New book alert:

Steven J. Lawson, A Long Line of Godly Men (vol. 1)

We have been talking lately of the doctrines of grace (Calvinism). I am excited to announce a new book by Steven Lawson covering the history of these doctrines. Here is a good quote from volume one that sets the stage for the rest of the series…

“Over the centuries, seasons of reformation and revival in the church have come when the sovereign grace of God has been openly proclaimed and clearly taught. When a high view of God has been infused into the hearts and minds of God’s people, the church has sat on the elevated plateaus of transcendent truth. This lofty ground is Calvinism—the high ground for the church. The lofty truths of divine sovereignty provide the greatest and grandest view of God. The doctrines of grace serve to elevate the entire life of the church.”

Steven J. Lawson, A Long Line of Godly Men; Volume one: Foundations of Grace (Reformation Trust, Ligonier Ministries; 2006) p. 22.

Lawson has written some helpful books, but this five-volume set will surely become his defining work. Lawson has set out to trace the doctrines of grace, and their impact, from Genesis to John Piper. The first volume (nearly 600 pages long) covers the biblical timeline from Genesis to Revelation. Volume one is complete and now available from Ligonier Ministries .

Interview with Lawson here.

Here is a breakdown of the series:

Volume 1 (Foundations of Grace) covers 1400 BC thru 100 AD, tracing the doctrines of grace throughout Scripture. This volume becomes the foundation for what comes in the future.

Volume 2 (Pillars of Grace) will cover the 2nd thru 16th centuries (Irenaeus, Jerome, Augustine, Luther, Zwingli and Calvin).

Volume 3 (Forces of Grace) will cover the 16th and 17th centuries (Knox and the Puritans).

Volume 4 (Progress of Grace) will cover the 17th thru 19th centuries (Edwards, Warfield, Hodge, Princeton Seminary, and Shedd).

Volume 5 (Triumph of Grace) will cover the 19th century thru present times (Spurgeon, Ryle, M’Cheyne, Kuyper, Pink, Lloyd-Jones, Piper and MacArthur).