The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Defended, and Documented

Every disciple should read and study Steele's book, THE FIVE POINTS OF CALVINISM. Wherever you find yourself on the debate of Calvinsim, this book is needed to help you learn the five main points of Calvinism first coined at the Synod of Dort. The book deals with both the history, theology, and philosophy of Calvinism and seeks to show that Calvinism is both logical and biblical. The book is an excellent resource for defending or attacking Calvinism because of its popularity and its presupposition that Calvinism can be defended from Scripture. I would highly recommend the updated form of this book with a new appendix on Divine Foreknowledge.

I can't say enough about the 40th anniversary edition (2nd Edition) of this book. Revised and HUGELY expanded from it's small booklet form to over 200 pages, including solid exegesis of difficult passages, discussions on things like preservation and perseverance, and soooo many more things I cannot even mention here, make this book a WELCOME addition to anyone's library. Most of the reviews on here (pre-2004) point to the old edition of this book. It's really cool that Roger Nicole again did the foreword to the new edition, with John MacArthur doing the afterword and a host of other folks with additional articles..... oh just go pick it up!! The appendices alone are worth the price of the book.

There is no shortage of introductory works that attempt to explain the five points of Calvinism, and some of these efforts have been better then others. This work by Steele and Thomas, though 40 years old, is still one of the better introductions around.In this short work, the authors attempt to provide a summary level construction of the five points of Calvinism - what they are, where they come from, and how they differ from other theological systems. Readers who are interested in the historical development of the five points will likely find the concise and summary historical introduction to be satisfactory on an introductory level. This section does not attempt to argue for the truth of Calvinism, but rather sets the historical context for how the 5 points came into being. The comparison chart at the end of this section which contrasts the 5 points of Calvinism with the 5 points of the Remonstrance is very good and has been relied upon heavily ever since this book came out.It is in the second section that the authors attempt to advance a Biblical argument for each of the 5 points. As in other introductory works of this nature, the Biblical argument is made mainly by quoting multitudes of Scripture verses without extensive exegesis. The only significant exegesis is in the appendix, where they provide a more extensive analysis of the foreknowledge question in Romans 8:29, which is quite good. But if this book were anything other then an introductory work, the lack of exegesis (other than Romans 8:29) would be a serious flaw. But as the authors point out, their purpose is to set forth the 5 points and to highlight how, in their view, each point of Calvinism is highly reconcilable to Scripture throughout. What makes this book better then average in this regard is that they do a very good job of organizing each tenet made in each point in a logical fashion and then presenting Scripture passages that touch on each assertion of each point. The result is a highly organized and lucid presentation that stands in stark contrast to the scattered and disorganized presentations of other introductory works.Another plus for this book is that the authors truly seem to recognize that the limited objective of this book calls for more extensive research and analysis by interested readers. In that regard, they compiled an impressive and rather extensive (not to mention highly organized) further readings section at the end. Because the book was written 40 years ago, this resources section is obviously a bit dated, but the compilation presented is excellent in its survey of pre-1960 resources which interested readers can consult for more in-depth theological analysis.In summary, I have personally known folks who were uncommitted in their theology who picked up this book and gained great theological clarity from it, even if they didn't altogether agree with Calvinism. In that spirit, I echo the comments of other reviewers here who have applauded the stra

I admit it: I'm a die-hard Arminian who is convinced that the individual believer makes the ultimate choice for or against God!Now, given that: this book is an EXCELLENT primer in the basics of Calvinism -- and even more so for the Arminian who wants to understand the concepts and theology behind predestination of the Elect. I may not agree with the ideas of the total depravity of mankind, the predestination of the elect, etc. -- but this book does an excellent job of presenting these concepts in a clear and non-judgmental way!

Concise and excellent summary of Arminianism vs Calvinism debate. A great gift and quick read for those with whom you want to discuss the basic core issues of Reformed faith with the unique assurance and hope it brings to the heart through the Word. Long list of biblical references! Especially nice to have numerous reference works listed for further study and scholarly exegesis on the "foreknew" of Romans 8:29. Buy it and hand it out to those in need ( besides yourself )!