Here’s some important books I’ve read:
Mere Christianity by CS Lewis – I read this book a long time ago and barely remember any details, but the thing that sticks with me is that it was engrossing at the time. It made me engage with my faith on levels I never had before. It was valuable and put me on a track where I began assessing both written and spoken material in terms other than typical PR right vs wrong.
Family Quarrels in the Dutch Reformed Churches of the 19th Century by Elton Bruins and Robert Swierenga – Short book with simple prose about Church history. Helped me see that many current conflicts are rehashed history.
The Embarrassment of Riches by Simon Schama – Long book with more challenging prose about Dutch history, but was quite worth it in my opinion. The chapter “Patriotic Scripture” takes a deep dive into why the Dutch believed they were Gods chosen people/the new Israel. This attitude has repercussions lasting to the present.
Common Grace and the Gospel by Cornelius Van Til – This book stands pretty well on its own as a buffer to PR theology. It identifies the excesses of abstraction and logical deduction. Van Til isn’t afraid to slap Kuyper around, but does so for reasons very different than HH. He also brings Herman Bavinck into the discussion (the heavy hitter PRs rarely mention). If you feel like you are intellectually surrounded by an impenetrable cloud of arguments this book would be a good first step to break through.
Abraham Kuyper by James Bratt
Herman Hoeksema by PJ Baskwell (non PR author)
Perspectives on the Christian Reformed Church edited by Peter DeKlerk and Richard DeRidder
All 3 played a general role in reducing the sensationalism wrapped up in PR theology. I was able to acquire depth of knowledge as opposed to talking points.