Reformed Baptist Literature
- Thread starter Jason F.
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That is an extremely broad request. Are you looking for a particular subject being discussed? Systematic theology? Covenant theology? Ethics? Church history? What are you looking for more specifically? "Reformed Baptist books" as a search inquiry would produce a list of books thousands of entries long.
JM
Puritan Board Doctor
The Divine Covenants by A. W. Pink
Believer's Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ published by B&H Academic
Baptism in the Early Church by Stander & Louw
From Padeobaptism to Credobaptism by Crampton
Covenant Theology: From Adam to Christ by Coxe and Owen
A Complete Body of Doctrinal and Practical Divinity by John Gill
That should get you started.
Believer's Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ published by B&H Academic
Baptism in the Early Church by Stander & Louw
From Padeobaptism to Credobaptism by Crampton
Covenant Theology: From Adam to Christ by Coxe and Owen
A Complete Body of Doctrinal and Practical Divinity by John Gill
That should get you started.
Call the Sabbath a Delight by Walter Chantry https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0...bo-20&linkId=cd6aa043a4420d37dbcbb45a1e902a5b
SeanPatrickCornell
Puritan Board Junior
I'm more interested in the academic than the devotional. I enjoy reading systematic theology. I'm also trying to get a better understanding of covenant theology, I must admit I find the topic challenging. But really any book or resource that you have found interesting or helpful.
SeanPatrickCornell
Puritan Board Junior
You'd likely profit from the various editions of the "Journal of the Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies" (JIRBS).
There is a Reformed Baptist Movement, and then there are Baptist Churches that are Calvinistic but not a part of the movement, and then there are Baptistic Churches which follow MacArthur. All of them refer to themselves as 'Reformed'.
The best single source for studying the LBC of 1689 is this book by Samuel Waldron. The 5th Edition is the best. The 3rd Edition is also good.
JM
Puritan Board Doctor
So does Johnny "The Goat Yard" Gill.
If you are talking about John Gill he he was greatly influenced by Witsius 'Economy of the Covenants'. He was confessional in his covenant theology. The book "Believer's Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ" promotes New Covenant Theology/ Progressive Covenantalism. He is clearly outside a Reformed confessional framework. I must emphasise this point. The Puritanboard's rules clearly state:
The Puritan Board forbids the membership of proponents of New Covenant Theology (NCT) and unconfessional views of the Law of God. The Reformed Confessions governing the board affirm a functional distinction between moral, civil, and ceremonial aspects of the Mosaic Law and deny any view that would claim 'Christians are only under the law of Jesus Christ.' Those who are proponents of this doctrine should refrain from registering and any members who embrace this doctrine should have the integrity to forfeit their membership privileges. Members who violate this rule will be suspended or banned.
Thomas_Goodwin
Puritan Board Freshman
What does New Covenant Theology entail? As in we still are required to partake under the ceremonial laws such as eating kosher foods and sacrificing animals?
JH
Puritan Board Sophomore
If such is the case, what is the staff's thoughts on New Covenant Theology in comparison with 1689 Federalism? What differences do you see between the two theological viewpoints? I ask in regards to their distinctives, (if there are distinctives) not in regards to what century each one came out of.
What are your thoughts on the following comparison, and whether it has any accuracy?
1689 Federalism
Affirms the Covenant of Redemption
Affirms the Covenant of Works made with Adam
Affirms the Covenant of Grace was only promised at Genesis 3:15
Affirms the Mosaic Covenant is a Covenant of Works
Affirms that the New Covenant is the Covenant of Grace
Affirms that the Old Testament Saints are saved by looking forward to the work of Christ, applied retroactively through the virtue of the New Covenant
New Covenant Theology
Affirms the Covenant of Redemption (Grudem, 518)
Affirms the Covenant of Works with Adam (Grudem 516)
Affirms the Covenant of Grace was only promised at Genesis 3:15 (Grudem 519)
Affirms the Mosaic Covenant is a Covenant of Works (Grudem, 521)
Affirms that the New Covenant is the eternal covenant (Grudem, 522)
Affirms that the Old Testament Saints are saved by looking forward to the work of Christ (Grudem, 519)
If I may also add: I think John Gill (in my understanding) had a peculiar view of covenant, that both the Old and New Covenant were administrations of the same Covenant of Grace. And in my thoughts, I think this was a peculiarity of his because of his affirmation of eternal justification; because the doctrine of eternal justification functions under the premise that all of God's dispensations have been administrations of that same eternal covenant.
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Reformed Covenanter
Cancelled Commissioner
They are great defenders of the crucial yet crucially neglected doctrine of divine impassibility.
Pilgrim
Puritanboard Commissioner
I don't have Grudem handy but I am a bit puzzled by your citation of him. He isn't generally considered to be NCT. Insofar as he has a clear position, it is covenantal, especially given the options at the time that he first published. (Grudem may or may not be Sabbatarian, but a whole lot of Presbyterians aren't either.) He is a graduate of WTS, for what it's worth. I doubt that he discusses NCT either unless he does in his latest edition, which would be interesting. (Otherwise, I see no reason to acquire it and I probably wouldn't acquire it even then, at least not in hard copy.) I don't think that NCT would affirm some of what you're stating here, in particular the Covenant of Works and maybe not the Covenant of Redemption. I wouldn't even bother trying to study NCT unless maybe someone wants you to read a book and discuss it with them. There is no one NCT. Progressive Covenantalism is sort of a refinement of NCT in an academic setting. The big book on that is Wellum and Gentry's "Kingdom Through Covenant." Dr. Wellum has a ST coming out soon as well. KtC (2nd edn) is the one to cite, along with the shorter work "Progressive Covenantalism." Although there are perhaps some other things that are going on in the background, the main difference is the abiding validity of the Mosaic law. Interestingly, I think that PC actually does not argue that the Mosaic was a Covenant of Works.
The 1689 Federalism site has some handy comparisons of the four main systems.
Wow. I just bought a new copy in August for regular price. Now Amazon lists it for $102.
His 3rd edition is also good, and also available.
Jonathco
Puritan Board Sophomore
^ This is a very accurate statement regarding Reformed baptists. Many baptists discover the doctrines of grace (e.g. Calvinism) and suddenly begin saying "i'M rEfOrMeD". To be RB is far more than simply understanding soteriology.
Also, I agree; Waldron's book on the 1689 is a wonderful place to begin. Jim Savastio's "What is a Reformed Baptist?" is also a great primer. I also highly recommend Benjamin Beddome’s "A Scriptural Exposition of the Baptist Catechism".
JM
Puritan Board Doctor
I am Reformed holding to 1689 Federalism but I would like to request that you ban me.
Thanks
Ben Zartman
Puritan Board Junior
If you really want to get technical, Greg Nichols is about to publish volume four in his Systematic Theology series, born from his course material at Trinity Ministerial Academy. The are: Doctrine of Man; Doctrine of God; some other third one, and then soon to come out: Doctrine of the Church.
I have not read them--far too involved for me, with bits of foreign languages in them, but apparently they get into the nuts and bolts of it all.
I have not read them--far too involved for me, with bits of foreign languages in them, but apparently they get into the nuts and bolts of it all.
bookslover
Puritan Board Doctor
They are, so far: "Volume 1: Doctrine of God" (2017, 676 pages), "Volume 2: Doctrine of Man" (2017, 619 pages), and "Volume 3: Doctrine of Christ" (2018, 810 pages). That's 2,105 total pages so far - and that's only the first three of what will be, I think, seven volumes! As there is no publisher listed in the volumes, they are, apparently, self-published.
Ben Zartman
Puritan Board Junior
Thanks for finding that third one--it's an important piece of the series.
They are self-published, perhaps because generating enough interest in a systematic theology from a small-name author was not possible for a publisher. I believe Robert Martin's book on the Sabbath (he was also an RB) was self-published, as are Albert Martin's books thus far.
There was talk of forming an RB-centric publishing house some years back, but I guess that fell through.
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