Most people who hate Calvinism have never read a Calvinist.
They’ve heard the caricature. God is a cosmic tyrant who created billions of people just to damn them. Free will is an illusion. Love is a puppet show. If that’s what Reformed theology actually taught, I’d hate it too.
R.C. Sproul wrote this book because he was tired of watching people reject a theology they’d never actually encountered. And in 304 pages, he does something remarkable: he makes the most misunderstood tradition in Protestant Christianity not only intelligible but beautiful.
What It’s About
What Is Reformed Theology? is a guided tour through the doctrines of grace — what most people know as “the five points of Calvinism” or TULIP. But Sproul doesn’t start with TULIP. He starts where any honest theology must start: with God.
The first third of the book lays the foundation — God’s sovereignty, humanity’s fallenness, the nature of grace. Sproul argues that Reformed theology is not a theological system invented by John Calvin. It’s the theology of Augustine, of Paul, of Jesus Himself. Calvin simply organized what Scripture already taught.
The middle section walks through each of the five points — Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints — with patience, precision, and the kind of clarity Sproul was famous for. He defines terms before he defends them. He names the objections before he answers them. He treats Arminian counterarguments with respect, then dismantles them from Scripture.
The final section addresses the “so what” — what Reformed theology means for worship, for prayer, for evangelism, for daily life. Sproul understood that a theology that doesn’t change how you live is a theology that hasn’t been understood.
What It Gets Right
The pedagogy. Sproul was one of the great theological teachers of the 20th century, and this book shows why. He takes concepts that have confused seminary students for centuries — the distinction between necessity and coercion in the bondage of the will, the difference between God’s prescriptive and decretive will, the mechanics of effectual calling — and makes them accessible without making them shallow. He uses analogies that stick. He builds concepts sequentially, so that by the time you reach Limited Atonement (the point most people struggle with), you already have the framework to understand it.
The honesty about difficulty. Sproul doesn’t pretend that Reformed theology is easy to swallow. He opens the chapter on predestination by acknowledging that it’s “the most difficult and controversial subject in theology.” He names the emotional resistance most people feel. He admits that he himself wrestled with these doctrines for years before embracing them. This honesty disarms the reader in a way that triumphalist Calvinist writing never does.
The centering on grace. The book’s working thesis is that Reformed theology is not a system of doctrines about predestination — it’s a system of doctrines about grace. Every point of TULIP is an answer to one question: How much of your salvation depends on God, and how much depends on you? Sproul’s answer — all of it depends on God, none of it depends on you — is not arrogant. It’s the most humbling thing a human being can confess. And Sproul writes about it with the awe of a man who never got over the scandal of being saved.
Where It Falls Short
The book was written in the late 1990s, and it shows in places. The cultural references are dated, and some of the philosophical arguments assume a familiarity with Western metaphysics that younger readers may not have. Sproul’s engagement is primarily with classical Arminianism — the formal theological tradition — rather than with the vaguer, more intuitive “God helps those who help themselves” theology that most modern evangelicals actually hold. A reader coming from a non-denominational megachurch might not recognize their own beliefs in the positions Sproul is refuting.
The treatment of Limited Atonement — the “L” in TULIP — is the weakest chapter. Not because Sproul’s argument is bad, but because the doctrine itself requires more nuance than a single chapter can provide. Sproul makes the case well, but readers who stumble here may need a longer treatment. John Owen’s The Death of Death in the Death of Christ is the classic, though it’s considerably more demanding.
Who Should Read This
| Reader | Should Read? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Someone exploring Calvinism for the first time | Yes — start here | The single best on-ramp to Reformed theology in print |
| Arminian who wants to understand the other side | Yes | Sproul is fair, clear, and won’t strawman your position |
| Lifelong Calvinist wanting a refresher | Yes | You’ll rediscover why you believe what you believe |
| Pastor preparing a doctrines of grace series | Absolutely | Sermon-ready illustrations and structures throughout |
| New believer (0-2 years) | Yes, with guidance | Accessible language, but some concepts need a mentor to process |
| Academic theologian | As a teaching model | Not advanced enough for new content, but unmatched for pedagogical method |
The Data Card
**BOOK DATA**
– **Title:** What Is Reformed Theology? Understanding the Basics
– **Author:** R.C. Sproul (1939-2017)
– **Original Publication:** 1997 (revised 2005)
– **Publisher:** Baker Books
– **Pages:** 304
– **Formats:** Paperback (~$14), Kindle (~$10), Audiobook (Audible)
**READING DATA**
– **Difficulty:** 1/5 — Accessible (no theological training needed)
– **Est. Reading Time:** 6-8 hours
– **Suggested Pace:** One chapter per sitting, 2-3 weeks
– **Prerequisites:** None. A Bible nearby is helpful for checking the many Scripture references.
– **Re-read Value:** High — each reading reveals layers you missed the first time.
**THEOLOGICAL CONTEXT**
– **Tradition:** Reformed / Presbyterian
– **Key Topics:** Sovereignty of God, total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, perseverance of the saints, the nature of grace, predestination
– **Theological Stance:** Five-point Calvinist soteriology. Sproul taught at Reformed Theological Seminary and founded Ligonier Ministries.
**COMPARABLE TITLES**
– **Instead of:** *Chosen by God* (also Sproul — shorter, focuses only on predestination; this book is the more complete treatment)
– **After this:** *The Holiness of God* by R.C. Sproul (his masterpiece on God’s character — the emotional counterpart to this book’s intellectual framework)
– **Pairs with:** *Knowing God* by J.I. Packer (Packer provides the devotional warmth that complements Sproul’s logical precision)
– **Goes deeper:** *Redemption Accomplished and Applied* by John Murray (the next level of Reformed soteriology)
The Bottom Line
If someone asked me, “I want to understand what Reformed theology is — give me one book,” this is the book. Not because it’s the most comprehensive. Not because it’s the most devotional. But because R.C. Sproul had a gift that almost nobody else in the Reformed tradition possesses: the ability to make hard truth clear without making it shallow.
This book changed how I understood grace. Not the word — the thing itself. Before Sproul, I thought grace was God meeting me halfway. After Sproul, I understood that grace was God doing everything — every last thing — because I could do nothing.
That’s not a system. That’s the gospel.
Rating: 5/5
