I'm writing a book!
Candid thoughts on this new journey
I’m excited to announce that I’m contracted to write a book by March 2026!
I’m partnering with Savoring the Savior Books, to write a book on… drum roll, please…
The Doctrine of Free Will.
Easy, right? A softball topic for sure. Not exactly…
It’s a tall task, and there are so many directions I could go, but I know God’s grace will be sufficient for me as I embark on this journey, and I covet every single one of your prayers.
Savoring the Savior’s mission is to serve people with “Biblical books by confessionally-rooted pastors for the health of the church.” I align very much with that desire and mission. They desire to put books on deep topics into the hands of the ordinary Christian.
The Angle/Perspective
Cards on the table, I’ll be writing on the topic of Free Will from a confessional (Second London Confession), Reformed, and pastoral perspective. The view is known widely as “Compatibilism.” Besides being driven by the text of Scripture, I’ll be following the direction of chapter 9 from the confession, “On Free Will.”
I’ll be seeking to lay out the doctrine succinctly and pastorally. I desire this work to showcase the marriage between theology and experience. Each Christian should walk away from this book with a God-centered approach to the doctrine and Christ applied to their hearts so that there’s an overflow of worship that bleeds into every aspect of life.
I had to make a decision about which angle to take and (I think) I know where I’m headed. Here are the 3 options that I considered:
Free Will as it relates to God’s eternal decree.
Free Will as it relates to Man’s moral standing and soteriological concerns.
A blend of the two, briefly covering the former, while emphasizing the latter.
I chose option three as of now. This might change.
Additionally, this will not be primarily a polemical work. It’ll be more like a primer. However, I will be seeking to add clarity to such a misunderstood topic and correct the thinking of our culture, which worships autonomy and unqualified free will. I also hope to correct the error of many Arminian-leaning Christians who, though well-meaning, tend to minimize the glory of God when speaking of man’s freedom. The need is great, especially in our current cultural moment, to reform our thinking on such a crucial doctrine.
The Phases & Resources
I’ll be taking a phased approach to completing this work.
Phase One: Reading, reading, and more reading, followed by the writing of my thesis or pastoral aim for the book, the table of contents, the introduction, and chapter one.
Here’s what I’m reading (Besides the text of Scripture):
Pictured:
From Topic to Thesis by Micheal Kibbe
Human Nature in its Fourfold State by Thomas Boston
Diety and Decree by Sam Renihan
Defeating Evil by Scott Christensen
How Long, O Lord? by D.A. Carson (The chapter on the Mystery of Providence is worth the price of the book)
Chosen But Free by Norman Geisler (I needed to get a more Arminian perspective to know how to best respond to the other side)
The Wonderful Works of God by Herman Bavinck
Not pictured:
The 1689 London Baptist Confession
Roger Olson’s chapter in Four Perspectives: The Doctrine of God. Olson is probably the best Arminian theologian I’ve read and presents probably the best arguments for Free Will theism or Libertarianism (the side I am arguing against)
Institutes of Elenctic Theology by Francis Turretin
Pilgrim Theology by Micheal Horton
What About Free Will? by Scott Christensen
I hope you’ll read my updates! I hope to post my thesis and table of contents soon and I’ll make sure to give updates on the completion of the manuscript as well as the release date.
I praise God for this opportunity to serve His Church, and again, I appreciate your prayers.
Super exciting, looking forward to hearing more about it and reading it :)