonetheless)
  
  There's plenty of resources out there and some will certainly be helpful for you. The big thing you need, though, is a desire. Be praying for a desire, because it really only comes from God. But spend time with God whether you want to or not. And be honest with Him. Tell Him you don't feel like praying and ask for help from Him.
  
  I cannot recommend this book enough to you. It's simply fantastic: A Praying Life.

Book nerd, reporting to duty! Some ideas to spice it up:


Christian Living

If you've done much searching in this area, you've doubtless come across Dr. Neil Anderson - and for good reason. Anderson is the best Christian Living author I've encountered. Head of the Practical Theology department at Talbot (same school as MacArthur) for a decade, all of Anderson's teaching and core material has been "approved" by the theology department at Talbot and rooted in real world experience. Anderson specializes in giving practical steps for getting right with God and becoming more like Christ. By far my favorite author in this genre. Some of his books which changed my life the most:

• Victory over the Darkness - Powerful. Walks you through what happened to your identity when you gave your life to Christ and gives practical ways to grow in sanctification.
  
  
• Freedom from Fear - If you've ever had issues with anxiety, this book will break it. For the first time in my life, I experienced "the peace that surpasses all understanding" through this book.
  
  
  Theology
  
  
• What's Wrong with Protestant Theology - This remains one of the best books I've ever read, regardless of genre. The author was a professor of Theology at Regent Theological (J.I. Packer's old school). In this book, Ruthven slaughters a few sacred cows in a quest to just see "what does the Bible say?" The basic problem is this - during the Reformation, the primary debate was over salvation: "what must I do to be saved and how much does it cost?" We focused so much on this question that we omitted many of the main themes of Scripture (namely the experiential aspects of the New Covenant). Ruthven ruthlessly marches through most of Bible to answer questions like: What does it mean to "know God"? What is "the word of God"? What does it mean to "be like Christ?" What am I supposed to do now that I'm saved? A masterpiece. One of the only books I've ever read that made me sit up, sweating and saying "oh my...he's right...woe is me."
  
  
  Evangelism
  
  A few years ago, I came across a list of the top 50 books which have shaped Evangelicals. I saw a book that interested me: Power Evangelism by John Wimber.
  
  
• Power Evangelism - This book is what actually got me up off my rear end and start doing real, in person evangelism. Not only that, this book motivated me to share Christ with others out of excitement. Led a few people to Christ, seen a few cool miracles - and it all started here.

> Do you mind providing some Scriptural support for that statement?

The most important thing to see is that Mosaic Law is an outgrowth of the Abrahamic covenant made in Genesis 17, rather than something opposite or disconnected. When you separate the two, the land promises made to Abraham go unfulfilled and circumcision takes on a connotation of both grace and law, which contradicts Romans 2:25. The Mosaic Law grows out of the promise God makes in Genesis 17. That is the covenant God remembered when He carried the Jews out of Egypt and gave them Canaan.

Passages such as Exodus 6:1-10, Joshua 5, Genesis 15:18, Exodus 23:31, Joshua 1:3, Exodus 32:13, Psalm 105:8-10, Leviticus 26, and Galatians 3.

A great comparison of the three views (Mosaic and Abrahamic are both law; Abrahamic is grace and Mosaic is law; Mosaic and Abrhamic are both grace) can be found in Pascal Denault's Distinctiveness of Baptist Covenant Theology. It's obviously in favor of the baptist view, but is a resource that has helped me greatly.

> what do people specifically have in mind when they use words like "administration" and "republication"? Are they synonymous?

To the best of my understanding, yes, they are roughly the same thing. "Substance", in Presbyterian covenant theology is roughly the purpose of the covenant and "administration" is the how the covenant is administered. Republication is the "re-administration" of a previous covenant. Republication is usually restricted to addressing the covenant of works, because the covenant of works is seen as failing with Adam, so it's "re-administered" later on, in a temporal sense with a different outcome. The covenant of grace is not republished because it never failed and will never fail. It is continuous and has no end.

> Would you mind detailing the reasons for traditional Presbyterians to believe in the Mosaic Covenant to be an administration of the Covenant of Grace?

The majority of the arguments for the Mosaic covenant being a covenant of grace is the stipulations for the forgiveness of sins built into the law. I am familiar with the argument, but I have never found this argument compelling, especially in light of passages such as Hebrews 10:4, 2 Corinthians 3:7-8, and Romans 4:15.

Additionally, the second argument is that the law is gracious in that it pushes people into the arms of Christ, but this can be accomplished from a covenant of works and does not necessitate the substance of the law be grace.

A third and final argument I have heard for the law being a covenant of grace is that God made a covenant when He didn't have to, but isn't that true with even the Adamic covenant of works? It's probably the weakest of the three.

Besides Presbyterians who really dive into covenant theology, seeing the law as a covenant of grace proves difficult to defend, at least in my experience. There is a growing movement within both the PCA and the OPC where the Mosaic Law is seen as a unique covenant of works (republication). The continental reformed churches even allow for the adherence to republication.

In my experience, trying to reconcile Paul's teachings of the law and the teaching that the law is actually inherently grace is what pushed me to the 1689 LBCF.

> Thank you so much, again! I think I'm slowly (but surely) starting to piece covenantal theology together.

No problem at all! As always, feel free to ask any more questions you may have.

You're going to get a lot of advice regarding "what God wants," "where God leads," and "God's will for you."

> For this is the will of God, your sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3 ESV)

God is far more concerned with your holiness than your occupation or income. Love God and make wise choices in life. The counsel of your elders is just a part of making wise decisions. Looking for a leg twitch or a burning sensation to tell you what to do like some pagan mystic is not walking in the Spirit.

I recommend a short book on the topic by DeYoung. Here's a non-referral link. It brings a lot of clarity and freedom to the issue, and is very grounded in Scripture. If you feel safe enough to PM me your address, I will buy it for you and have it shipped to you.

I think Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount is perfectly compatible with Paul's teaching.

In fact, the Apostle's all eventually accepted Paul and his experience on the road to Damascus was accepted as well and, along with it, Christ's blessing on his teaching.

Jesus wrote no books of the bible. Paul's letters are equally as authoritative and inspired as the Gospel's written by men who ... were also not Jesus.

This is why the whole "Red-letter" Christian thing never made sense to me. The words written attributed to Jesus (while I believe they are accurate) were not written by Jesus and Christ spoke also through his apostles! They should not be ignored.

When it comes to members of the Church we have a responsibility to correct each other.

If it comes to light that a member of a congregation is sleeping around or being unfaithful to sexuality as God intends it than, yes, it is our responsibility to faithfully correct them and, if a person would refuse, than yes, they should be cut off.

First they should be confronted individually with love and asked to turn from their ways.

Second, from a group.

Finally, by the whole church.

If all the time the person refuses to turn from ANYTHING which is clearly as sin than, yes, they need to be cut off from the Church in the hope that separation would allow God to work through them by showing them how important the body of Christ is to true living and that the commands to keep each other accountable, as one Psalm says as iron sharpens iron one man sharpens another, is only out of love because Holiness and Godliness is only for our benefit. This is not legalism because legalism sees our works as the prerequisite for our faith. That is not true. Faith and repentance are prerequisites for fellowship as part of the body of the Church. And the second is being ignored in this scenario.

Now, those who are not within the Church we should welcome, not be coy or misleading about what we believe, and enjoy the fact they have come to the Church even as one-time inquirers. We cannot judge them because why would we judge anyone outside the Church as behaving as they are outside the Church?


The Gospel changes people. But the Gospel comes first.

A stagnant Gospel is no Gospel at all. One that does not move you is hardly the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now, to me, it seems like you've made your mind about this issue and everything else, what you think about scripture, Paul, etc, seems to fall in line with that. But, I could be VERY, wrong and I'm sorry if I am for even suggesting such a thing.

Matt Chandler's seminar on homosexuality talks about some of what you've asked and really talks about the Church's role in responding with love in one of the segments.

Also, Christopher Yuan is a speaker who was as sexually active gay man. You may be interested in his book or another by a gay celibate Christian, Wesley Hill.


Christopher is not any longer but denies that the "goal" is heterosexuality. He claims neither heterosexuality or homosexuality though he is predispositionally homosexual.

In his words, "God never said be heterosexual as I am heterosexual, he said be holy as I am holy". So he follows what he calls "Holy sexuality".

Christopher is celibate because he believes that is what he is called to do if he is not married and his understanding of marriage comes as between one-man and one-woman as found in scripture.



So he is NOT one to say "Them gays? Ship 'em to the repurative THUR-APY!" (...to imitate a stereotype evidently no one has a problem with me using :)!)

Perhaps it works for some, and if someone feels lead, then maybe Exodus international could help them but I don't believe we should act as if it is a guarantee or promise. Can God do anything? Yes.

But we shouldn't act as if God will. What if it fails? Does this person go through life thinking they aren't good enough or God doesn't love them enough to heal them? We should never hope for such a thing.

In the Resurrection, all in God's family will rise with a new body and no sinful desires -- and, in fact, no sexual desires of any kind.

We all have our stumbling stones and our temptations. They are different for everyone. Full acceptance of homosexual behavior may fill the pews in some places and it may be a good PR thing for the Church to do and help the Church get closer to open, practicing, homosexual-oriented men and women but it will not get them closer to Jesus.

The Western World may be quickly going toward full-acceptance.
Much of the Church may follow.
But my understanding of scripture, Jesus, his teaching on marriage and his message in general, and the spirit impacting my conscience in general cannot permit me to follow suit.

However, this does not mean I feel at liberty to treat anyone with disrespect for that person is made in the image of God.

Some may argue that I am inherently treating them with disrespect for regarding something core to their identity as sinful.

I regard everyone has having sin close to their identity. But Jesus says to take up your cross and follow him. It's not easy and, like I said, everyone who preaches the Gospel is a hypocrite. But it is the message.

I do not hate everyone. I do my best to love them. And loving them means telling them to flee sin when it is bad for them. I don't beat them over the head with it, in fact, I am more times than not confronted with the issue of homosexuality than I bring it up.

Maybe that helps explain some things. But you're older than me and have been around a few more blocks. It could come up as naive trash. It's all I can offer.

EDIT: clarification in one sentence. Also, anyone who would like to add scriptural references would be appreciated! I forgot mine... :(

Something you'll learn if you spend more time around Reformed folks is that "How is the Gospel preached" has a specific technical meaning generally limited to what pastors do on Sundays. Interacting with others about the gospel, i.e., evangelism, is certainly something we do, and certainly something we have opinions about, but we don't generally call it "preaching".

One thing I think you will find is that the Reformed tradition is somewhat resistant to short, memorize-able pieces as adequate expressions of theology. There are definitely catechisms out there, which come in bite-sized chunks, but there are 107 questions in the Westminster Shorter Catechism, so I don't think that's what your looking for.

If you're asking about Reformed evangelism, I suggest you check out J.I. Packer's Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God which is about as good a take on the subject as any. Packer is Anglican rather than Presbyterian/Reformed, but he's a conservative, Evangelical Anglican, so he's definitely worth reading.

If you're asking about what it means for pastors to preach, that's a whole different subject, one about which there are many opinions. But if you've been dealing with Reformed theology for only a few months, I'd suggest that's getting a little inside baseball. That issue shouldn't really come up for you for quite a while.

So check out Packer's book. For a more general exposure to Reformed theology, particularly the Reformed way of reading the Bible, check out Graeme Goldsworthy's According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible. That will really give you a good foundation of the Reformed understanding of Scripture which will serve you very well in the long run. It's an excellent place to start.

Here are some ideas.

RC Sproul's Essential Truths of the Christian Faith is a great summary of many key ideas.

His The Holiness of God is a classic that packs quite the punch.

Also by Sproul, The Crucial Question booklet series is a great series of shorter booklets that explore a few important topics in a bit more depth without being overwhelming.

Sproul's What is Reformed Theology? is a decent overview that is pretty approachable.

Beeke's Living for God's Glory is a decent introduction that I think can be helpful in that it starts to unpack some of the broader implications.

Looking at creeds and confessions is also solid. Here are decent ones for the Westminster Confession of Faith (and this one too) and Westminster Shorter Catechism and the Heidelberg Catechism.

In case you want to watch instead, Ligonier Ministries will post 1 free video from their teaching series every day.

As for listening, there is Renewing Your Mind

A commitment
A plan
An age-appropriate Bible
Maybe something catechetical like Songs for Saplings


Start and go. There are curricula all over the web. Most denoms have an education resource ministry. Check with them. Just beware of spending so long looking for the perfect resource that you don't actually get to the family worship. With a bible, some songs, an ability to think a little ahead about what you want to share, and an opportunity to pray, you're better of than nearly everyone who has to do it from the book. It will be more natural, centered to your family, and adaptive to the changing needs and circumstances of your own lives. For some a book can be helpful. For most, just get in there and do it.

Hope it's okay for me to post here!

You might be interested in reading what the Church Fathers had to say:

• On the Holy Spirit by St. Basil the Great
  
  
• Works on the Spirit by St. Athanasius the Great/Didymus
  
  EDIT: Popular Patristics is a modern translation of these works, but you can also find huge anthologies (and I mean huge) of stuff like that for a few bucks. Just FYI :)

Recently a combination of A Praying Life and Spiritual Depression has completely changed the way I pray. Daniel 9 is also beginning to hold a formative place in my prayer life.

You'll be amiss to search for a book that will change your actions... Look for something to help you change the bent of your heart more towards God and God's grace, flowing out of that relationship, will enable repentance and real change.

A risk of contradicting myself, I hold both authors of this book, How People Change, in very high regard. I've only read the first few chapters but it has a good focus. Again, on the heart and its relation to God over and above mere actions.

Not saying that books are the answer, but Wesley Hill might be someone up your alley. In actuality, his book has helped me as a heterosexual tremendously (dealing more with self-loathing in my context) as he struggled to deal with his homosexuality and still be faithful to God.

Here is his current book: Washed and Waiting

His second book is coming out, too: Spiritual Friendship: Finding Love in the Church as a Celibate Gay Christian

Edited to add: This blog may help you.

1. YouVersion has some great Bible reading plans. I would suggest McCheyne's
   
2. A great companion for reading in a McCheyne plan is D.A. Carson's For the Love of God Part 1 Part 2
   
3. One of the best pieces of advice I can give you as you read scripture is to look at the big picture. Try to see where the passage you are reading fits into the grand storyline of the Bible.
   
4. May I also suggest picking up a book that will cover Bible doctrines? It's really helpful to have a grasp on what the Bible says about God and how He interacts with His creation. On the layman's level I would suggest Christian Beliefs by Wayne Grudem. If you feel like going a little deeper, check out Grudem's bigger book Bible Doctrine. If you feel like really digging in, go with Grudem's massive Systematic Theology, which I believe is the most readable systematic theology available.
   
5. I'm a Baptist so I think getting rebaptized is great, assuming you are a genuine believer at this point, which I have no cause to doubt. In fact, if I was being a cranky Baptist I would tell you you're not getting rebaptized, you were just a wet sinner the first time. However, I'm only occasionally a cranky Baptist, and have nothing against my paedobaptist brothers (other than thinking they're wrong on this one).
   
6. Get into a good church. I know you mentioned you're following Christ and not a church, but the local church is one of the primary means of doing so. Maybe you already have done this, and I am misinterpreting what you were trying to say. Lone ranger Christians are unhealthy Christians. If you are looking for a good church check with 9Marks and The Gospel Coalition.
   
   I hope this helps.
   
   edit: spelling

If you want something super simple, but still very useful I remember doing [The Westminster Shorter Catechism Study] (https://www.amazon.com/Westminster-Shorter-Catechism-Study-Classes/dp/0875525210/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1503095609&sr=8-1&keywords=westminster+shorter+catechism+study+williamson) by G. I. Williamson. Since it follows the WSC, it is very systematic but it is written at a level that a high schooler can understand it. I think it's one of the best simple and systematic introductions to the Reformed faith.

I haven't found anything yet that is a good in-depth narrative of the split. At a high-level, it happened over several centuries and was driven by geographic separation, linguistic and cultural differences (Greek vs. Latin), the Pope's claim to primacy, the rise of icons in the eastern church, and the western church's addition of the Filioque clause to the Nicene creed. Honestly, Wikipedia has some good stuff (search for "The Great Schism" and "Filioque") for an introduction to the issues.

The Orthodox Church touches on the issues from an eastern perspective and is a great introduction to Eastern Orthodoxy.

Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years is a great single-volume work covering many aspects of church history. It's a large book, but a great place to start if you're a history buff.

Out of curiosity, why do you want modern?

I've been reading Covenant Theology: From Adam to Christ recently. It might be the best book on CT from a baptistic perspective out there, though its 300+ years old. Alternatively The Distinctiveness of Baptist Covenant Theology is excellently done, scholarly and modern. It can be a bit tedious, since it was originally written in French as a master's thesis.

From a presbyterian perspective, I read The Christ of the Covenants and found it excellent and winsome. A number of reformed colleges and seminaries use it as a textbook.

You should be able to get any of those from the Christian Book Nook, or I can lend them to you at church on Sunday if you'd rather save some cash.

I greatly enjoyed A Praying Life by Paul Miller. It is not just about the mechanics of praying, but focuses on how prayer can become a natural impulse of the heart.

Do you have time to read a book? The message in this changed my life and it sounds very relevant to the difficulties you're going through.

https://www.amazon.com/Victory-Over-Darkness-Realize-Identity/dp/0764213768/

The book is basically a huge dose of comfort, hope, and peace. It digs into the truth of who we are in Christ and shows that all things are possible through Jesus. Very comforting and hope-filled resource.

I highly recommend reading the Apostolic Fathers. These were people who either knew the Apostles or were just a generation offset from them (abt 70AD - 150AD). The things they say are amazing and show the rich diversity of thought among some of the earliest Christians. Michael Holmes has a really nice, inexpensive translation into English with introductory notes on each book that explain the authors, dates, occasion for writing, etc.

Firstly, if she's an adult then she has the responsibility of attending a faithful church regardless of her family's opinion. Following God is more important than following man, so I would encourage her to be committed to following God over worrying about doing what her family is happy with.

Reforming her Christianity depends on what theological differences she has, really. Is there anything in particular that stands out as a theological difference? For example, some people make a really big deal about their works being unimportant and thus a holy life being unimportant, so you could start with understanding the law and gospel. Others have an overemphasis on eschatology such that it consumes their thought, or the continuance of revelatory gifts, so you might want to start with those. Maybe a Reformed understanding of worship if that's a hang-up for her joining a confessional church.

Maybe just work through the Heidelberg Catechism with her, or use something like G.I. Williamson's study book on the Westminster Shorter Catechism (https://www.amazon.com/Westminster-Shorter-Catechism-Study-Classes/dp/0875525210).

I hope others chime in on this thread, but since you are currently studying theology, might I recommend a few books.

1. The Bible.
   
2. The Westminster Confession of Faith [Link]
   (https://www.amazon.com/Westminster-Confession-Faith-Study-Classes/dp/0875525938/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1498266473&sr=8-4&keywords=westminster+confession+of+faith)
   
3. The Shorter Catechism [Link]
   (https://www.amazon.com/Westminster-Shorter-Catechism-Study-Classes/dp/0875525210/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0875525210&pd_rd_r=W404ZWCAQ8CDBHZDTBSZ&pd_rd_w=KwuFQ&pd_rd_wg=TtA6X&psc=1&refRID=W404ZWCAQ8CDBHZDTBSZ)
   
4. The Larger Catechism [Link]
   (https://www.amazon.com/Westminster-Larger-Catechism-Johannes-Geerhardus-ebook/dp/B004MDLJO2/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1498266588&sr=1-2&keywords=westminster+larger+catechism) ( I haven't read the commentary on this one)
   
5. Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion Link
   
   

I just reread my phrasing, and I admit that it's probably a bit confusing. Let me try again.

The phrasing Peter uses is similar to the whole "President Clinton" thing Grudem uses. Someone who knew him when he was in college can say, "I knew President Clinton when he was in college." But they don't literally mean they knew Clinton when he was both in college and the President of the United States. As far as I know, he hasn't gone back to college since graduating (and before he was president). What they mean is:

> You know President Clinton? I knew him back before he was President of the United States. We were in college together.

From what I understand (and what Grudem explains), the structure of the Greek that Peter used follows a similar pattern to how we can speak of someone using their current title in a past tense when they didn't have that title. So when Peter says, "in which he went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison" I would say that he is saying this:

> There are spirits that are in prison now. Christ proclaimed righteousness to these spirits through Noah while the spirits were still alive.

Hopefully that makes it more clear.

I've seen your posts and I see your desire to learn, so I'll offer this advice: If you want to understand, I would recommend two things. First, read the Bible cover to cover and understand that if a verse is going to be used alone, the interpretation must take into account its context with other verses in that chapter, book, and the whole Bible as well as the intended audience and how they would have understood the words used. Second, get a good Systematic Theology. I highly recommend Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology. Note that a Systematic Theology is no substitute for the Bible (which is why I didn't recommend it first), but it can help as you wrestle through tough scripture.

Thanks for those links. I'm going through Cowan and Spiegel's The Love of Wisdom, and was actually going to buy Frame's book my next go-around at buying books. I'll read it when I'm done with my other book, but this will definitely be helpful!

Pascal Denault has a good smaller work, but I know there are people at the Institute for Reformed Baptist Studies who are currently working on more comprehensive systematic treatments :)

Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!

Here are your smile-ified links:

Christ, Baptism and the Lord's Supper: Recovering the Sacraments for Evangelical Worship

Given for You: Reclaiming Calvin's Doctrine of the Lord's Supper

The Lord's Supper as a Means of Grace: More Than a Memory

The Lord's Supper in the Reformed Tradition

What is The Lord's Supper?

---

^^i'm ^^a ^^friendly bot

I had to use three different ones at a SBC seminary (2006) and my favorite is Wayne Grudem's. It's not specifically Presbyterian but it is reformed.

I like it because it is written in such a way that highschoolers can understand it. It's not as deep as you can get but it's not entry-level either...somewhat in the middle. You can probably find a used one in good condition at a low price.

1689 Baptist Confession, Ch 30, Par 7

>Worthy receivers, outwardly partaking of the visible elements in this ordinance, do then also inwardly by faith, really and indeed, yet not carnally and corporally, but spiritually receive, and feed upon Christ crucified, and all the benefits of his death; the body and blood of Christ being then not corporally or carnally, but spiritually present to the faith of believers in that ordinance, as the elements themselves are to their outward senses.

>( 1 Corinthians 10:16; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 )

Further reading on the historic Baptist position in The Lord's Supper as a Means of Grace: More than a Memory by Richard Barcellos

I recommend The Distinctiveness of Baptist Covenant Theology by Pascal Denault. It was very helpful for me because I knew I was covenantal, but wasn’t convinced of paedobaptism. He offers the 1689 view of covenant theology which is more nuanced and yet doesn’t fall into New Covenant Theology.

Judging from your flair, you're a Reformed Baptist like myself. Check out Richard Barcellos' The Lord's Supper as a Means of Grace. Incredibly helpful resource. Although I'm lacking in resources for baptism, I'd recommend The Fatal Flaw as well as other resources from the 1689 Federalism site.

Several good books on this subject:

1. Michael Bennett - Do You Feel Called to Ministry? Rethinking the Call to Ministry
   
   
2. Philip Jensen and Tony Payne - Guidance and the Voice of God
   
   
3. Kevin DeYoung - Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will
   
   
4. Garry Friesen and J. Robin Maxson - Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View

Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years by Diarmaid MacCulloch

Don't let the fact that the author is a Gay, former Christian scare you. This book is one of the best books I have read in church history. It reads very nicely.

Thanks /u/friardon for the tidbit!

I got John Frame's History of Western Philosophy and Theology. I haven't found a history of philosophy from the Reformed perspective that's also thorough and knows the details of competing philosophies. So when I read about this book coming, I knew I want to buy asap.

if you want a nice little book to read i reccomend
https://www.amazon.ca/Christianity-First-Three-Thousand-Years/dp/0143118692

or the two volume set

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JOGB2DU/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
https://www.amazon.com/Story-Christianity-Reformation-Present-Day-ebook/dp/B00JOGB276/ref=pd_sim_351_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=V8M4VV04NQ9QNT8QRV1Z

i've read both and they provide an easy(ish) to read concise history of christianity

Absolutely it is useful. We see from the Apostle Paul that he was acquainted with and deployed pagan philosophy in service to the gospel of the risen Christ.


The most accessible, contemporary philosophical text written for the service of the church would be John Frame's. https://www.amazon.com/History-Western-Philosophy-Theology/dp/162995084X

• According to Plan by Graeme Goldsworthy
  
• God's Big Picture by Vaughan Roberts
  
  These books helped me to get my bearings right when I look at a particular passage in the Bible. I now ask questions like, "Where is this passage in relation to the redemptive history?" and "How does this OT passage point to Jesus?"

For a broad overview of philosophy, I've heard good things about Frame's History of Western Philosophy and Theology. Though it is an expensive and massive tome.

I've got this one, planning to read it very soon...
https://www.amazon.com/Lords-Supper-Means-Grace-Memory/dp/1781912688/

The Lord's Supper as a Means of Grace: More Than a Memory - Richard C. Barcellos

Finally got the Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine by Wayne Grudem. Got it for around $25 (hardback), it sure does beats lifeway's $55 price tag.

And I think you might like this one

The Lost World of Genesis One: Ancient Cosmology and the Origins Debate https://www.amazon.com/dp/0830837043/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_UEQwDbCWQBBYH

The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief https://www.amazon.com/dp/1416542744/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_LFQwDbB8ZK68E

Dr. Richard Barcellos, a reformed baptist, would disagree with you. See his book The Lord's Supper as a Means of Grace: More Than a Memory.

Actually that's "Bible Doctrine" and "Christian Beliefs" is the concise version of that. In other words, it's the condensed condensed Systematic Theology

Jesus Storybook Bible

There's more than one flavor of "inerrancy." You cannot be orthodox and maintain that the Bible has errors, but two people can disagree (to an extent) about what constitutes errors and still both be orthodox. Check this book out to explore more in depth.