Free Books

If there is one the thing the Christian Reconstruction movement has been exceptionally good at, it is producing a WEALTH of materials and information written to explain its position.

I should say positions (plural). 

That’s because Christian Reconstructionism was developed as an integration of several historic, orthodox biblical views and perspectives, combined under a common, five-point-covenantal scheme.  (See Ray Sutton’s That You May Prosper for more on this five-point covenantal model.)

It is essentially Reformed-Calvinistic biblical theology, postmillennial eschatology, pronomianism/theonomic ethics and presuppositional (Van Tillian) apologetics, as applied to all areas of human endeavor and experience.  But, don’t think for a minute that this means it is a monolithic movement marching in lock-step.  Not at all!

Books,… and More Books

Many of the books and monographs that have been written — mostly decades ago — have been readily available online for FREE, both as downloads and as books that are viewable online without having to pay (Scribd).

It is this super-abundance of documentation which makes it almost inexcusable (as well as inexplicable) for anti-Reconstructionists to continue year after year to come out with the same misinformed arguments, false accusations and gross caricatures and misrepresentations of Reconstructionist perspectives again and again.

So, in an effort to make it LESS inexcusable and inexplicable for folks to remain “in the dark” and unaware of the reams and reams (digits and digits) and sheer volume of material that is available to anyone, both electronically and in print, of what has actually been said and written and taught over the years by prominent Reconstructionists — including some who no longer associate themselves with the movement as such, or wish to be called by the CR name, but who nonetheless have made significant and invaluable contributions to the corpus of literature — I am hereby adding the present page to this site, in the hopes of making at least some of the material more easily accessible and available to those of you who wish to take the time and read (or thoughtfully skim over and get the gist of) these treatises and tomes.

That, of course, means that this web page will continue to be a “work in progress” for some time to come.  Which is fine because, after all, God’s kingdom on earth is a work in progress, and will be for some time to come.

I hope you find these selections to be helpful–encouraging, edifying, instructive–and above all challenging to your current views and theological perspectives.  Keep in mind, none of these works are to be considered infallible pronouncements or divinely-inspired declarations of unimpeachable “truth” spoken by untouchable gurus.  They are merely the earnest opinions, observations and views expressed by learned, godly, Christ-and-Bible-loving men who are nevertheless fallible–men who, despite all of their knowledge and theological prowess, are imperfect and fallen creatures.  (Men who also, by the way, did not always agree with each other… and still don’t!)

So, with all of this in mind,… go forth and enjoy the FREE LIBRARY!

[Note: this page was revised and updated on Dec. 17, 2017.)

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THE GREATNESS OF THE GREAT COMMISSION

By Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

According to Dr. Gary North, if you want to know where to begin your in-depth, personal study of Christian Reconstruction, this is the book to start with.

The Greatness of the Great Commission by Dr. Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr..

Rather than launching into the pros and cons of this covenant-based, comprehensive biblical-theological worldview, The Greatness of the Great Commission focuses on the scriptural foundation for it.  This book deals with “first things”: the biblical basis for a comprehensive, optimistic Gospel of individual and cultural salvation and the long-term progressive victory of the Christian faith and the Kingdom of God in time and on earth before the Lord’s return.

Making disciples of all nations, Dr. Gentry argues, hearkens back to the creation mandate given in Genesis.  And, he says, our “millennial orientation” and eschatology have everything to do with how we understand and implement and fulfill this.

Download THE GREATNESS OF THE GREAT COMMISSION.

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PARADISE RESTORED: A Biblical Theology of Dominion

by David Chilton

“This book was written as a general introduction to both a Biblical eschatology and a way of reading the Bible; the former, I believe, grows naturally out of the latter.” (from the Preface)

Chilton intended this book to be both a primer on how to read the Bible as well as how to accurately (i.e., faithfully) interpret the seemingly strange and sometimes obscure (to us) symbolism and imagery that the Bible uses.  Chilton’s point is that the imagery is only strange to us because, (a), we’re not 1st-century readers, and, (b), we’re forgetting to “let Scripture interpret Scripture” in that we’re not letting the Old Testament inform our understanding of the New.  His point is also that our eschatology — i.e., “expectation of the future” — also informs our understanding of the Bible.  That is why he places so much importance on both at the same time in this book.  Chilton sought to reclaim the “eschatology of victory” and the expectation of dominion that he says was the historic eschatological position of the church.

I wrote a brief review of Paradise Restored which you can read here.

Note: there is a hardback edition (2007) of the book available from American Vision.  The cover art looks like this:

There are two main differences between the free download edition (1985, fourth printing 1994) and the newer one.  The 2007 edition includes a Foreword by Gary North along with the entire contents of the original book through the Index (which ends on page 318).  The download edition, following the Index, contains an additional 20+ pages of supplemental material that included a Publisher’s Epilogue by Gary North, giving some historical (and theological) background that I think you’ll find interesting, as well as a brief introductory vignette of his old non-profit education ministry, ICE (Institute for Christian Economics).  So the download (original) edition of the book ends up being longer–it ends on page 341.  My advice? Buy the hardcover for durability (and markability) AND download the free edition.  You’ll have the best of both worlds.

Download PARADISE RESTORED.

Go to American Vision to buy the newer, printed edition.

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CHRISTIAN RECONSTRUCTION: WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT ISN’T

By Gary North and Gary DeMar

This is a good book to read as an antidote to the pandemic of inaccurate criticisms that have been foisted against Christian Reconstruction over the years.  Written in 1991, it is still (20-plus years later) the best literary fly-over to survey the landscape and establish a concise, historical backdrop and theological foundation for the development and practical application of Reconstructionist biblical Christianity to all areas of life, including the advancement of Christ’s kingdom on earth.

I wrote a book review (partially completed) in two parts, which you can read here:

Review of “Christian Reconstruction: What It Is, What It Isn’t,” (Part 1)

Review of “Christian Reconstruction: What It Is, What It Isn’t,” (Part 2)

You can also read customer reviews of the book on Amazon.

240 pages total.

Download CHRISTIAN RECONSTRUCTION: WHAT IT IS, WHAT IT ISN’T.

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THE INSTITUTES OF BIBLICAL LAW (vol. I)

By R. J. Rushdoony

I would be remiss if I didn’t place Rushdoony’s Institutes very high up on the list of MUST-READ books for someone who wishes to truly understand the biblical basis for theonomy and how God’s Law fits into and informs the overall theological and ethical framework of Christian Reconstruction.

This was the book that first introduced me to the basic tenets of Christian Reconstructionism.  It is what pushed me once and for all out of the fog of fundamentalist dispensational premillennialism, and into the clear and revealing sunlight of Calvinistic covenantal postmillennialism.

I wrote an article on Rushdoony’s Institutes of Biblical Law, which included an essay by Martin Selbrede.  You can read that HERE.

Chalcedon Foundation makes the book available for viewing (as well as for purchase) on its website.  Click HERE.

Also available on Amazon.

*Update*: You can also download a free PDF (“Kindle 1.0”) version of the book by clicking HERE.

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THE DAYS OF VENGEANCE

By David Chilton

This is Chilton’s magnum opus: his verse by verse commentary on the Apocalypse of St. John, otherwise known as the Book of Revelation.

But this isn’t just a book that purports to shed light on how to interpret the Book of Revelation.  It is a book that purports to shed light on how to interpret all of Scripture.

That is because Chilton’s thesis is this: all of Scripture has some level of symbolism attached to it.  Every word has an obvious meaning, but every word also has a not-so-obvious meaning.

And how do we determine the “not so obvious” meaning of these words?

By searching the Scriptures!

That is what Chilton does.  He takes you through the Gospels, the Epistles, the Pentateuch, Psalms, Proverbs, the Prophets, etc., and draws from other noted biblical scholars, theologians and authorities to present biblical explanations for what the text of Revelation says.

This is a comprehensive work on what is probably the most misunderstood, misinterpreted and exegetically manhandled book of the Bible.  It is worthy of close, thoughtful study–both Chilton’s book AND the Book of Revelation.

Click here to download (PDF): The Days of Vengeance

The book is also available in hard copy at: Amazon

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HE SHALL HAVE DOMINION: A POSTMILLENNIAL ESCHATOLOGY

By Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Here it is.  The world’s first and only comprehensive — and in Dr. Gary North’s estimation, given in his foreword to the 2nd edition, “successful exegetical defense” — and detailed scriptural exposition of the historic position of postmillennialism.

Not of theonomic postmillennialism, necessarily, but of postmillennialism in general.

As Dr. North says,

Dr. Gentry is arguing for an ancient and respected view of eschatology: postmillennialism.  This places him at a disadvantage. There have not been many
theologians in the twentieth century who have held this view of the comprehensive future success of the gospel. This was not the case a century ago, but it is the case today. Thus, he comes before an audience that is disinclined to believe him. He has to overcome their resistance.

Indeed, he does.

The post-mil position has fallen on hard times in the modern era.  It is running a distant third place in the eschatological race toward the end times, following premillennialism, the standard view of most evangelical and fundamentalist Protestants; and it is completely outnumbered and outgunned demographically by first-place-winner-by-default, amillennialism, the standard eschatological view of Roman Catholicism, liberal Protestantism and the majority of Calvinists (especially the Dutch ones).

Post-mils are like the lonely conservative student in the college classroom full of (and taught by) liberals.  A Pareto minority of a minority!

Now, bear in mind the issue here is not merely one of chronology, i.e., the sequence of “end-time” events and “last things” before Christ’s return, but of ethics — the covenantal cause-and-effect of events in history, and the responsibility of God’s people the church to lead the way in reversing the covenantal curse on the earth by means of the Holy Spirit-empowered preaching of the Gospel of redemption through the blood of Christ and the use of the covenantal “tools of dominion” found in God’s law.  That’s what really sticks in the eschatological (and ethical) craw of non-postmillennials.

This book needed to be written.  It needed to be thorough and it needed to be scholarly.  After all, answering your critics requires a lot of rhetorical ammunition!  That is why it is 600 pages long, and bottom-heavy with footnotes and Scripture references.  Nothing left to chance.  Or to unsubstantiated, unfootnoted opinions.

There are two ways to get this book.

The first way is free: download the PDF of the revised 2nd edition (1997):

Click here to begin downloading: HE SHALL HAVE DOMINION.

The second way is to go to any number of online stores and buy a paperback or hardcover copy of either the revised 2nd edition, or the newer, expanded and even more revised 3rd edition (2009).

You can go to Amazon.  Or American Vision.  Or Christian Book Distributors.  Or Dr. Gentry’s own website.

If you ever wanted a detailed study and treatise on eschatology and the broader position of postmillennialism within the context of a comprehensive biblical worldview, get and read this book!

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