What is Reddit's opinion of Letters to a Young Calvinist: An Invitation to the Reformed Tradition?
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>I've been waiting for Dr. Mildred (/u/davidjricardo [+51]) to pipe in and recommend a short book called Letters to a Young Calvinist by James K.A. Smith. It was very helpful to me when he recommended it to me this fall.

You beat me too it! But I agree: /u/19-ONE - you need to read this book ASAP. It's the best antidote to the cage-stage. A quick easy read best digested in small parts, it does a great job of providing an overview of the Reformed tradition that is accessible, theological, and pastoral. It's aimed at those who have a 'come-to-Calvin' moment from within other theological traditions (Smith was pentecostal), but would benefit everyone. IT's quite cheap too - you can get it on Amazon for under $10.

Thanks for engaging! Stick around here, we’d love to have you.

If I may, I’d love to give you something to think about. There’s something called the “cage stage” which many of us have gone through. It’s where you’re incredibly aggressive about Calvinism because you’re passionate about it, it’s important, and you feel as if it’s something nobody has told you about. Like I said, I get it. I’ve been there.

All that to say, I would recommend reading about how to get out of the cage stage. One book that gets recommended often is Letters to a Young Calvinist. It’s worth reading.

Anyway, glad we had an oppurtunity to chat. see you around!

I'm glad it was helpful for you. If you are "new to the whole reformed world" I'd also highly recommend the book Letters to a Young Calvinist: An Invitation to the Reformed Tradition by Jamie Smith. It's really helpful.

I will second the recommendation for the book. Here is an amazon link to buy. It's a quick, easy read.

I'd recommend it to every "young" or "new-to-Calvinism" person on this sub, even if they aren't in the cage stage.

I've definitely observed the sort of behavior among reformed Christians before - and it is annoying. Jamie Smith cautions against this very sort of behavior in his book Letters to a Young Calvinist: An Invitation to the Reformed Tradition. I highly recommend it to anyone who considers themselves Reformed but is in a a Baptist or non-denominational church, regardless of age.

> Also, can you be a Reformed and be a purgatorial universalist?

Yes, but purgatorial universalism is definitely not a Reformed position.

> I know most of you are going to say that I'm wrong and going to hell for my heresy

I will say that I think you are wrong, but it doesn't rise to the level of heresy. I do understand the appeal of it. It's also not something that is going to send a Christian to hell. Like other sins, the sin of believing in purgatorial universalism (assuming that it is wrong) is covered in Christ's death on the cross.

Hi /u/iwillyes, I'm glad you're here! Let me start by talking a bit about what the Reformed tradition of Christianity is.

The Reformed Tradition is a branch of Protestant Christianity that developed during the Reformation in Switzerland, Scotland, France and the low countries. John Calvin was (and is) the most influential theologian in the Reformed tradition. While we share many similarities with Anglicans, Baptists and Lutherans we are usually seen as a distinct strand. We disagree on the meaning of both Baptism and the Eucharist, for example (in both regards Lutherans are closer to Catholics). Pentecostals and Anabaptist are quite different.

In terms of what makes the Reformed different from other Protestant groups, I love this quote by Cornelius Plantinga:

>>Our accents lie more on the sovereignty of God, on the authority of Scripture, on the need for disciplined holiness in personal Christian life, and finally, on Christianity as a religion of the Kingdom.

That emphasis on the sovereignty of God over all things is in my mind what most clearly distinguishes the reformed tradition. Part of that is understanding God to be sovereign in salvation - what is commonly known as the five points of Calvinism. Basically we believe that because of we are dead in our sin, man is utterly unable to do anything to save himself - even unable to turn to God. It is only through God's grace of drawing us to him that we are able to have the faith that saves us. This means that we contribute nothing to our own salvation - it is entirely a work of God.

In the U.S. there are two main groups of Reformed churches: Presbyterians (the Scottish Reformed) and the Dutch Reformed. Historically Scottish Reformed have put a bit more emphasis on personal piety (the Puritans are part of this group) while the Dutch Reformed have put slightly more emphasis on declaring the Lordship of Christ over all creation. But, we are very, very similar. The Reformed tradition is a deeply confessional one. We hold to historic documents that describe what we understand scripture to teach on a wide range of matters. The Presbyterians hold to the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Dutch Reformed hold to the Three Forms of Unity. While different documents, the two sets of confessions essentially teach the same doctrine.

In terms of churches the large (100k+ members) Presbyterian denominations in the US are the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Presbyterian Chrurch in America. the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, and ECO: A Covenant Order of Presbyterians. The PC(USA) is a more "liberal" church while the others are more "conservative" to varying degrees. The two large Dutch Reformed denominations are the Reformed Church in America and the Christian Reformed Church. There are also many smaller Presbyterian and Reformed denominations. Many of them are part of the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council.

What complicates things a bit is that in recent years, many Christians in other traditions have started using "reformed" to mean they have a Calvinistic view of salvation, even if they don't fit into the broader reformed tradition in other ways. You will find a lot of Baptists who have a Calvinistic view of salvation, but not of the sacraments or the church, for example. This sub tends to attract both the more conservative branch of the Reformed tradition as well as those who just have a Calvinistic view of salvation.

In terms of books, my number one recommendation for you is Letters to a Young Calvinist: An Invitation to the Reformed Tradition by Jamie Smith. It's a quick easy read best digested in small parts. It does a great job of providing an overview of the Reformed tradition that is accessible, theological, and pastoral. It's aimed at those who have a 'come-to-Calvin' moment from within other theological traditions (Smith was pentecostal), but would benefit everyone.

Also read through some of the Reformed Confessions. The best place to start is with the Heidelberg Catechim and the Belgic Confession. If you want a more modern approach, I'd encourage you to also read the Christian Reformed Church's Contemporary Testimony Our World Belongs To God, too.

Other good "intro" level books:

Reformed: What It Means, Why It Matters by Bob DeMoor. This is more of a booklet that a full book. It'd be a great option for a newcomers class at church.
Deep Down Faith by Cornelius Plantinga. This one is a devotional aimed at young adults, but an excellent explanation of Reformed Faith.
Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul. This is the book that made me a Calvinist. Best explanation and defense of TULIP out there. Sproul's The Holiness of God is anothe excellent choice, as are all of his books.
Calvinism in the Las Vegas Airport: Making Connections in Today's World by Richard Mouw. Another book focused on TULIP. This one's goal is to show how the doctrines of Grace affect the way we live out our lives and correcting common misunderstandings about Calvinism.

Once you feel ready for higher level stuff, I recommend:

Reformed Theology by Michael Allen. If you want a book that covers the breadth of Reformed Theology at a deep level than Smith or DeMoor, this is for you (think intro college level).
Reformed Catholicity: The Promise of Retrieval for Theology and Biblical Interpretation by Michael Allen and Scott Swain. This book is a clarion call: “to be Reformed means to go deeper into true catholicity, not to move away from catholicity.” A must read.
Reformed Dogmatics (Abridged) by Herman Bavink. My appreciation for Bavink grows every time I read him. This abridged version is much cheaper and more accessible than the full four volume edition.
Calvin: Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin. This one needs no explanation. Get this one if you want to splurge for a nice reference edition, the Beveridge Translation is available for much less (and free online).

I forgot to explain what the cage stage is. My original post is long enough I think. Here's an excellent article by RC Sproul describing the phenomenon. Basically, it is

>those newly minted Reformed believers who are so aggressive and impatient that they should be locked in a cage for a little while so that they can cool down and mature a little in the faith

Here it is explained in pictures.

And in meme form.

Regardless, Letters to a Young Calvinist is the antidote. Go read it. Now.

I think they'd benefit enormously from this book:

Letters to a Young Calvinist

Anyone who has been largely influenced by the "young, Restless, and Reformed" movement needs to read James KA Smith's Letters to a Young Calvinist: An Invitation to the Reformed Tradition. It's a quick, easy read aimed at such believers (especially those coming out of Charismatic traditions, like Smith did). Smith's Desiring the Kingdom: Worship, Worldview, and Cultural Formation is also worth reading.

Cornelius Plantinga's best work is Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin. His book A Place to Stand is older, but also very good.

Herman Bavinck was a Dutch Theologian from around 1900 who has only recently been translated into English. There's a bit of a learning curve so it's not the easiest thing to get into. The abridged version of his Reformed Dogmatics is probably the best place to start. Some of his articles are available for free at http://hermanbavinck.org/articles/