Christian Classics Curriculum
By Mark Dever and Michael J. Thate
January (Early Church):
Year One: Henry Bettenson, Documents of the Early Church and The Martyrdom of Polycarp
Year Two: Polycarp, Epistle to the Philippians and Irenaeus, Against All Heresies
Year Three: Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians
Year Four: St Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of St John and The Epistle to the Hebrews
February (Augustine):
Year One: Confessions
Year Two: City of God
Year Three: Doctrinal Treatises (especially On the Holy Trinity), and Moral Treatises
Year Four: Anti-Pelagian Writings
March (Martin Luther):
Year One: Roland H. Bainton, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther and Heiko A. Oberman, Luther: Man Between God and Devil
Year Two: Timothy F. Lull and William R. Russell, eds., Martin Luther’s Basic Theological Writings (2d ed.; Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress Press, 2005)
Year Three: Luther, The Bondage of the Will
Year Four: Luther, Table Talk and the prefaces of his commentaries on Romans and Galatians
April (John Calvin):
Year One: Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Volume One
Year Two: Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Volume Two
Year Three: Bernard Cottret, Calvin: A Biography and Theodore Beza, The Life of John Calvin
Year Four: Read through various passages in his many commentaries on Genesis, Psalms, Romans, Galatians, Philippians, or your other favorite books of the Bible.
May (Richard Sibbes and Richard Baxter):
Year One: Sibbes, The Bruised Reed and the Smoking Flax and Sibbes, The Glorious Feast of the Gospel
Year Two: Baxter, The Reformed Pastor, and Baxter, The Practical Works
Year Three: Sibbes, The Spiritual Man’s Aim and Sibbes, A Glance of Heaven
Year Four: Sibbes, The Saint’s Comforts, and Sibbes, Salvation Applied
June (John Bunyan and John Owen):
Year One: Bunyan, Pilgrim’s Progress and Kelly M. Kapic and Justin Taylor, eds., Communion with the Triune God (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2007).
Year Two: Kapic and Taylor, eds., Overcoming Sin and Temptation: Three Classic Works by John Owen (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 2006).
Year Three: Bunyan, Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners and Owen, Death of Death in the Death of Christ
Year Four: Owen, The Doctrine of Justification by Faith
July (Jonathan Edwards):
Year One: Iain H. Murray, Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography (Banner of Truth, 1996), George M. Marsden, Jonathan Edwards: A Life (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2004).
Year Two: Edwards, Freedom of the Will and Edwards, Charity and Its Fruits
Year Three: Edwards, Religious Affections and John Piper, God’s Passion for His Glory: Living the Vision of Jonathan Edwards (With the Complete Text of “The End for Which God Created the World”) (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1998).
Year Four: Wilson H. Kimnach, Kenneth P. Minkema, and Douglas A. Sweeney, The Sermons of Jonathan Edwards: A Reader (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999), and Edwards, Resolutions.
August (Charles H. Spurgeon):
Year One: Spurgeon, Lectures to My Students and Autobiography
Year Two: Spurgeon, Till He Comes
Year Three: Spurgeon, The Treasury of David
Year Four: Spurgeon, any number of his various sermons
September (B. B. Warfield):
Year One: Warfield, Revelation and Inspiration (vol. 1 of his complete works)
Year Two: Warfield, Biblical Doctrines (vol. 2)
Year Three: Warfield, Calvin and Calvinism (vol. 5)
Year Four: Warfield, Studies in Theology (vol. 9)
October (D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones):
Year One: Iain H. Murray, David Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The First Forty Years (1899 – 1939) and David Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The Fight of Faith (1939 – 1981)
Year Two: Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression: Its Causes and Cures
Year Three: Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount
Year Four: Lloyd-Jones, Great Doctrines of the Bible: God the Father, God the Son; God the Holy Spirit; The Church and Last Things
November (C. S. Lewis and Blaise Pascal):
Year One: Lewis, Mere Christianity and Lewis, Surprised by Joy
Year Two: Lewis, The Abolition of Man and Lewis, God in the Dock
Year Three: Pascal, Pensées and Lewis, Reflections on the Psalms
Year Four: Lewis, Screwtape Letters and Lewis, The Pilgrim’s Regress
December (Contemporary Authors):
Year One: J. I. Packer, Knowing God and Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
Year Two: John Stott, The Cross of Christ and Carl F. H. Henry, The Uneasy Conscience of Modern Fundamentalism
Year Three: Francis A. Schaeffer, The God Who Is There; Escape from Reason; He Is There And He Is Not Silent
Year Four: Any of the books by the Council Members of The Gospel Coalition (see their writings at our About Us page)
mirror of: http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reading.php?a=108