Books

The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith in Modern English by Founder's Press. The Westminster Confession of Faith, as ingenious as it was, was a rough outline for the doctrinal refinement that would follow, and I have found no document or confessional statement to be more refined doctrinally than the 1689 confession. If you want to know what I believe, read this confession. I affirm the confession because I cannot refute any of it's key doctrines from the Bible alone. Even the first section is a masterclass summary of Biblical doctrine:

1:1 The Holy Scriptures are the only sufficient, certain, and infallible standard of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.1 The light of nature and the works of creation and providence so clearly demonstrate the goodness, wisdom, and power of God that people are left without excuse; however, these demonstrations are not sufficient to give the knowledge of God and His will that is necessary for salvation.2 Therefore, the Lord was pleased at different times and in various ways to reveal Himself and to declare His will to His church.3 To preserve and propagate the truth better and to establish and comfort the church with greater certainty against the corruption of the flesh and the malice of Satan and the world, the Lord put this revelation completely in writing. Therefore, the Holy Scriptures are absolutely necessary, because God’s former ways of revealing His will to His people have now ceased.4
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Five Lies of our Anti-Christian Age by Rosaria Butterfield.

Here are the five lies:
Lie #1: Homosexuality is normal.
Lie #2: Being a "spiritual" person is kinder than being a Christian.
Lie #3: Feminism is good for the world and for the Church.
Lie #4: Transgenderism is normal.
Lie #5: Modesty is an outdated burden that serves male dominance and holds women back.

Butterfield was once a lesbian but upon learning of the Gospel and placing her faith in Christ, she has repented of her sin of homosexuality and is now a married housewife. She argues that your sexual "orientation" is not definitional of who you are as a person. Rather, whether God created you to be a man or a woman is definitional to your identity. If you are a man and experiencing lust for other men, that is sin corrupting your basic human nature. Homosexuality is not immutable or unchangeable. It can and must be repented of.
 
The Sovereign Grace of God by James R. White. This is White's exploration of the doctrines of Calvinism, to demonstrate that they are Biblical. Of course, I am not impartial, I am convinced that they are. The key doctrines of Calvinism being summed up in a 5-point system called TULIP (Total Depravity/Inability, Unconditional Election, Limited/Particular Atonement, Irresistible Grace, Perseverance/Preservation of the Saints). I did a mock up of an inverted TULIP, a system that would say the opposite of each point. For example, if Total Inability is false, does that mean Total Ability is true? Is man really able to do whatever he pleases? The Scriptures seem clear to me that he can't, but people will insist what they will.

Commentary on Galatians by Martin Luther. Out of all of Luther's commentaries this is the one to read. It also happened to be Luther's favorite and the best summation of his theology. It is historically significant to Protestantism as a whole.
 
Drawn by the Father by James R. White. A deep dive into the sixth chapter of the Gospel of John, one of the most misinterpreted and misunderstood chapters in the entire Bible. It is often argued that this chapter teaches transubstantiation, despite the lack of any internal or contextual evidence for it. Narratively, Christ had not even instituted the Eucharist at this point in His ministry. The author does not mention the Eucharist anywhere in the chapter. Nor is wine even mentioned, so the transubstantiation formula crumbles at that point.

Rather, the focus of the text is twofold, the divinity of Christ and the nature of true belief vs false belief. The irony is that the false disciples believed Jesus was speaking about literal bread, and they were even willing to eat it. What they could not accept were Jesus' claims of divinity, and His insistence that no one can believe in Him unless they have been drawn by the Father. The last thing that Jesus kept repeating to them in verse 65, "for this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to me unless it has been granted to them by the Father" is what causes the false disciples to walk away in verse 66.

If you meditate on verse 58, then it becomes abundantly clear whether the text is about true faith in Christ or the Eucharist. "He who eats this bread will live forever." Is there anyone who has truly believed in Christ that did not live forever? Of course not. Is there anyone who received the Eucharist that did not live forever? Absolutely.
 
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Ministries of Mercy by Tim Keller. This book really resonates with me on what being a Christian looks like practically. It is a life of self-sacrifice, of putting others before yourself. It is not easy, and would seem counter-intuitive if viewed from faithless eyes. This book was recommended to me as a good guide on how to prepare for the diaconate. The truth is, all Christians are called to be deacons to a certain extent. Maybe not necessarily to hold the office, but we are all called to be God's workers. This book touches on one area I often feel convicted about, which is the right-wing attitude towards the poor. I am as right-wing as it gets, but I am concerned that our conservative mindset can draw us away to a less-than Christian one. Sometimes I wonder if the things we believe about the poor are just things we tell ourselves so that we do not have to do the hard work of actually caring for them. I do not read things like "they are all drug users" or "they are all just too lazy to work" anywhere in the Bible, but I do often hear it in conservative circles. I think something there needs to change, and it ain't gonna be the Bible. It is not enough just to talk about caring for the poor, but to be doers of the Word, as James says.
 
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Remove the whitespaces. Library Genesis is a good source for published books, except very rare or very new ones. You can check out Anna's Archive, but downloads are a bit more cancerous there.
 
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