[1] Beeke has written extensively on systematic and historical theology, particularly on the Puritans, Calvinism, holiness, assurance, and the doctrines of grace, as well as on pastoral ministry, biblical family life, and Christian living.

In recognition of Beeke’s contributions to the church and the academy, particularly his impact on the renaissance of interest in Puritan theology in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, a Festschrift entitled Puritan Piety: Writings in Honor of Joel R. Beeke was published in 2018, including contributions from Richard A. Muller, Chad Van Dixhoorn, Michael A. G. Haykin, Sinclair B. Ferguson, and W. Robert Godfrey.

[4] John and Johanna Beeke were devout Christians and raised their children in the Netherlands Reformed Congregations.

[5] John Beeke worked as a carpenter and served as a ruling elder in the Netherlands Reformed Congregation of Kalamazoo for forty years.

[7] From that time, Beeke began reading books authored by the Puritans that he found in his father’s bookcase, beginning with John Bunyan's Life and Death of Mr. Badman.

[8] Although he felt conviction for sin at this time, Beeke’s initial interest in theology and spirituality began to wane.

When he finished praying, he felt a hard object under his knees and noticed that the keys were under the sleeping bag on which he was kneeling.

I was lost, and I felt like I was going to hell.”[13] Upon returning home, Beeke informed his closest friends that he could not spend time with them until he found God.

[14] When he was about fifteen years old, Beeke became convinced that he was reprobate, and that he had no hope of salvation, often crying himself to sleep.

In May 1969, when he was sixteen years old, the Kalamazoo Netherlands Reformed Congregation called a new minister, Arie Elshout (1923–1991).

[15] Before Elshout arrived in Kalamazoo to begin his pastorate in August 1969,[16] Beeke wrote to him and informed him of his spiritual struggles and his desire to hear the preaching of the gospel.

Beeke and his brother began to regularly talk, pray, and weep together as they discussed God and the Bible.

"[21] Almost immediately after his conversion, Beeke lost his natural shyness and began to evangelize his neighbors door-to-door.

[23] As a junior in high school, Beeke relinquished his ambitions of obtaining a basketball scholarship, determining instead to devote himself to preparing for the Christian ministry.

[24] After briefly serving in the United States Army Reserve, Beeke studied religion and history at Western Michigan University from 1971 to 1973 and later transferred to Thomas Edison State College, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with a specialization in religious studies.

[27] From 1974 to 1978, Beeke studied under Weststrate in St. Catharines, Ontario, earning the equivalent of a Master of Divinity degree.

Between August 1975 and January 1976, he traveled by car for over four months to preach in every Netherlands Reformed church in the western half of the United States and Canada.

While pastoring there, he helped found the Netherlands Reformed Christian School in Rock Valley, Iowa, serving as board president.

The same year, he coauthored the Bible Doctrine Student Workbook with his brother, James W. Beeke, the principal of Timothy Christian School in Chilliwack, British Columbia.

[41] In 1982, Beeke enrolled in the doctoral program of Westminster Theological Seminary, where, according to his research assistant, Paul M. Smalley, “he became a student of and partner with members of the broader Reformed and Presbyterian tradition.”[42] Initially, Beeke studied the doctrine of predestination, but after reflecting on the needs of his denomination, he changed his research focus to the doctrine of assurance.

[43] In October 1986, he accepted a pastoral call to the First Netherlands Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and was installed in December 1986, preaching his inaugural sermon on 2 Corinthians 4:5.

[42] Between 1986 and 1994, Beeke served as the moderator for vacant Netherlands Reformed churches in Grand Rapids, Michigan (Covell Avenue Netherlands Reformed Church); Kalamazoo, Michigan; South Holland, Illinois; Woodstock, Ontario; and St. Catharines, Ontario.

[46] His dissertation was entitled “Personal Assurance of Faith: English Puritanism and the Dutch ‘Nadere Reformatie’ from Westminster to Alexander Comrie (1640–1760)”.

[48] Following the division, Beeke helped establish a new denominational periodical entitled The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth.

Between 1995 and 2001, he also served as the moderator for the vacant Heritage Netherlands Reformed church in Hull, Iowa.

As chancellor, Beeke continues promoting the vision of the seminary by writing, teaching, preaching, and speaking at conferences around the world.

[53] Beeke’s books have been translated into Albanian, Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Maltese, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Spanish, Urdu, as well as other languages.

[54] Beeke has spoken, preached, and lectured throughout the United States and in fifty countries around the world, including Aruba, Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Colombia, The Dominican Republic, Egypt, England, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Mexico, Mozambique, The Netherlands, New Zealand, The Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Türkiye, The United Arab Emirates, Wales, and Zambia.

Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books; Bridgend, UK: Bryntirion Press, 2007.

Grand Rapids, MI: Reformation Heritage Books; Bridgend, UK: Bryntirion Press, 2009.