# Your most trusted teachers/Authors



## Zork (Mar 31, 2016)

Here in South Africa we dont have a lot of book stores. We have a shop here that you get in every mall "CUM" books. But there is a lot of Charismatic, Methodist books. I need a list of trustworthy teachers. I know and trust the old reformers and puritans like John Owen, Calvin, Newton, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Watson Moody, ML Jones, J Edwards etc. But can you give me some names of people who are still alive.

At the moment i listen to these authors.
J Macarthur
T Keller
A Martin
P Washer
A Mohler

Thanks in advance


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## JimmyH (Mar 31, 2016)

I read and listen to D.A. Carson with great profit. Check out youtube and The Gospel Coalition (his website). You mentioned D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones. The MLJ Trust website has thousands of his sermons for free download. A great resource. On this board posts by Reverend Winzer and Contra_Mundum, among others, are always informative and trustworthy.


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## Bill The Baptist (Mar 31, 2016)

There are many good teachers around today, but you must always use discernment. Even within the so-called "reformed" camp, there are many to watch out for who have either dispensational or charismatic leanings. In addition to the list you provided, I would add men such as James White, Voddie Baucham, Mark Dever, Kevin DeYoung, Ligon Duncan. There are others to be sure, but those are just the ones who came to me off the top of my head. I would also be wary of Tim Keller. Even though he is generally solid, he also holds to some questionable doctrine. I am not saying that he is a false teacher, I am just advising you to use discernment.


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## Zork (Mar 31, 2016)

Bill The Baptist said:


> There are many good teachers around today, but you must always use discernment. Even within the so-called "reformed" camp, there are many to watch out for who have either dispensational or charismatic leanings. In addition to the list you provided, I would add men such as James White, Voddie Baucham, Mark Dever, Kevin DeYoung, Ligon Duncan. There are others to be sure, but those are just the ones who came to me off the top of my head. I would also be wary of Tim Keller. Even though he is generally solid, he also holds to some questionable doctrine. I am not saying that he is a false teacher, I am just advising you to use discernment.



Thanks for the heads up. There is a lot of his books available there. 

Thanks for the quick replies


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## Hamalas (Mar 31, 2016)

It really depends on the subject matter to a certain extent. But I will say that I'm always eager to hear what men like Carl Trueman, Sinclair Ferguson, Ian Hamilton, or Derek Thomas have to say.


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## arapahoepark (Mar 31, 2016)

Banner of Truth and Reformation Heritage books are great as is Monergism. However, I am unsure that they would ship to your location.


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## greenbaggins (Mar 31, 2016)

Of men who are alive, these are the guys I listen to the most: R.C. Sproul, Ligon Duncan, Rick Phillips, Derek Thomas, Sinclair Ferguson, Al Mohler, Steve Lawson, Liam Goligher, Terry Johnson, Joel Beeke, Cornel Venema, J.V. Fesko, Scott Clark, Michael Horton, Bob Godfrey, Carl Trueman, Scott Oliphint, Richard Gaffin, Vern Poythress, Michael Kruger, Doug Kelly, Iain Duguid, John Mackay, Iain Campbell, John Currid, Dale Ralph Davis, and Lane Tipton. Even this list is not exhaustive, but it will get you started.


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## Darryl Le Roux (Mar 31, 2016)

Zork said:


> Here in South Africa we dont have a lot of book stores. We have a shop here that you get in every mall "CUM" books. But there is a lot of Charismatic, Methodist books. I need a list of trustworthy teachers. I know and trust the old reformers and puritans like John Owen, Calvin, Newton, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Watson Moody, ML Jones, J Edwards etc. But can you give me some names of people who are still alive.
> 
> At the moment i listen to these authors.
> J Macarthur
> ...



Hey Ronny. 

As a fellow SAFA, I know what it's like walking into that store! 

May I be a beacon for you? 

www.goodneighbours.org.za  

They sell books at basically cost price. Picking up commentaries that are close to R1000 through Takealot, for R545. 

You will find the vast majority of reformed material available from them. 

They are situated in Randburg, and it is truly a blessing going through to them and having a cup of coffee. Beautiful little shop on church grounds. Rather large as well. 

I hope you come right.


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## Zork (Mar 31, 2016)

Darryl Le Roux said:


> Zork said:
> 
> 
> > Here in South Africa we dont have a lot of book stores. We have a shop here that you get in every mall "CUM" books. But there is a lot of Charismatic, Methodist books. I need a list of trustworthy teachers. I know and trust the old reformers and puritans like John Owen, Calvin, Newton, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Watson Moody, ML Jones, J Edwards etc. But can you give me some names of people who are still alive.
> ...



Awesome thanks. Will check it out thats only an hour from me.


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## GulfCoast Presbyterian (Mar 31, 2016)

R.C. Sproul, Lig Duncan, Carl Trueman.


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## Darryl Le Roux (Mar 31, 2016)

Zork said:


> Darryl Le Roux said:
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They also ship via SAPO. I am actually receiving my latest shipment this week. 

I'm Vereeniging side, so it's a bit lengthy for me to drive all the time.


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## Jake (Mar 31, 2016)

I've moved to more and more digital resources, even though I like physical books. However, it might be especially good for you since you have trouble finding books where you live. You can get something with an e-ink screen if reading on a screen is bad, or get a program that blocks blue light for your smartphone/tablet/computer. 

Travis who posts here has been making a great collection of free works and books here: http://reformedbooksonline.com/
And as far as audio, check out sermonaudio, which has many great Reformed teachers (sermons, sabbath schools, and other material commonly available), as well as iTunes U for lectures (including from Reformed and Covenant seminaries).


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## JP Wallace (Mar 31, 2016)

Ronny

The above recommendations are perfectly acceptable and good, all very well known names. May I suggest some perhaps lessor known names (i.e not American or USA based, for variety, no criticism intended).

Anything by Prof. Edward Donnelly is well worth listening to, and reading (Heaven and Hell is one of the best books in print in my opinion). Likewise his successor in the church is extremely good - Warren Peel - his recent sermons on Revelation are as good as I have heard.

I'd also recommend Rev. Kenneth Stewart from Glasgow RPCS.


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## Edward (Mar 31, 2016)

Zork said:


> At the moment i listen to these authors.
> J Macarthur
> T Keller



These should be followed (for different reasons) with discernment. MacArthur is dispensational in his theology, and should be read through that filter. Keller bends over backwards to be accessible and relevant.


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## StephenG (Mar 31, 2016)

R.C. Sproul, Ligon Duncan, and John MacArthur for sure. While I am more or less wary of some of Tim Keller's beliefs (as Bill and others have said), his preaching is usually very on point and his book, _The Reason for God_ is brilliant . I would point out Douglas Wilson when it comes to practical theology and apologetics, just be cautious of his Federal Vision covenant views, etc.
But R.C., Lig, and Johnny-Mac are some of my favorites.


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## Andres (Mar 31, 2016)

Zork said:


> I know and trust the old reformers and puritans like John Owen, Calvin, Newton, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Watson Moody, ML Jones, J Edwards etc.



Stick with them.


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## Tom Hart (Mar 31, 2016)

Ligonier has great resources from some fine teachers.


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## TylerRay (Mar 31, 2016)

Andres said:


> Zork said:
> 
> 
> > I know and trust the old reformers and puritans like John Owen, Calvin, Newton, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Watson Moody, ML Jones, J Edwards etc.
> ...



I'd have to agree. I'm having a hard time thinking of authors that are 1) Orthodox; 2) Profound; 3) Not dead.

I can name several preachers that meet the qualifications, but not many authors. Joel Beeke and Michael Barrett come to mind.


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## Tom Hart (Mar 31, 2016)

As others have said here, Tim Keller is orthodox on the surface, but many people are not aware of some of his beliefs. He doubts the literality of Genesis 1-3, saying at least about chapter 1 that it bears 'the hallmarks of a poem'. (As I understand, that isn't actually even true according to Hebrew poetic structure.) There are plenty of other areas of concern as well.

Tim Keller can provide an introduction to Christianity, yet I would worry it brings some cultural accommodation with it.

It irks me how happy people are to talk about the popular New York preacher, but many of the same people will balk at the mere mention of Calvin, or even of Reformed Christianity!

For greater depth, always go to the dead guys.


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## MW (Mar 31, 2016)

TylerRay said:


> Andres said:
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> > Zork said:
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Minus Moody, though.


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## reaganmarsh (Mar 31, 2016)

Joel Beeke, Sinclair Ferguson, Tom Nettles, Michael Haykin, Tom Ascol, Derek Thomas, R.C. Sproul, Ligon Duncan, are some of my favorites among the living...Godly men who preach and teach with skill and faithfulness.


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## Guido's Brother (Mar 31, 2016)

I prefer the approach of looking at trusted publishers. Sometimes the best stuff is being put out by guys who don't (yet) have a "name" or "celebrity status." There are a number of publishers that exercise more discernment in what they publish than others. At the top of my list would be Reformation Heritage Books. Next, P & R, Banner of Truth, Evangelical Press/Christian Focus. Crossway puts out a lot of good stuff too, but tends to be more "new Calvinist" if you know what I mean.


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## Reepicheep (Apr 1, 2016)

James I. Packer..... I can't believe he hasn't been recommended yet. Wow. 

John Stott
Alec Motyer
Derek Kidner
Franz Delitzch 
Robert Rayburn
Ligon Duncan
Derek Thomas


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## Dekybo (Apr 1, 2016)

So far, I have settled with John MacArthur and Paul Washer. I hope to expand this narrow list though.


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## StephenG (Apr 1, 2016)

To expand on Rev. Keller a bit, my uncle had the opportunity to dine with him in New York for the RTS New York convocation. One of things that they are sure he believes is that regardless of the strict _literality_ of the first few books of Genesis (even though that is important), he does believe that man was 'singled out' if you will, and became a living soul by the creative Word of God.


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## TylerRay (Apr 2, 2016)

StephenG said:


> he does believe that man was 'singled out' if you will, and became a living soul by the creative Word of God.



Which man? Did he exist before he "became a living soul?" If so, was this a creative act of God, or a special act of his providence?


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## StephenG (Apr 2, 2016)

TylerRay said:


> StephenG said:
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> > he does believe that man was 'singled out' if you will, and became a living soul by the creative Word of God.
> ...



There's the rub. I'm not defending him, just wanted to clarify. He's not a heretic by any means but we should still be wary of his desire to be culturally relevant.


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## TylerRay (Apr 2, 2016)

StephenG said:


> TylerRay said:
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But how would you define heresy? He is without question outside of the bounds of any Reformed confession of faith.


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## NoutheticCounselor (Apr 4, 2016)

Right now, I am being blessed by the following pastors/preachers/writers:

Briggs, Robert
Dunn, Glenn
Johnson, Jeffrey
Johnson, Phil
MacArthur, John
Martin, Al
Pasma, Tim
Smith, Kurt
Waldron, Sam
Walker, Jeremy
Washer, White


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## parkerd (Apr 26, 2016)

Zork said:


> Here in South Africa we dont have a lot of book stores. We have a shop here that you get in every mall "CUM" books. But there is a lot of Charismatic, Methodist books. I need a list of trustworthy teachers. I know and trust the old reformers and puritans like John Owen, Calvin, Newton, Spurgeon, Whitefield, Watson Moody, ML Jones, J Edwards etc. But can you give me some names of people who are still alive.
> 
> At the moment i listen to these authors.
> J Macarthur
> ...



I would recommend that you select your mentors based on what they hold Scripture to say. 

1. Eschatology is a very fast filter. 
Immediately ditch premillennial dispensationalists. If they can hold to that, the rest of their teaching is suspect and I think in particular of one man that I greatly respected otherwise, John MacArthur. How he can be a rapture freak is beyond me, but there it is and in opposition to both R.C. Sproul and R.C. Sproul Jr., and all others who hold Reformed doctrine as the most clear and complete statement of Christianity. 
I regard premil Dispensationalists as heretics, blatantly disregarding the application of Jesus' warnings and The Book of Revelation to the destruction of Israel in A.D. 70. 
As a consequence, John, and most other evangelical preachers and teachers, paralyze the church by preaching that reform and progress and extending the kingdom of God is sheer futility and to be discouraged because all such reform will delay the return of Jesus. How anyone can miss the simple fact that John Nelson Darby was an egomaniac, hungering for recognition and fame, that C.I. Scofield is an utter fraud, a true P.T. Barnum or Elmer Gantry, lacking the scholarship to produce even the distortions of Scripture in his "Scofield Reference Bible notes" is beyond me. Lewis Schaffer, Charles Ryrie, Walvoord, et al., of the Dallas Dispensensational Cemetery, produce a majority of the premil Dispensationalists that are the carcinogenic agents attacking the body of Christ today.

The premil-Dispensationalists vociferously oppose postmillenialists, which is a good reason to read what the postmils have to say. Amillenialists are sitting quietly on the fringes of society, passive and uninvolved in much of anything, with their hands folded, very much like the premil-Dispensationalists except they don't watch the Tim LaHaye "Left Behind" movies. Amills are generally very well educated, coming from reformed seminaries, and so have even less excuse not to fulfill the Great Commission to disciple the nations and teach the nations the law of God and the implication here is to _make_ them learn, _adhere to_, the law of God, not just read it.


2. The Doctrine of Salvation is a fast filter.
Immediately ditch Arminians. The issue is salvation by works or by grace. "Altar callers" such as Billy Graham and 99% of the "evangelical" preachers are generally poorly educated, maybe four years of Bible college (usually where evolution is taught as fact so the school can collect federal funds in the form of tuition), are unable or unwilling to understand that God is sovereign. The scholarship of all such is deficient. Some of these state that they are "non-denominational" even while fully immersing the flock. They really are that blank.

3. What people hold as doctrinal summaries is a fast filter. 
What do the preachers/teachers propose for a doctrinal statement? If they come up with a one- or two page "doctrinal statement", that is a sure sign they know little of Christianity. The church is continually attacked by heresies old and new, subtle and overt, and with no knowledge of the historic creeds and confessions, these "modern" preachers/teachers leave their trusting congregations wide open to false doctrine. 
For you, read the Westminster Catechism of the Christian Faith, the Three Forms of Unity (The Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, and the Canons of Dort), study church history, particularly the times of the Protestant Reformation and how Oliver Cromwell was instrumental in defending the reformation against the satanic, horribly violent and cruel attacks of the Pope's armies all across Europe. 
The tortures inflicted by the Pope's minions in his inquisition and tortures of men, women, and children, are almost unbelievable today, more cruel than those Hitler, Stalin, and Mao imposed on the masses they disarmed, impoverished, and enslaved. 
The Bounds of Love
Read those who help you discover what this means:
One Revelation
Two Testaments
Three Creeds
Four Councils
Five Centuries

Recommended short list of the living: Gary North (garynorth.com/freebooks), Gary DeMar, Ken Gentry, James B. Jordan, Martin Selbrede, Joel McDurmon, R. C. Sproul and Jr., Bodijar Marinov, Keith Mathison, Mark Rushdoony.

References I bought: _Reformed Dogmatics_ by Herman Bavinck, _Dogmatic Theology_ by WGT Shedd (my systematic theology), _The Institutes of the Christian Religion_ by John Calvin, _The Institutes of Biblecal Law_ (3 Vol) by Rousas John Rushdoony, _Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers_ (14 vol), Phillip Schaff, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., Peabody, Mass. 1994.

Short but sweet: _The Great Christian Revolution_ by Otto Scott, R.J. And M.R. Rushdoony, _Psychobabble_ by Richard Ganz, _Jesus versus Jerusalem_ by Joel McDurmon, _The Bounds of Love_ by Joel McDurmon.

Sincerely,
David Parker


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## Mr. Bultitude (Apr 26, 2016)

I've been greatly blessed by sermons from Tim Keller, John Piper, and John MacArthur (probably in that order), and have noted for a while that I could probably add Sinclair Ferguson and Alistair Begg to that list. The list being preachers who are sort of my "go-to" if I'm looking for a sermon on a particular passage or topic. J Vernon Magee used to be on that list, but while I still think on the whole he's probably more good than bad, I removed him from my personal mental repository once I realized how very non-reformed he is in just about every way. I also greatly appreciate the pastors from the churches I've attended in my adult life:

Chuck Jacob, currently senior pastor at Church of the Good Shepherd PCA in Durham, NC. His sermons can be found here.
Bob Lynn, currently the head preaching pastor at Knox EPC in Ann Arbor, MI. His sermons can be found here.
Andrew VanderMaas and Steve Holladay, senior and associate pastors at Christ Church PCA in Grand Rapids, MI. Their sermons can be found here.


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## Jerusalem Blade (Apr 26, 2016)

Hello, David P.—welcome to PB!

However, when you say, "I would recommend that you select your mentors based on what they hold Scripture to say", and then give your following list of authors and accompanying diatribes, you are begging the question, assuming things you have yet to prove, and stating as facts things quite moot!

Such as, "Amillenialists are sitting quietly on the fringes of society, passive and uninvolved in much of anything, with their hands folded, very much like the premil-Dispensationalists except they don't watch the Tim LaHaye 'Left Behind' movies." That is such an obvious strawman stereotype you but disqualify yourself as incapable of irenic and educated discussion on eschatology! If you're going to come on here guns blazing at least make sure you can hit what you're aiming at. Some of us amils (two "n"s in the word, please) are on the front lines of enlarging and fortifying the kingdom of Christ, spoiling the strongman's goods and bringing them into the Keep of grace.

Not an auspicious entrée!


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## Bill The Baptist (Apr 27, 2016)

parkerd said:


> I would recommend that you select your mentors based on what they hold Scripture to say



Indeed we must be cautious, and no doubt most of us on this board are equally wary of Dispensationalism. However many of us are also wary of theonomy, and so I would suggest you take some time to sit back and learn before so arrogantly proclaiming yourself to be the arbiter of theological truth.


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## jwithnell (Apr 27, 2016)

When it comes to heresy, the clearest illustration shows the historic creeds dead center. To be a Christian, you must hold to these truths. Around that circle, place doctrine. You can still hit dead center, but will find differences among believers. You may be humbly in fellowship with all believers. Now to the OP. I may have some heartburn with Ligonier, but I have listened profitably to many of their lectures. Also, with most of the solidly reformed guys, Dr. Ferguson et.al, you will benefit the most by listening through entire sermon series rather than sporadically nibbling. Doing so will deepen your understanding of scripture, but also will help you understand the scriptural basis for systems of doctrine.


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## reaganmarsh (Apr 27, 2016)

Bill The Baptist said:


> I would suggest you take some time to sit back and learn before so arrogantly proclaiming yourself to be the arbiter of theological truth.



Hi David,

We're glad that you're here at the PB, and certainly welcome you and your interaction in the various discussions!

I would, however, echo our brother's counsel (quoted above). Most of the folks here at the PB are sincere and earnest in the Reformed faith, and they couple godly piety with sober-mindedness, patience, and skill in handling the Bible. They don't generally appreciate broad-brushing or demeaning speech, though, as not honoring the 9th Commandment. 

But I'm sure that such speech wasn't your intention, brother, and so I look forward to discussing the beauties of our God and Saviour with you! 

Grace to you.


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## johnny (Apr 28, 2016)

If we are talking sermon audio, then I have been greatly benefitting from listening to Gavin Beers sermons recently. 
And also as stated above, a big tick for the godly council that comes directly from the Ministers and Elders that frequent this board.


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