In this episode, Matt Emerson and Luke Stamps summarize and discuss several classic Baptist and Reformed works from the CBR Theology Classics Reading Challenge, including: Institutes of the Christian Religion (Calvin), 1689 Confession, Orthodox Creed, Catechism (Keach), Our Reasonable Faith (Bavinck), and Church Dogmatics (Barth).

John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion (Book II), 1559: The touchstone of Reformed theology, this book is grounded in the conviction that to truly know ourselves we must know God. Book II lays out Calvin’s biblical theology from the fall of humanity to our redemption in Christ. Buy here.

Baptist Confessions of Faith, 1689 Confession, Orthodox Creed, Keach’s Catechism, 17th Century: Contrary to popular opinion, early Baptists were deeply rooted in the Great Tradition of the church while maintaining a commitment to the supreme authority of the Bible. These early confessions highlight the orthodox pedigree and unique features of Baptist life and teaching.

Herman Bavinck, The Wonderful Works of God, 1921: Also published as Our Reasonable Faith, this work is one of the greatest single-volume systematic theologies of all time. In it, Bavinck scripturally and methodically unpacks the fundamental doctrines of the Reformed tradition while guided by the principle of his opening sentence: “God, and God alone, is man’s highest good.” Buy here.

Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics (a selection), 1932-67: Compiled from lectures delivered over the course of his career, Church Dogmatics represents Barth’s crowning achievement. The work builds on the thought of the Fathers and Reformers to call Christians back to the Trinitarian faith of the Scriptures. Buy here.

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