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Essential Truths of the Christian Faith

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"Essential Truths of the Christian Faith" lives up to its title. As a quick overview of Christian doctrine (from a Reformed Theology perspective) there is no book like it that I have come across. And having once been the book buyer for a Christian bookstore, I've seen a truckload or two of books.

I have always liked R. C. Sproul's works. His "The Holiness of God" is the finest overview of that topic available. Sproul brings the same dedication to "ETotCF", providing the reader with core theological points and the Scriptures to back them. As a quick reference it shines. For anyone starting in the faith or seeking a more broad grounding in doctrine, this is as good a place to start as any.

The very fact that so much is being covered in so few pages means that there is an automatic issue of depth. No topic is covered in its full theological glory. Entire volumes have been written on topics like faith and sin, so one cannot come to this work expecting mind-bending treatises or total analysis. Most of the hundred and two topics are only given two to three pages at most. This makes the "Essential" in the title true: only the essence exists here. But again, for what it seeks to accomplish, this book hits the bullseye.

If you are not familiar with Reformed Theology, it differs slightly from other schools of theological thought, but not in any way as to be questionable. Personally, I find Reformed thought to be the most solid of all the differing viewpoints. But as such, there will be some differences in the issues of grace, eschatology, methodologies of sanctification and justification, and ecclesiology. Charismatics/Pentacostals, for example, will find him at once sympathetic and antagonistic to many cherished doctrines. One must remember, though, as with all books on doctrinal issues, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. And more often than not, Sproul will be waiting for you at the middle ground.

One of those rare books that shoul occupy space in every Christian's bookshelves, I go back to it again and again. And when it comes down to it, what more could you want?

R. C. Sproul's 'Essential Truths' is just that: essential. For anyone new to the Christian faith, or for anyone seeking answers to what Christians believe, this book will be a welcome read.

Sproul tackles all of the major tenets of Christianity from "Who is God" to "What is Heaven like?" What does baptism mean? What is sanctification? Should I obey the government?

The book contains 102 chapters, none of which runs more than three or four pages. The bite-sized chunks are perfect for personal daily reading or for group study. Each chapter also contains Scriptural references dealing with the topic covered.

'Essential Truths' will not answer all your questions, but it is a good place to start for the new Christian, the skeptic, or anyone in between. My only complaint: Sproul gives a list of books for further reading at the back of the book, but doesn't break them down by category. All in all, however, Sproul has given readers a great introduction to the basics of the Christian faith.

In short, this is 100+ of the most basic (therefore "Essential" as the book's name implies) topics in the bible, well-organized, discussed in a concise, reader-friendly format.

This is a book for:

1. The Christian that knows "what" they believe but really not "how to prove it." (Most of us)

2. A NEW CHRISTIAN, or someone who is thinking about becoming a christian and/or questioning it. IT HELPS THE NEW CHRISTIAN know what the Bible says so they have a better chance at not getting deceived by false doctrines/Satan's tricks.

3. A strong Christian, to keep on the shelf for debate material or to show/explain to the people listed in #'s 1 and 2.

One thing to note: it is from a reformed perspective (if you don't know what that means, then don't even worry about it.) Even though it is reformed, it leaves for some interpretation and shows respect for slightly different viewpoints on the minor topics.

Whether you are a fan of his work or not, you can never accuse R. C. Sproul of lacking conviction. Few Christian writers can match his talent for defending a position on important issues facing the Church to a wide audience in a clear and coherent manner. In an era when equivocation is the norm and even the existence of truth itself is called into question, Sproul is an uncompromising advocate of the traditional Protestant position against all rival worldviews.

Essentials of the Christian Faith is a catechetical work designed as a readable exposition of the Christian faith aimed at Protestants. The book is divided into ten sections (Revelation, Nature and Attributes of God, Works and Decrees of God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Human Beings and the Fall, Salvation, Church and Sacraments, Spirituality, End Times) with expositions of related topics contained in each. As appropriate for the purpose, the writing is concise but Sproul's talent for teaching shows through and it is never a dull read - regardless of one's reaction to the presentation.

Readers of Sproul will not be surprised that he leaves little doubt where he stands on almost every issue of theological importance. It becomes obvious early on that he equates Christianity with its Reformational form - and while striving for charity within variations of traditional Protestantism, he vigorously opposes views held only by non-Protestant Christian traditions. This glossing over internal differences, while not surprising, soon begins to appear a bit strained. There is simply no good reason for many of the points disputed within Protestantism to be considered less essential than those separating Protestantism from Rome (or Orthodoxy). Even the Protestant touchstones of sola scriptura and sola fide are not indisputable signs of unity as often the agreement is more one of terminology than substance.

Another distracting issue is Sproul's methodological presuppositions. Any who have read Mark A. Noll's monumental The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind should recognize the residual influence of 19th century American thought in Sproul's presentation. Approaching the Holy Scriptures as a source for "objective" study, Sproul culls doctrinal propositions as if Bible passages were data in a scientific experiment. That the Holy Scriptures were written within a particular contextual tradition - with layers of unmentioned assumptions shared by author and reader - is never given serious reflection. Even when Sproul rightly points out the Scriptures must be interpreted according to its literary form, he does not entertain the possibility of the true meaning of the text being derivable only within a system of beliefs not explicitly deducible from examining the text alone.

Examples of these problems are scattered throughout the book. For example, Sproul's discussion of the New Testament Canon sidesteps the role of Church tradition as a determining factor by postulating a quasi-scientific test performed by the early Church. Thus the long and often convoluted process is reduced to a neat checklist procedure more representative of the thinking of Francis Bacon than St. Irenaeus. His further contention that belief in an infallible decision by the Church on the Canon implies the Church "creates" the Canon is simply untrue. All that is assumed in that belief is the same Holy Spirit who inspired the authors of the New Testament in the instances of the writing of the Canon also led the Church in the instances of the discovery of the same Canon. This no more makes the Church the creator of the canon than it makes the New Testament authors the creators of the Gospel.

Despite these issues, the book is definitely lively reading. Even when Sproul's approach is questionable, most of the doctrines defended are quite sound. After all, the fact that some passages of Holy Scripture may have a different meaning in the original context does not imply all do. Furthermore, when compared to modern Evangelicalism, the Reformed tradition Sproul champions has retained far more of the early Church tradition in its doctrine and practice. He may couch the results as a "scientific" analysis of Holy Scripture but it is the presuppositions of the Reformed tradition that ultimately guide this analysis to the proper conclusions. Thus, he ends with the right verses for the right doctrines - but it would be preferable to cite Holy Scripture as infallible evidence of the correctness of a received doctrine and not as the starting point of an independent private investigation. The pretense of an impartial reading of Holy Scripture may not wander too far in the hands of a Sproul, but sets a poor precedent known to lead to heretical results in the work of less faithful exegetes.

In much of Sproul's work, his faithfulness, conviction, clarity, and orthodoxy (in a general sense) overcome his methodological flaws - and this book is no exception. Particularly as a window on the doctrines and methods of the American strain of traditional Reformed Protestantism, Essentials of the Christian Faith is highly recommended reading.

This book is concise thorough and extremely educational in nature. Meant for new christians and beginners in theological study in its layout but contentwise is fit for all christians. Its a wonderful joining of historical christian understanding and scriptural references into one book. Its about 100 some doctrinal areas. Sproul puts in the back of the book resources for continued reading in theological pursuits on beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. Well worth the time and money!

I read this book several years ago when it first came out, and it still sits on my shelf today because it is a wonderful one-stop reference for a great deal of theology.

Written from the Reformed perspective, it feels more like reading short magazine articles than reading a seminary textbook, and this feature will probably double the average reader's chances of actually finishing it. I did wish the author would have spoken more about his view of sanctification, which was not one of the doctrines listed. Other than that, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

In this book R.C. Sproul does a masterful job of outlining and explaining over 100 essential doctrines of Christianity. The book starts with the basics and then moves into more complicated subjects. Every effort is made to explain these doctrines without requiring the reader to have a seminary education.

Each chapter averages a page and a half to two pages in length and is well supported with Scripture. This makes it a perfect daily devotional for anybody. I did this myself last year. (Warning: One of the earlier chapters references Psalm 119. If you plan on reading all the Scripture references along with the chapter be aware that this one will take awhile :))

This book is a must for anyone interested in theology.

So often it is hard to draw an appropriate line between ideas that are essential to Biblical Christianity and ideas that are secondary. For every new movement differing from tradition the question is raised- is this merely a difference of opinion between believers or do these ideas constitute a separate faith? In order to answer such questions one needs to have a firm understanding of what beliefs are central to Christianity and which are not. Furthermore, this is not a task only for academic Christians, but sense there are often many differences of belief within congregations, this is a task also for the lay believer.

Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by R.C. Sproul sets out to map the key doctrines that make Christianity what it is. The book is comprised of 102 two to three page chapters for each doctrine. These doctrines are arranged into 10 sections.

The Introduction is almost worth the cost of the book itself. Dr. Sproul highlights ten causes for the lack of spiritual maturity in our churches. He discusses causes like the confusion between child-like faith and childish faith, fear of controversies, and the replacement of devotion for study. Through this avenue Dr. Sproul sets up the need for serious theological study for every Christian, that they may become spiritually mature.

Beginning with the doctrines of Revelation, the book goes on to lay to bear The Nature and Attributes of God, The Works and Decrees of God, Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, Human Beings and the Fall, Salvation, The Church and the Sacraments, Spirituality and Living in This Age, and End Times. In the end there is practically no theological stone left unturned.

I found at least two problems with the book. It is likely next to impossible to discuss essential doctrines of salvation without bringing up the differences between the Calvinist and Arminian perspectives. So while I think for many people it is a secondary issue (though there are folks on both sides who go too far off base), the differences should at least be brought up. Dr. Sproul does more than this; he spends numerous chapters describing and defending the Calvinist perspective while dismantling the Arminianist one. While I agree with most of his points, I think this is out of place in a book outlining the essentials of the faith.

The other problem is more specifically with Dr. Sproul's doctrine of Original Sin. "We are sinners not because we sin. Rather, we sin because we are sinners." Dr. Sproul offers nothing to back this up, unless one reads into Psalm 51:5 this view. His weak argument and lack of Biblical evidence for the doctrine has actually caused me to question it, rather than hold it to be a foundational doctrine of the Christian faith.

Despite these select problems, overall I found the book to be enriching. Every chapter adapts doctrine to language easily understood by lay people, with occasional deeper discussions. I read this as part of a book group; which I highly recommend doing. The section and chapter divides are great for weekly reading and prompts for discussion. Additionally, at the end of each chapter are summary points and several verses related to the doctrine. There are also some illustrations, though some are more useful than others.
Overall grade: A-

I see that R.C. was essentially trying to write his own catechism with this book.... and for the most part he was pretty sucessful. In it, he covers 101 different areas of Christian theology, including sanctification, glorification, eschatology and much more. He doesn't take a clear position on eschatology in here (he's postmill and partial preterist), but leaves the reader to get some things on his/her own.

My only major criticism was that he could've included a LOT more scripture in this book. Everything's Biblical.... but not enough scripture for the new believer to take and read the Word of God in addition to this fine teaching tool.

Still, it's well worth the money and will make a good reference tool for years to come.

I'm surprized that no one has mentioned that though the topics are brief, they often come with a drawing to help explain things. In addition he gives you reference verses for you to explore the points further. Finally I'm surprized at how much that is essential is rarely mentioned in the church. Given that, this book is essential.