Easy Chairs, Hard Words: Conversations on the Liberty of God

This is a solid book. Doug Wilson explains many of the common questions about Calvinism and Reformed thinking (beginning, of course, by stating his reticence to use these terms) in an engaging, informative manner. I have read assorted other books on Calvinism, and Doug Wilson here answers some questions in ways I've never seen them answered before, and gives great analogies to help understand what he's talking about. The whole book is written in a dialogue format, which makes for an occasionally stilted read (there are only so many ways a character can say "I see" or "I don't understand" before it gets kind of old). But overall, I think the format works great, illustrating how down-to-earth these principles are, and following the natural logic when thinking through these things. It's a stellar book.

Arminianism is like a head cold: you can catch it without knowing it, but you can't get rid of it without a fight. The average Christian finds much comfort in the tenents of Arminianism (God is manageable, sin is not the incapacitating force the Bible says it is, I can "help" God with my salvation and sanctification, etc) but little biblical support. Because Arminianism as a system tends to promote fuzzy thinking and an impervious resistance to logic or systematic theology, it is a most difficult foe to vanquish. Fortunately, Doug Wilson has delivered a death blow in shirtsleeve English. Recording the conversation of a Calvinist pastor and a recovering Arminian, Wilson gently demolishes all the errors of the Arminian system in an engaging style. All Calvinists should read this book in order to learn to present the truths of the Bible in a clear and attractive manner. All Arminians should read this book in order to learn the truth.

Douglas Wilson may be the most articulate of all the current defenders of Reformed theology writing today. Not since I read John Gerstner's all but unanswerable "Predestination Primer" (available in "Primitive Theology: The Collected Primers of John H. Gerstner") have I run across a comparable defense of the Augustinian (or Calvinist, though I truly believe that it is simply the Biblical) sytem of belief. Indeed, superb as Gerstner was, Wilson's imagined dialogue may be the more effective presentation. I cannot recommend this too highly. Ironically enough it is the ideal antidote to such slipshod exercises in sophistry as Gregory Boyd's "God of the Possible". Wilson will probably never have the rapturous following that some Christian thinkers have because A) He makes it look easy (It takes a superior intelligence to take topics this weighty and make them so clear) and B) People will reject what he is saying, not because it is false, or illogical, or unBiblical; they will reject it because they don't like what he says. The Rev. Wilson finds himself in enviable company there. All Christians should read this excellent book.

A young man has questions about "eternal security" or "once saved - always saved", and he goes to visit an older Reformed minister to get some answers. They decide to meet on a regular basis and the young man would bring questions to discuss. Over the course of the discussions they end up covering the essentials of the Reformed faith.Because of the non-threatening but interesting way that Doug Wilson draws the reader into the dialogue, I use these as an "evangelistic tool". I've given out more of these books than I can count...with tremendous results!This is a great way to approach an Arminian friend with the Reformed faith.Moves fast. Easy to read. Interesting. Good story.

This is the best resource I have ever found contrasting the distinctive differences between the Reformed and Armenian positions on security of the believer. It is engaging because it is done in a conversational manner, using ongoing discussions between a young man confused by his Armenian upbrining and a Reformed pastor. The literary style assists greatly in identifying not only the theological differences, but also the natural consequences of holding these theological positions. It's cheap, it's readable, and it's profound. One of the best 5 books I have ever read! All of Doug Wilson's writings are in this category. Read more by surfing the Credenda/ Agenda magazine website.