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The Brickhouse Canon

Our Foundational
Reading List

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This reading list is not meant to be exhaustive, nor is it the final authority on Christian literature. Rather, it represents a carefully curated selection of works that have shaped my understanding of faith, theology, and the Christian intellectual tradition. Rooted in the Reformed and Presbyterian heritage, yet broad enough to include voices from across Christian history, these books are categorized to serve believers at different stages of their journey—whether exploring faith for the first time, deepening their theological knowledge, or engaging in rigorous apologetics and historical study. While no list can capture the full richness of Christian thought, I commend these works as trustworthy guides in the pursuit of biblical truth and godly wisdom.

This is simply my opinion, shaped by years of study, reading, researching, and a love for learning. May these books strengthen your faith, sharpen your mind, and draw you closer to Christ.

Faith for the Masses: Best-Selling, Accessible Christian Reads

These are the books that have reached millions—engaging, inspiring, and accessible. While not all are deeply theological, they introduce important Christian concepts in a readable way.

  • Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis

  • The Case for Christ – Lee Strobel

  • Radical – David Platt

  • Not a Fan – Kyle Idleman

  • Peace with God – Billy Graham

  • Knowing God – J.I. Packer

  • The Prodigal God – Timothy Keller

  • How Now Shall We Live? – Chuck Colson & Nancy Pearcey

  • God's Smuggler – Brother Andrew

  • The Hiding Place – Corrie ten Boom

  • More Than a Carpenter – Josh McDowell

  • Don't Waste Your Life – John Piper

  • The Reason for God – Timothy Keller

  • Unbroken – Laura Hillenbrand

  • Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy – Eric Metaxas

  • The Insanity of God – Nik Ripken

  • Safely Home – Randy Alcorn

  • Through Gates of Splendor – Elisabeth Elliot

  • The Pursuit of God – A.W. Tozer

  • The Air We Breathe – Glen Scrivener

  • Providence – John Piper

  • Chosen by God – R.C. Sproul

  • What is Reformed Theology? – R.C. Sproul

  • Preaching and Preachers – Martyn Lloyd-Jones

  • Total Truth – Nancy Pearcey

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Pillars of the Reformation: Essential Historical & Theological Works

These books shaped traditional theology and are foundational for understanding church history from a biblical, Protestant perspective.

  • Institutes of the Christian Religion – John Calvin

  • Bondage of the Will – Martin Luther

  • The Westminster Confession of Faith – The Westminster Divines

  • The Pilgrim's Progress – John Bunyan

  • The Death of Death in the Death of Christ – John Owen

  • Communion with God – John Owen

  • The Mortification of Sin – John Owen

  • The Reformed Pastor – Richard Baxter

  • Christianity & Liberalism – J. Gresham Machen

  • The Marrow of Modern Divinity – Edward Fisher

  • The Confessions of St. Augustine – Augustine

  • The Letters of Samuel Rutherford – Samuel Rutherford

  • The Mystery of Providence – John Flavel

  • The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment – Jeremiah Burroughs

  • The Bruised Reed – Richard Sibbes

  • The Life and Diary of David Brainerd – Jonathan Edwards

  • Religious Affections – Jonathan Edwards

  • The Glory of Christ – John Owen

  • Sermons on Important Doctrines – Charles Spurgeon

  • The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Defended, and Documented – David N. Steele & Curtis C. Thomas

  • Why We're Protestant – Nate Pickowicz

  • Paul and the Faithfulness of God – N.T. Wright

  • Living for God's Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism – Joel Beeke

Deep Waters: Theologically Heavy Works

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Serious, in-depth theological texts that demand careful study. These books deal with apologetics, systematic theology, and deep theological issues.

  • Blackwell Companion to Natural Theology – William Lane Craig & J.P. Moreland

  • Reformed Dogmatics (4 Volumes) – Herman Bavinck

  • Systematic Theology – Louis Berkhof

  • The Doctrine of God – John Frame

  • Covenant Theology: From Adam to Christ – Nehemiah Coxe & John Owen

  • The Economy of the Covenants Between God and Man – Herman Witsius

  • God's Greater Glory – Bruce Ware

  • The Justification of God – John Piper

  • The Works of John Owen (16 Volumes) – John Owen

  • The Doctrine of the Knowledge of God – John Frame

  • Biblical Theology – Geerhardus Vos

  • Redemptive History and Biblical Interpretation – Geerhardus Vos

  • A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith – Robert Reymond

  • The Unseen Realm – Michael S. Heiser

  • The Lost World of Genesis One – John H. Walton

Old School Presbyterianism: Essential Seminary-Level Texts

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Texts deeply rooted in historical, confessional Presbyterianism—without modern liberal theological drift.

  • Westminster Standards (Confession, Catechisms, Directory) – Westminster Divines

  • The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination – Loraine Boettner

  • A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel – John Colquhoun

  • Lectures on Calvinism – Abraham Kuyper

  • The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit – George Smeaton

  • The Doctrine of Justification – James Buchanan

  • The Holy Spirit – Sinclair Ferguson

  • The Whole Christ – Sinclair Ferguson

  • Calvin's Doctrine of the Christian Life – Ronald Wallace

  • The Marrow of Theology – William Ames

  • The Christian's Reasonable Service (4 Volumes) – Wilhelmus à Brakel

  • The History of the Reformation in Scotland – John Knox

  • Gospel Worship – Jeremiah Burroughs

  • Reformed Worship – Terry Johnson

  • With Reverence and Awe – D.G. Hart & John R. Muether

Defending the Faith: Must-Read Apologetics Books

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Books that equip believers to defend Christianity with reason, history, and Scripture.

  • Evidence That Demands a Verdict – Josh McDowell

  • I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist – Norman Geisler & Frank Turek

  • The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus – Gary Habermas & Michael Licona

  • Tactics – Greg Koukl

  • On Guard – William Lane Craig

  • Reasonable Faith – William Lane Craig

  • The Defense of the Faith – Cornelius Van Til

  • Presuppositional Apologetics: Stated & Defended – Greg Bahnsen

  • Christian Apologetics – Cornelius Van Til

  • Why Should I Believe Christianity? – James Anderson

  • Every Thought Captive – Richard Pratt

  • The Case for a Creator – Lee Strobel

  • Stealing from God – Frank Turek

  • Christianity for Skeptics – Steve Kumar

  • Can We Trust the Gospels? – Peter J. Williams

  • Is God a Moral Monster? – Paul Copan

  • Classical Apologetics – R.C. Sproul, John Gerstner, & Arthur Lindsley

  • Five Views on Apologetics:

  • Classical – William Lane Craig

  • Evidential – Gary Habermas

  • Cumulative Case – Paul D. Feinberg

  • Presuppositional – John M. Frame

  • Reformed Epistemology – Kelly James Clark

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The Forge: What Ryan is Currently Reading

The Incarnate Christ and His Critics: A Biblical Defense

Robert M. Bowman Jr. and J. Ed Komoszewski

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Forging Faith, One Book at a Time – Just as fire strengthens brick, we strengthen our faith by refining
our minds and deepening our understanding.
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