Reformation Heritage Books has produced yet another incredible resource for the Christian life. The book is titled Puritan Reformed Theology: Historical, Experiential, and Practical Studies for the Whole of Life, and it is written by Joel Beeke. The book is a collection of Beeke’s articles for the Puritan Reformed Journal, the academic journal of the seminary of which he is president.
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Puritan Reformed Theology: Historical, Experiential, and Practical Studies for the Whole of Life
This book provides over 700 pages of rich content that is sure to lead the reader into worship! Beeke is a modern Purtian himself, and his writings are as Christ-centered as can be. He writes in a way that the mind and heart are affected.
After a really nice introduction to the book about a vision for theological education, the content is then broken down into six sections: Biblical Studies, Systematic and Historical Theology, Experiential Theology, Practical Theology, Pastoral Theology and Missions, and Contemporary and Cultural Issues. This format is really nice because it allows the reader to either read from the book from cover to cover (which will probably be rare due to the length of the book) or to jump all over, picking and choosing an article to read that grabs your attention. Since these chapters were originally individual articles written for an academic journal, they do not build upon one another. I enjoyed skipping around personally.
This book is filled with so much goodness! Beeke proves to be a pastor-scholar who is incredibly knowledgeable of the Puritans, but he’s more than just that. He’s a living, breathing example of what the Puritans were: men who were passionately in love with the Triune God and who sought to experience Him in every aspect of a holy life. Whether he’s writing about the man of sin in 2 Thessalonians 2, or delighting in the sabbath (a personal favorite chapter of mine), or God-centered adult education, he is able to help the reader love the Lord more and more.
Beeke provides chapters on biblical and theological topics, specific Puritans and their writings on theology (i.e. John Bunyan on justification or a Brakel’s biblical ethics of spirituality), the Puritans on practical theology (i.e. Puritans on marital love) and a large section on pastoral theology that deals with preaching, catechising, and authentic ministry. I could go on and on about the great breadth of material in this book! There are 41 chapters that provide the best of the best teaching for the church today. We are to be thankful for men like Beeke who have faithfully served the local church and the academy so faithfully and so well.
The physical book is a black hardcover with a very attractive green and ivory dust jacket. The paper is nice and heavy so that underlying and notes don’t bleed through too much.
I want to gladly and highly recommend this excellent resource to you! You will be blessed in the reading of this wonderful book. Tolle lege, take up and read!
Disclaimer: My thanks to Reformation Heritage Books for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Matt became a joyful follower of Jesus at the age of 21. He is very grateful to be a husband to Lindsey, and a father to four boys. He is an ordained minister (teaching elder) in the PCA. He previously served as a pastor of biblical counseling and is currently a corporate chaplain in southern Delaware. Matt received his Master of Divinity degree in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds an advanced certification in biblical counseling from the Association of Biblical Counselors. In his free time, he loves playing with his boys, traveling with his wife, and reading (and buying!) books.
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