Dear friends,

It's great to be a member of such a thoughtful, edifying group. I hold to Reformed theology but attend a mainline evangelical (Arminian, premil, dispensational) church for reasons that I won’t go into for the sake of this post.

I have found that many people in the congregation are open to discussing theological matters and not opposed to Reformed or Lutheran thought. There is no "party line" that members must adhere to--or quite obviously I would not be there.

My purpose is not to oppose or be critical of the preaching and teaching, but rather to present Reformed ideas in an open, give-and-take forum. I was not "converted" so to speak, from mainline evangelicalism to Reformed theology, but rather came to a gradual appreciation of Reformed thinking through my own exposure to it.

Last Sunday, for example, the message was based on Matthew 7:13-14, the "narrow gate" passage. As often happens in Arminian churches, the message ended with an altar call (sort of) challenging listeners to choose the narrow gate. "You’re at a fork in the road, my friend. One path leads to eternal destruction, and the other path leads to life. Which will you choose?" Yadda, yadda, yadda.

Again, my purpose is not to refute or cause division. As a layman who is not seminary trained, I can't defend the Reformed perspective with the acumen and precision that a trained theologian or pastor would be able to. My understanding of Reformed theology is largely from White Horse Inn broadcasts, Modern Reformation magazine, and various and sundry other books that I've read in my spare time. So where do I begin? Is there reading material that the group can suggest?

Thank you in advance for any recommendations.

Relztrah