Getting Started in the Dead Theologians Society

In my previous post, I advocated the reading of dead theologians. But they’re almost too many to choose from—where should one get started?

To begin with, let’s not too narrowly define theologians. Someone need not teach in a seminary or publish books to be a theologian. As R.C. Sproul used to famously say, “Everyone’s a theologian.” From servants in backrooms and stay-at-home moms to students in college and scholars writing books—everyone thinks something about God. That is what makes them theologians. The only question is: ‘How good is their theology?’ This isn’t a matter of opinion or tradition, but how closely one’s theology coheres to God’s revelation of himself in the Bible. 

Over the course of church history, God has provided his people great theologians who never stood in a pulpit or taught a class. Yet, God has also blessed us with many, many theologians whose words were recorded for future generations (like us!) to receive benefit. So, where do we start reading? The following list is a brief taste of what’s been helpful to many over the years. 

The Church Fathers

• Anonymous. The Martyrdom of Polycarp. Written by an unknown disciple of Polycarp, readers are given a firsthand account of believer who willingly gives his life for Christ. It has inspired many others to do the same in the following centuries of church history. 
• Athanasius, On the Incarnation.  Athanasius helped defend Christianity against the seemingly unstoppable Arians who denied Jesus’ deity. Later he was exiled from the church five times when his orthodox beliefs were out of favor with political and religious leaders who contradicted Scripture. This classic work highlights trinitarian theology by meditating on the deity of the Son before and after the Incarnation. Bonus points if you get an edition with C.S. Lewis’ famous introduction, which by itself could be the charter for the Dead Theologians Society! 

The Early Middle Ages

• Augustine, Confessions. Perhaps the first Christian spiritual biography, this work has been influential across many generations (especially after he was recovered during the Reformation). Augustin shows us with keen theological insight and pastoral care why Jesus is more precious and all-satisfying than living in unbelief, deep philosophical meditation, or wanton sexual promiscuity.  
• Patrick, The Confession of St Patrick. Following in the vein of Augustine, another famous “saint” tells a very different story of conversion. From being kidnapped and enslaved, to being called by God to serve his captors and love a land of sinners, Patrick is one of the greatest missionaries who ever lived. This is his autobiography and reflections on God’s goodness in his life.  

The Late Middle Ages

• Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God. One of the earlier theologians Calvin would later love to quote, there is much to appreciate in Bernard, even if we would disagree with him on some things. What he got right more than many others of his day was the deep love of God for his people and our needed, Spirit-led response of loving him in return. 
• John Wycliffe, On the Truth of Sacred Scripture. Serving as pastor over multiple churches and a professor preparing young men for the priesthood, Wycliffe is often called the “morning star” of the Reformation. He saw and believed the true gospel and was unhappy with many things in the Roman Church of his day. This work (one of three key writings), helped prepare the way for the Reformation by insisting on the need for people to have access to the Bible in their own language. Tyndale (below) was greatly inspired by him!

The Reformation 

• Martin Luther, “The Freedom of the Christian.” A wonderful meditation on justification by the “hammer” God used to break through the walls of false doctrine to allow the light of the gospel to shine again. When you’re ready for more Luther, move on to his book, The Bondage of the Will—a work some consider his greatest piece of writing. 
• John Calvin, A Little Book on the Christian Life. It has been said that if Luther was the Reformation’s hammer, Calvin was its pen. Writing with more precision and care, Calvin’s theology expands the mind and enflames the heart. This little book is taken from his much larger work, The Institutes of the Christian Religion, which is a volume dedicated to knowing and applying systematic theology. This small book is a wonderful primer on what it means to follow Jesus in faith.
• William Tyndale, The Obedience of a Christian Man. Tyndale was the English Reformer who was committed to making God’s Word available in English (despite it being illegal) so that even plowboys in the field could know more of God’s Word than the illiterate priests who chose the Pope’s law over God’s law. This work will be hard to read—the English of the 1500s is not the same as today! But if you read slowly, your labor will be repaid.  Here he outlines why he was so passionate about getting the Bible into people’s hands—it is supreme over all human tradition.

The Puritans 

• Thomas Brooks, Precious Remedies Against Satan’s Devices. One of the most readable Puritans, Brooks’ works fill a six-volume set that is still in print. Precious Remedies helps the believer see and fight against the many ways Satan tries to tempt us. Ligon Duncan says, “If you are looking for a book to be your companion in the lifelong fight for joy and against sin…then I don’t have a better uninspired nomination for you than Precious Remedies.”
• John Owen, Communion with God. Widely considered the greatest English theologian, Owen’s works have stood the test of time and helped many believers across many generations. Communion with Godis a fascinating and unique work, showing how we ought to understand and pursue fellowship with all three Persons of the Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit. Owen can be difficult. Read it slowly. And consider it reading it out loud if certain parts are still difficult.
• John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress. The most printed Christian book besides the Bible, this work weaves together theology and pastoral wisdom as Bunyan tells the allegorical story of a Christian who moves from conversion to life to come. It was C.H. Spurgeon’s favorite book outside of the Bible. Of it, he writes, “Read anything of his, and you will see that it is almost like reading the Bible itself. He had read it till his whole being was saturated with Scripture; and, though his writings are charmingly full of poetry, yet he cannot give us his Pilgrim’s Progress—without continually making us feel and say, ‘Why, this man is a living Bible!’” Be sure to get an edition that includes Part 2 (Christiana’s story) as in the edition linked here. 

The Early Modern Age

• Jonathan Edwards. Charity and Its Fruits.  Widely considered the greatest American theology, this is a collection of Edwards’ sermons on 1 Corinthians 13. The beauty of love for God and neighbor is on full display. The final sermon, “Heaven Is a World of Love,” may be one of the finest sermons in the English language. 
• Phyllis Wheatley, Complete Writings. Wheatley was the first African-American woman published in pre-Revolutionary America. She is known for her work in apologetics, the abolitionist movement, and missions.  The Complete Writings is filled mainly with her poetry. These works artistically and thoughtfully weave solid convictions about God’s sovereignty and goodness with hard feelings of human suffering.
• Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Christ’s Glorious Achievements. It’s hard to know where to start with Spurgeon; he is the most published Christian author in the English language! Yet, his all-consuming desire was to magnify the glory of Christ, which this little book does. Get to know him more and read his sermons (for which he is most famous!) through The Spurgeon Center. 

The Late Modern Age 

• B. B. Warfield, “Imitating the Incarnation.” This is a sermon preached in the chapel of Princeton Theological Seminary in the days before its sharp decline into liberalism. Giant is one of the “giants” of the faith, combining theological insight with discernment and love for Christ and his church.  Of this sermon, David Powlison has said, “The last page and a half offers the most riveting description of the goal of Christian living that I’ve ever read.”
• J. Gresham Machen, Christianity & Liberalism. This book was a classic the moment it was published and remains helpful today. Machen’s thesis is that theological liberalism is not a brand of orthodox Christianity but a different religion altogether. Rosaria Butterfield says, “No book is more prescient for our anti-Christian age than Machen’s Christianity & Liberalism, a book that extols the Gospel’s distinctive power. In this powerful book, Machen boldly took on the heretics of his day, leaving for us a model of Christian courage.”
• J.I. Packer, “What Did the Cross Achieve? The Logic of Penal Substitution.”  Often regarded as one of Packer’s best works, this essay defends the heart of the biblical gospel by positivity building a case for it from Scripture.  It’s a masterclass in how to do theology and warms the heart as much as it informs the head. 
• Elizabeth Elliot, Through Gates of Splendor. Elliot was widowed when were husband and four other missionaries were martyred on a beach in Ecuador as they tried to share the gospel with an indigenous tribe. Yet, it’s the power of the gospel that allowed the work to continue through some of the widows! A classic missionary biography which has stirred thousands to head to the nations with good news of salvation in Jesus.

I hope something on this list has piqued your interest and will open up a world of God-honoring, Christ-centered, Spirit-moved writing that help you become a better theologian and more passionate and faithful believer. Don’t forget to fully embrace the societal nature of the group and share your insights with others!

Note: a version of this article was posted on the Providence Bible Fellowship Blog.