Top Theology Books for Seminarians: Part 3

In Part 1 of this series on the top theology books for seminarians, I gave a complete list of the top 10 recommend readings. In Part 2 of this series, I provided some brief commentaries on the first three books on the list.

Today, I would like to continue commenting on the recommended selections:

Early Christian Doctrines by J.N.D. Kelly

Did you know that we have a multitude of writings from church leaders that are contemporaneous or just a bit later than the writings of the New Testament? These works are usually referred to as the works of the Apostolic Fathers (or the Early Church Fathers). While they obviously do not carry the same authority as Scripture, they can definitely help us to understand how the theology and practice of the early church developed in the first few hundred years of its existence.

Do not be left shrugging your shoulders when it comes to church history! Dig in and discover the riches of the theological heritage of Christian theology and worship that we have all inherited through our various denominations. It may just be that the path to unity among contemporary Christian denominations resides in the common teachings of the “rule of faith” shared universally by the early church.

Institutes of Christian Religion by John Calvin

One need not hold to reformed, Calvinistic theology to benefit from the monumental magnum opus of the man who is arguably the Reformation’s greatest exegete and systematic theologian. The best way to critique or defend Calvin’s theology, or to compare the theology of Calvin with the work of other theologians, is to read the “Institutes of Christian Religion” in its entirety. You can read it for free online, but I recommend buying a hard copy. You’ll definitely need it along the way.

And, once you finish reading Calvin, you can move on to Luther, Aquinas, Wesley and every other major theological figure throughout church history.

And yes, it will (and should) take you a lifetime!

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Living Faith is a Christian blog that interacts with a variety of biblical, theological and practical topics written by Grand Canyon University's College of Theology faculty and specially invited guests of the college. Our content provides practical and biblical advice from a Christian worldview for living our faith in the midst of an increasingly secularized world. In addition, our content wrestles with cultural topics and issues that challenge how we live out our faith as believers. For this reason, contributors to our Christian blog strive to write with compassion and apologetic concern to honor Christ and edify the church in every way possible.