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Preparing for Seminary: A Suggested Reading List
Students enter seminary studies with diverse backgrounds and different levels of
acquaintance with the subject that are dealt with in theological education. Some
may not be sufficiently prepared in basic academic skills such as reading,
research, analysis of arguments and evidence, and writing/composition. They may
lack background in liberal arts such as philosophy, history, and literature, and
thus find themselves at a disadvantage in studying apologetics, church history,
biblical interpretation, preaching, and other disciplines.
This list of
suggested readings is intended to help students who expect to
engage in the theological study at the seminary level to fill in some of the
gaps in their previous education. It is divided into three levels of difficulty
under each subject area:
1. Introductory
2. Intermediate
3. Challenging
Bible Content and Interpretation
1) Reformation Study Bible (Ligonier); R.C. Sproul, Knowing Scripture (IVP)
2) Edmund Clowney, The Unfolding Mystery (P&R); Derke Bergsma, Redemption: The
Triumph of God's Great Plan (Redeemer); Dan McCartney and Charles Clayton,
Let
the Reader Understand (Bridge Point); Michael Horton, God of Promise:
Introducing Covenant Theology (Baker)
3) Gerhardus Vos, Biblical Theology (Banner of Truth); Dennis Johnson, Triumph
of the Lamb: A Commentary on Revelation (P&R)
Reformed Confessions and Catechisms
1) Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms; Heidelberg Catechism, Belgic
Confession, Canons of Dort
2) A. A. Hodge, The Confession of Faith (Banner of Truth)
3) Zacharius Ursinus, Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism (P&R)
Philosophy, Apologetics, and Prolegomena to Theology
1) Diogenes Allen, Philosophy for Understanding Theology (Westminster John Knox)
2) Cornelius Van Til, Defense of the Faith (P&R); Louis Berkhof, Introduction to
Theology (Eerdmans)
3) Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics: Prolegomena (Baker); Michael Horton,
Covenant and
Eschatology (Westminster John Knox)
Theology
1) B.B. Warfield, The Plan of Salvation (Wipf and Stock); John Murray,
Redemption Accomplished and Applied (Eerdmans); Michael Horton, Putting Amazing
Back Into Grace (Baker)
2) Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Eerdmans); Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics (Baker)
3) John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2 vols. (Westminster John
Knox)
Church History
1) W. Robert Godfrey, Reformation Sketches (P&R)
2) Paul Johnson, A History of Christianity (Scribner Book Co.); D.G. Hart,
Defending the Faith: J. Gresham Machen and the Crisis of Conservative
Protestantism in Modern America (P&R)
3) Bengt Hagglund, History of Theology (Concordia); Philip Benedict, Christ's
Church Purely Reformed: A Social History of Calvinism (Yale University Press)
Spiritual Growth and Calling
1) W. Robert Godfrey, Unexpected Journey (P&R); J.I. Packer, Knowing God (IVP)
2) Edmund Clowney, Called to the Ministry (P&R)
3) Charles Bridges, Christian Ministry (Banner of Truth); Charles Spurgeon,
Lectures to My Students (Christian Heritage)
Preaching, Worship, and the Church
1) Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Preaching and Preachers (Zondervan)
2) Michael Horton, A Better Way (Baker); D.G. Hart and John Muether, With Reverance and Awe (P&R)
3) Edmund Clowney, The Church (IVP); Samuel Logan, ed., The Preacher and
Preaching (P&R)
Evangelism and Missions
1) Ernest Reisinger, Today's Evangelism: Its Message and Methods (P&R)
2) J. I. Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God (IVP)
3) R.B. Kuyper, God-Centered Evangelism (Banner of Truth); John Piper, Let the
Nations be Glad (Baker)
Christian Counseling
1) David Powlison, Seeing With New Eyes: Counseling and the Human Condition
through the Lens of Scripture (P&R); Jay Adams, Competent to Counsel (Zondervan)
2) Jay Adams, Theology of Christian Counseling (Zondervan)
John MacArthur and Wayne Mack, Introduction to Biblical Counseling (W Publishing
Group) Paul Vitz, Psychology as Religion (Eerdmans)
3) Jay Adams, Christian Counselor's Manual (Zondervan)
Principles of Linguistics
1) Donald Carson, Exegetical Fallacies (Baker)
2) Moises Silva, God, Language and Scripture (Zondervan)
3) Peter Coterell and Max Turner, Linguistics and Biblical Interpretation (IVP)
Contemporary Cultural Issues
1) J. Gresham Machen, Christianity and Liberalism (Eerdmans); Michael
Horton, Where in the World is the Church?
2) D.G. Hart, The Lost Soul of American Protestantism; David Wells, God in the
Wasteland (Eerdmans)
3) John Piper and Wayne Grudem, Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood
(Crossway)
Research and Writing Skills
1) William Strunk and E. B. White, The Elements of Style (Allyn and Bacon);
Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren, How to Read a Book (Simon and Schuster);
2) William Zinsser, On Writing Well (Quill Press) Joseph Williams, Style: Toward
Clarity and Grace (University of Chicago); Lynne Truss, Eats, Shoots & Leaves:
The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (Gotham)
3) Kate Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations
(University of Chicago)
We hope that this reading list is helpful to you in your preparation for
seminary.
If you have any questions, please feel free to
contact WSC.
Read more about Preparing for Seminary.
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