Books

Christianity is a lot bigger than us. Thanks to the faithful work of other believers throughout history and around the world, there is a vast landscape of great Christian books just waiting to be explored. Take a look at our recommended reading list for a great start.

We think you should begin with some historic confessions and catechisms, if you've never read them. Take a look at The Second London Baptist Confession and The Baptist Catechism.

Theological Core

God

The Holiness of God by R. C. Sproul
Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul
The Existence and Attributes of God by Stephen Charnock
Confessing the Impassible God edited by Rich Barcellos and others

Jesus

Through the Looking Glass by Kris Lundgaard
The Person of Christ by Donald MacLeod
The Atonement by Hugh Martin
The Shadow of Calvary by Hugh Martin
The Glory of Christ by Peter Lewis

Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit by Edwin Palmer
The Holy Spirit by Sinclair Ferguson
The Holy Spirit by John Owen

The Trinity

The Trinity: An Introduction by Scott R. Swain
Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit by Matthew Barrett
Delighting in the Trinity by Michael Reeves
The Triune God by Fred Sanders
Trinity and Creation: A Scriptural and Confessional Account by Richard C. Barcellos
The Son Who Learned Obedience: A Theological Case Against the Eternal Submission of the Son by D. Glenn Butner Jr

Theology

Systematic Theology by Louis Berkhof
Abstract of Systematic Theology by James P. Boyce
Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by R. C. Sproul
Reformed Dogmatics (4 vols) by Herman Bavinck

Scripture & Interpretation

The Bible

Scripture: Its Power, Authority, and Relevance by Robert Saucy
The Origin of the Bible by F.F. Bruce
The Canon of Scripture by F.F. Bruce
The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? by F.F. Bruce
The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible by B.B. Warfield
The Missing Gospels: Unearthing the Truth Behind Alternative Christianities by Darrell L. Bock
Explaining Inerrancy by R.C. Sproul

Interpreting the Bible

Principles of Biblical Interpretation by Louis Berkhof
Knowing Scripture by R.C. Sproul
God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Story-Line of the Bible by Vaughan Roberts
From Eden to the New Jerusalem by Alexander Desmond
According to Plan: The Unfolding Revelation of God in the Bible by Graeme Goldsworthy

Law and Gospel

True Bounds of Christian Freedom by Samuel Bolton
A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel by John Colquhoun
Lectures on the Law and the Gospel by Stephen Tyng
The Grace of Law by Ernest Kevan
From the Finger of God by Philip Ross
The Ten Commandments by Thomas Watson
Written in Stone by Philip Ryken
The Rule of Love by J.V. Fesko
Whatever Happened to the Ten Commandments? by Ernest Reisinger

Salvation & The Christian Life

Christ's Death on the Cross

Pierced for Our Transgressions by Steve Jeffery, Michael Ovey, and Andrew Sach
In My Place Condemned He Stood by J.I. Packer and Mark Dever
In Christ Alone: Reflections on the Heart of the Gospel by Sinclair Ferguson
The Gospel for Real Life by Jerry Bridges
Mission Accomplished by Michael Scott Horton
The Truth of the Cross by R.C. Sproul
The Death of Death in the Death of Christ by John Owen

Heaven and Hell

Hell on Trial: The Case for Eternal Punishment by Robert A. Peterson
Biblical Teaching on the Doctrines of Heaven and Hell by Edward Donnelly
A Taste of Heaven by R.C. Sproul

Trusting God in Trials and Difficulties

Is God Really in Control? by Jerry Bridges
Trusting God by Jerry Bridges
The Invisible Hand by R.C. Sproul

Dealing with Depression and Anxiety

Spiritual Depression by Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Depression A Stubborn Darkness by Ed Welch
Running Scared by Ed Welch

Growth in Christ

Holiness by J.C. Ryle
The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges
The Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges
The Enemy Within by Kris Lundgaard
God’s Way of Holiness by Horatius Bonar
The Gospel Mystery of Sanctification by Walter Marshall
Humility by Wayne Mack

Family & Ministry

Marriage

Strengthening Your Marriage by Wayne Mack
Living in a Godly Marriage by Joel Beeke and James A. La Belle
When Sinners Say I Do by Dave Harvey
Sexual Intimacy in Marriage by William Cutrer and Sandra Glahn

Family

Your Family God’s Way by Wayne Mack
Disciplines of a Godly Family by Kent and Barbara Hughes
Family Worship by Donald Whitney

Parenting

Don’t Make Me Count to Three: A Mom’s Look at Heart-Oriented Discipline by Ginger Plowman
Withhold Not Correction by Bruce A Ray
Age of Opportunity by Paul Tripp (for parents of teens)
Everyday Talk by John A. Younts
Truth Made Simple by John Todd

The Church

The Baptism of Disciples Alone by Fred Malone
The Deliberate Church by Dever and Alexander
Life in the Body of Christ by Curtis Thomas
How to Behave in Church by Peter Jeffery
Principles and Practices for Baptist Churches by Edward Hiscox
Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches by John Hammett
The Lords Supper as a Means of Grace by Richard Barcellos
Polity: A Collection of Historic Baptist Documents by Mark Dever
The Church: The Gospel Made Visible by Mark Dever
The Courage to be Protestant by David F. Wells

Heritage, Worldviews & History

Baptist Covenant Theology

The Distinctiveness of Baptist Covenant Theology by Pascal Denault
Recovering a Covenantal Heritage edited by Richard Barcellos

Vocation and Work

God at Work: Your Christian Vocation in All of Life by Gene Edward Veith
The Callings: The Gospel in the World by Paul Helm
Redeeming the Time: A Christian Approach to Work and Leisure by Leland Ryken
The Call: Finding and Fulfilling the Central Purpose of Your Life by Os Guinness

Evangelism and Missions

A Vision for Missions by Tom Wells
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God by J.I. Packer
Today’s Evangelism by Ernest Reisinger
God-Centered Evangelism by R.B. Kuyper
The Gospel and Personal Evangelism by Mark Dever
Tell the Truth by Will Metzger
Christian Mission by John Stott

Biography

C.H. Spurgeon Autobiography by Charles Haddon Spurgeon
Martin Lloyd-Jones by Iain Murray (2 vols)
Spurgeon: Prince of Preachers by Lewis Drummond
Here I Stand (on Martin Luther) by Roland Bainton
Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography by Iain Murray
A Life of John Calvin by Alistair McGrath
Life and Letters of John A Broadus by A. T. Robertson
William Tyndale by David Daniell
The Life and Diary of David Brainerd edited by Jonathan Edwards
Faithful Witness (William Carey) by Timothy George
Shadow of the Almighty by Elizabeth Elliot
Through the Gates of Splendor by Elizabeth Elliot

In Defense of the Faith

Who Made God? by Edgar Andrews
If You Could Ask God One Question by Paul Williams and Barry Cooper
Every Thought Captive by Richard Pratt
Always Ready by Greg Bahnsen
Apologetics for the Glory of God by John Frame
Defending Your Faith by R.C. Sproul
God in the Dock by C.S. Lewis
Darwin on Trial by Phil Johnson
Darwin’s Black Box by Michael Behe
More Than Meets the Eye by Richard A. Swenson
Trilogy by Francis Schaeffer

Cults and World Religions

A Guide to New Religious Movements edited by Ronald Enroth
The Compact Guide to World Religions edited by Dean C. Halverson
The Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Martin
Encyclopedic Dictionary of Cults, Sects, and World Religions edited by Nichols, George, Mather, and Schmidt
The Challenge of the Cults and New Religions by Ron Rhodes
Scripture Twisting: Twenty Ways Cults Misread the Bible by James W. Sire
Christianity at the Religious Roundtable: Evangelicalism in Conversation with Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam by Timothy C. Tennent

Church History

Church History in Plain Language by Bruce Shelley
Sketches From Church History by S.M. Houghton
Turning Points by Mark Noll
Our Legacy by John Hannah
The History of Christian Doctrines by Louis Berkhof
By His Grace and for His Glory: A Historical, Theological, and Practical Study of the Doctrines of Grace in Baptist Life by Tom Nettles
Theology of the Reformers by Timothy George
The Story of Christianity (Volume 1) (Volume 2) by Justo L. Gonzalez
Exploring Church History by James Eckman
A History of Christianity (Volume 1) (Volume 2) by Kenneth Scott Latourette

Classics & Advanced Study

Important Classics

Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin (2 Vols)
The Christian’s Great Interest (on assurance) by William Guthrie
The True Bounds of Christian Freedom (on law, gospel, covenants) by Samuel Bolton
Preaching and Preachers (on preaching) by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
The Christian Ministry (on pastoral ministry) by Charles Bridges
The Religious Affections (on genuine conversion) by Jonathan Edwards
The Works of John Bunyan by John Bunyan (3 Vols)
The Works of Andrew Fuller by Andrew Fuller
A Body of Doctrinal Divinity by John Gill
A Body of Practical Divinity by John Gill
The Cause of God and Truth by John Gill
Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon (devotional)
The Valley of Vision by Arthur Bennett (devotional)
Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
God, Revelation, and Authority by Carl F.H. Henry (5 Vols)

Reformed Confessions

The Theology of the Westminster Standards by JV Fesko
A Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms by Richard Muller
An Exposition of the Westminster Confession of Faith by Robert Shaw
A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith by Samuel Waldron

First Baptist Church

P.O. Box 552
12329 Jackson Street
Clinton, LA 70722

Phone: (225) 683-5153
Contact us:
fbcoffice1689@gmail.com

About First Baptist

Resources

Sunday Services

9:30 am — Sunday School
10:45 am — Morning Worship
12:15 pm — Lunch Fellowship
1:45 pm — Afternoon Worship

Wednesday Activities: 6:30PM

Children (3-12 yrs): singing and catechism.
Grades 7-12: prayer, Bible study and fellowship
Adults: Devotional & prayer