Foundations of the Christian Faith

If you're looking for a kind, generous, wonderfully readable Calvinist, (the late) Dr. Boice is your man. R.C. Sproul has said that when James Boice died it was like a form of God's judgement on the American nation. That may sound a bit over the top, but the day I heard of Boice's death, I felt a great void. In my reviews, I don't like to rehash the contents of a book, especially an exceptional book like Foundations. I guess I like readers to savor the experience as the Holy Spirit guides and enlightens. I will remark about the structure of this book, however, which loosely follows Calvin's Institutes. It's actually four books packaged as one. The first book presents God as sovereign Lord, as revealed in Scripture. I like that. A book about theology should begin with God as He is and as He has revealed Himself. The second book sketches God relative to us fallen, blind human beings. It shows why we need a saviour, and why and how only Jesus fulfills that role. The third book details how God, through His Spirit, awakens His children to and then immerses them in the work of Christ. The final book discusses how God works through His Church, that oddball and often inconsistent collection of people he has empowered through faith in Christ to go about doing His will and work until Christ returns. As you read, you'll get a sense of how you fit in to God's massive scheme of things, assuming of course you have repented of your sin and put your faith in Christ. I was working on a ranch when I first read this book. My life was a mess. But Foundations, along with Dallas Willard's Divine Conspiracy, helped me see that God is real, that He loves me, and that His love could and ultimately would transform me. I can't say my walk with Christ has been smooth. But thanks to godly servants like James Boice, and of course the Lord Himself and His utterly amazing, utterly underserved grace, it has grown rich with age and experience. May you be so blessed. God bless.

Dr. Boice's untimely death in 2000 still hurts to this day, but we still have his tapes and books to inspire us. This volume ranks as the author's highest achievement--a concise, readable, in-depth presentation of the foundations of the Christian faith. (If you want the audio tapes, contact the Alliance of Confessing Evangeliecals in Philadelphia, PA). I return to this book from time to time just to refresh myself and get inspired all over again to preach the Good News. Dr. Boice stands as one of the greatest pastor/teachers of the 20th century and this book will cause you to buy and read his other commentaries as well.

I have gone to church all of my life and I have always considered myself a Christian. However, I did not truly know what I believed or why I believed it. I began to study the Bible in order to know for myself true Christianity apart from what is often called "Christianity" today. After a study of several books of the Bible, I have found that each book often covers a broad range of subjects and doctrines. This book, however, provides a horizontal view by taking one subject or doctrine and showing how it is consistently handled in different books of the Bible. It has helped me tie the books of the Bible together subject-by-subject and realize that although the Bible was written by over 30 authors over hundreds of years, there is a divine consistency in its message. This is a great book for any Christian or non-Christian who wants to find out what Christians believe and why they believe it.

If you want to read any book about Christianity (besides the Bible), this is the place to start. Boice is an unusually clear writer; he writes so that the average human can understand him but his thinking is deep enough that most pastors would appreciate his insight. I've read most of CS Lewis' work, and like this book better than Lewis, and I like Lewis! The book is also well indexed, so that it is easy to use it as a reference.

Obviously Boice has a Presbyterian bent, and though I disagree with some of his conclusions, I still highly recommend this volume. Apparently this used to be a 4-volume work, but it was shortened into one. It is very easy to read, so the layman could get a lot out of it. Boice attempts to give different positions for the issues, offering more than just his viewpoint. Overall, though, he remains very evangelical, and while we can certainly discuss our differences, I appreciate the flavor in which this work was written. Boice is kind but to the point. No doubt that it's long for many laypeople--more than 700 pages--but again, as the cover says, while it is comprehensive, it is still very readable. This book would also be good to keep on the bookshelf and look up theological issues as they come up.