The Reformed Faith

by Loraine Boettner

"We believe that what has been known in Church History as Calvinism is the purest and most consistent embodiment of the religion of faith."

The Reformed Faith is a succinct, easy-to-read pamphlet on the distinctives of Calvinism. Boettner is primarily interested in depicting the tenets of the Reformed tradition that stand out against alternative traditions; in particular, Arminianism. Boettner thoroughly captures the heart of Calvinism, and is an helpful pedagogue for those who are beginning to learn about Reformed theology.

This electronic edition features an active table of contents.

The Reformed Faith is part of The Fig Classic Series on Modern Theology. To view more books in our catalog, visit us at fig-books.com.

Genres: Theology, Christian

32 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1983

About the author

Loraine Boettner (1901-1990) was a Reformed Theologian, born on a farm in Linden, Missouri. After obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree from Tarkio College in 1925, he attended Princeton Theological Seminary where he studied Systematic Theology under Dr. Casper W. Hodge and received his Th.B. (1928) and Th.M. (1929). He taught Bible for eight years in Pikeville College, Kentucky. In 1933 he received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity from Tarkio College, and in 1957 the degree of Doctor of Literature. He was a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
From 1958 until his death in 1990, Dr. Boettner lived a quite life in Rock Port, Missouri. For the remaining 32 years of his life, he generously sold his books at cost to any who wrote to ask for them. In doing so, Boettner made good conservative theology readily available at a time when such material was often difficult to come by. Through his writings, he served to popularize the Reformed faith and influenced literally tens of thousands of men and women around the world.

Reviews

[Bill Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introduction to Calvinism and how it differs from Arminianism. And it was extremely cool to see Curtis Thomas referred to in the book, he was the man that helped me understand Calvinism and how it applied to life.

[Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book! Even though I knew the information technically, I didn't really grasp the "why" or "how" of portions. This is a very informative and easy to understand book.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short and concise introduction to Calvinism. I recommend this book to Arminians and Calvinists alike!

[Jenifer M Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear and Concise

The Reformed Faith by Loraine Boettner is a clear and concise defense of the doctrines of grace also known by the TULIP acronym associated with Calvinism. It can easily be read in one sitting. After reading it through, read it again slowly alongside your bible and write in a notebook all of the important points with scripture references. This is an important defense of biblical doctrine and shows the grievous errors of Arminianism's false gospel. You will find the doctrines of grace in the reformed faith to be faithful to scripture in every way. Never trust a person (neither John Calvin nor Jacobus Arminius), test everything they say with the Word of God as your only authority.

For the attentive reader, there are typos that need to be corrected in numerous places. However, they do not take away from being able to understand the content. Without the typos, I would have given five stars.

[Lizardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would recommend to anyone wanting to learn more about Calvinism because it's short, easy to read, and clearly presented.

Would give a warning to anyone who has had a bad experience with Calvinists that Boettner is pretty uncharitable to other points of view.

[Wayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simply put, a concise biblical introduction to God's word

Truth. It is truthful. This is a concise introduction into what the Bible teaches and the Reformed faith which is what the Bible teaches.

[Jim Chambers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little booklet. Easy to read and clear explanation of the Doctrines of Grace.

[Wesley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written. An excellent breakdown of Calvinism and Arminianism. Highly recommend!

[Todd Wilhelm · Rating 3 out of 5]

“We are living in a day in which practically all of the historic churches are being attacked from within by unbelief. Many of them have already succumbed. And almost invariably the line of descent has been from Calvinism to Arminianism to Liberalism, and then to Unitarianism. And the history of Liberalism and Unitarianism shows that they deteriorate into a social gospel that is too weak to sustain itself. We are convinced that the future of Christianity is bound up with that system of theology historically called “Calvinism.” Where the God centered principles of Calvinism have been abandoned, there has been a strong tendency downward into the depths of man centered naturalism or secularism. Some have declared - rightly, we believe - that there is no consistent stopping place between Calvinism and atheism.”

-Page 2-3

[Eowyn Dean]

This tiny booklet is an amazingly accurate and concise statement of the most important and controversial points of Calvinism (or the reformed faith). The sovereignty of God, and the outworking of that in the fall and in salvation takes up most of the book. Boettner devotes a few pages to explaining why the 'universalistic' passages in the Bible do not support Arminianism, and the last five to comparing Calvinism and Arminianism using the five points of Calvinism (TULIP). Well worth a read even if this is all familiar stuff to you!

[Wade · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great, brief explanation of the differences between Reformed and Arminian theology. Boettner particularly does a fine job of defining foreknowledge and refuting the Arminian definition of foreknowledge that attempts to claim that God foresaw who would choose Him and so He elected them because of what He foresaw that they would do some day in the future. Boettner also gives a great explanation of the passages that mention that God desires “all” to be saved. His explanation of the uses of “all” in these passages is clear and consistent with the context of each of the passages.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it easy to read and to the point. Great summary table at the end.

[Jean Pierre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short book, but Boettner does a good job of explaining the Doctrines of Grace within Reformed Theology. Definitely worth reading.

[Daniel Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good not great.

[Felipe Sabino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uma apresentação decente e concisa da soteriologia calvinista.