Once upon a time the Evangelical world was sharply divided between Calvinists and, well, not exactly “Arminians”, but at least “non-Calvinists.” To the point where stories would circulate about pastors not being hired because they used the world “election” in a sermon once. (Or something, I don’t know–the internet was a wild place once upon a time, and I suspect that at least some of those stories are… embellished.) That division seems to have disappeared and we now argue about different things like immigration and politics. But back in those dark ages, the question of “what is Calvinism?” was a hot topic. It has now been definitively answered by Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley in their work Essentials of Reformed Systematic Theology.
Technically of course it was answered by Beeke and Smalley’s earlier four volume Reformed Systematic Theology. But, you know, four volumes. So this book is going to be a great help to those of us who want a quick reference and need to save some shelf space.
Even better, it’s going to be a great help to those of us who want a good read with a lot of thoughtful material in a compact space. Including extensive reflection questions, songs to accompany the theological reflections, and just good robust theology, this is a great go-to systematic theology. I’m not sure it will replace Grudem, but it should definitely supplement him on your shelf. This may also work as a gift for a pastor, if he doesn’t already have it.
Dr. Coyle Neal co-hosts the City of Man Podcast and is an Amazon Associate (which is linked in this blog). He teaches Political Science, Philosophy, and History in Southwest Missouri.
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