The Essential Edwards Collection: Set of 5 Books [Paperback]

Owen Strachan (Author), Douglas Allen. Sweeney (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Essential Edwards Collection | Publication Date: February 1, 2010

Jonathan Edwards was a colonial, philosophical preacher and theologian.  To many he stands as the preeminent theologian and thinker of the American tradition.  This series of five books covers Edwards' life and major writings opening an accessible window into the heart and mind of the man credited for starting the First Great Awakening. 

By way of introduction, presentation and reflection the authors unearth the choicest treasures of Edwards' writings for lay people to discover.  Eminently readable and understandable, The Essential Edwards Collection proves you do not need to be a scholar to enjoy and benefit from the writings and life of Jonathan Edwards.

This set includes all 5 books of The Essential Edwards Collection:  Jonathan Edwards Lover of God, Jonathan Edwards On Beauty, Jonathan Edwards On Heaven and Hell, Jonathan Edwards On the Good Life, and Jonathan Edwards on True Christianity. 

Editorial Reviews

Review

"When it comes to Jonathan Edwards's writing, where does an average reader (like me!) begin?  Right here with The Essential Edwards Collection. Strachan and Sweeney provide a doorway into the life and teaching of one of church's wisest theologians. The authors have included notes of personal application to help us apply the life and teaching of Edwards to our own lives. I've read no better introduction to Jonathan Edwards." - C.J. Mahaney, President, Sovereign Grace Ministries

"A great resource! Edwards continues to speak, and this series of books is an excellent means to hear Jonathan Edwards again live and clear. Pure gold; be wise and invest in it!" - Josh Moody, Senior Pastor, College Church, Wheaton, Illinois

"These primers on Jonathan Edward's life and thought - his passion for God - provide an excellent glimpse into a life lived unto God.  And they help the rest of us slake our thirst for the majesty of our Savior.  We owe a great debt to Owen Strachan and Douglas Sweeney for making Edwards and his vision of God so accessible to the rest of us thirsty pilgrims." - Thabiti Anyabwile, Pastor of First Baptist Church of Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

"Everyone says Jonathan Edwards is important. Quite frankly, however, his writing style is pretty dense by contemporary standards, so few pastors and other Christian leaders have invested much time reading him. This new series tackles the problem. Here is the kernel of much of Edwards's thought in eminently accessible form." - D.A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

"In The Essential Edwards Collection, Owen Strachan and Doug Sweeney point with knowledge and excitement to clear and searching sections that illuminate God's truth and search our hearts. In this collection, Edwards is introduced to a new generation of readers. His concerns are made our concerns. This is a worthy effort and I pray that God will bless it." - Mark Dever, Senior Pastor, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington, DC.

"This series is a fantastic introduction to the heart, mind, and ministry of the greatest theologian America has ever produced." - Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill Church, President of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network.

"Let Strachan and Sweeney serve as your guides through the voluminous writings of America's greatest theologian.  They have been shaped by his godly counsel and moved by his passion for Christ.  By God's grace, Edwards can do the same for you. Start your journey with The Essential Edwards Collection. - Collin Hansen, Author of Young, Restless, Reformed

"Owen Strachan and Douglas Sweeney have done us all a great service by remixing and reloading the teaching of Jonathan Edwards for a new generation.  They do more than introduce us to his writing: they show us how his biblical teaching relates to a modern world and leave us hungry for more. I am very impressed and very grateful for The Essential Edwards Collection." - Joshua Harris, Senior Pastor of Covenant Life Church

"Why hasn't this been done before? The Essential Edwards Collection is now essential reading for the serious-minded Christian. Doug Sweeney and Owen Strachan have written five excellent and accessible introductions to America's towering theological genius - Jonathan Edwards.  They combine serious scholarship with the ability to make Edwards and his theology come alive for a new generation. The Essential Edwards Collection is a great achievement and a tremendous resource. I can't think of a better way to gain a foundational knowledge of Edwards and his lasting significance." - R. Albert Mohler Jr., President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

"You hold in your hands a unique resource: a window into the life and thought of Jonathan Edwards, a man whose life was captured by God for the gospel of Jesus Christ. In these pages you'll not only learn about Edwards, but you'll be able to hear him speak in his own words. This winsome and accessible introduction is now the first thing I'd recommend for those who want to know more about America's greatest pastor-theologian. - Justin Taylor, Managing Editor, ESV Study Bible.

"I am deeply impressed with the vision that has brought together this splendid library of volumes to introduce Jonathan Edwards to a new generation. Owen Strachan and Douglas Sweeney have provided an incredible service by making the often challenging writings of America's greatest theologian accessible for seasoned theologians, pastors, and students alike with their five-volume Essential Edwards Collection. This series is properly titled the "essential collection." - David S. Dockery, President, Union University

"Jonathan Edwards was a preacher of the Word, a pastor of souls, a philosopher of first rank, and the greatest theologian America has ever produced. In this wonderful new anthology of Edwards's writings, the great Puritan saint lives again. I can think of no better tonic for our transcendence-starved age than the writings of Edwards. But beware: reading this stuff can change your life forever!" - Timothy George, Founding Dean of Besson Divinity School of Samford University

"From a course he taught at Yale and in personal friendship, Doug Sweeney has tought me much about Edwards. Possessing a command of the academic field, he and Owen Strachan nevertheless write this collection with pastoral concern, showing the relevance of Edwards for our Christian faith and practice today. It's a rare combination of gifts and insights that Sweeney and Strachan bring to this task." - Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology and Apologetics, Westminister Theological Seminary California

"Jonathan Edwards is surely one of the most influential theologians of the eighteenth century.  Now, at last, we have a wide-ranging and respresntative sample of his work published in an attractive, accessible and, most important of all, readable form. The authors are to be commended for the work they have put into this set and I hope it will become an important feature of the library of many pastors and students of the Christian faith." - Carl R. Trueman, Academic Dean, Westminster Theological Seminary

About the Author

OWEN STRACHAN is the Managing Director of the Carl F. H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and a Ph.D. student in Historical Theology at TEDS. He has served as a teaching assistant and has worked for the White House and the presidents of Bowdoin College and Southern Seminary. Having worked at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Strachan is preparing to serve as an urban pastor-theologian. He lives on Chicago’s North Shore with his wife, Bethany, and their daughter. Strachan enjoys interacting with theology and culture on his blog, www.owenstrachan.com.

DOUG SWEENEY is professor of Church History and the History of Christian Thought and director of the Carl F. H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He formerly served as a lecturer at Yale University, as an adjunct professor as Aquinas College, and as a visiting professor at both Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Reformed Theological Seminary. Sweeney is the author of a number of books and articles about religious history and the American theologian, Jonathan Edwards. He resides with his wife, Wilma, and their son in Lindenhurst, Illinois.

 

Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: Moody Publishers (February 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802424627
• ISBN-13: 978-0802424624
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.6 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #578,044 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Accessible Introduction to Edwards, April 20, 2010

By 

E-Cowboy - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Essential Edwards Collection: Set of 5 Books (Paperback)

Jonathan Edwards has always presented a bit of a challenge for me. On the one hand, so many of the pastors and theologians that I admire and who have challenged my thinking cite Edwards as one of the most influential individuals on them and their ministry. On the other hand, Edwards' work often seemed a bit cryptic and hard to comprehend as a lay-person.

With that in mind, I'm extremely grateful for the work that Owen Strachan and Doug Sweeney have done with "The Essential Edwards Collection". It's a bit of a literary compilation - part biography and part introduction to the writings and theology of Edwards. And, as an "Edwards newbie", it's exactly what I needed. The books are clear, compelling and engaging, and Strachan/Sweeney set up Edwards' writings effectively.

Perhaps the one caution that I would raise relates to the summaries found at the end of each chapter. Most of the time, the summaries are insightful and quite challenging, but occasionally they highlighted/exemplified Edwards a bit too far. I get the sense that Edwards would be the first to agree that our lives shouldn't be modeled after his, but that the way he lived his life should drive and motivate us to Scripture and a greater love and appreciation for God.

On the whole, this is a fantastic series that I would thoroughly recommend as an great introduction to the life, theology, and writings of Edwards.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a must get!!!!, March 6, 2010

By 

J. Bishop "Jake" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Essential Edwards Collection: Set of 5 Books (Paperback)

Jonathan Edwards is one of those rare individuals who had and proclaimed A God-entranced Vision of All Things! Edwards did not stick God in a compartment, and bring Him out only when needed; like so many of us, including myself tend to do. Instead God was the central focus in everything he saw, wrote, and said. If you read his books, letters, and sermons, you get the since that God was infinity Glorious, and the central delight of Edwards. This is a rare occurrence, and so when someone proclaims this focus it is important to take notice and read what he says. Mark Noll wrote about how rare it is: "Edwards' piety continued on in the revivalist tradition, his theology continued on in academic Calvinism, but there were no successors to his God-entranced world view . . . The disappearance of Edwards's perspective in American Christian history has been a tragedy."

With all that said, you must simply get this set. I have been slowly feasting on the richness of Edwards in these books. Edwards can sometimes be a challenge to read and understand, that is where Owen Strachan and Doug Sweeney come in. These two gentlemen masterfully unpack and explain the depth and riches of what Edwards is saying. Each book covers a distinct area of focus that was important in Edwards' God-entranced view of all things. Each book might seem small in size, but don't be fooled, they are crammed full of the richness and Glory of God. After every 5 minutes of reading I had to take a break in order to soak in and process all that I was reading. If you want to be challenged to think and see the glory of God, get this set, you will not be disappointed!!!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction to Jonathan Edwards, April 7, 2010

By 

Michael Boyd (Northport, Alabama United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Essential Edwards Collection: Set of 5 Books (Paperback)

I completely agree with the previous review by Jake. I'm loving these myself and finding them to be filled with such great wisdom for my life. I can hardly stop reading once I have one in hand. I love how they've done these five books by covering different areas of Edwards' thought and teaching, and the way they've applied Edwards' teaching to modern-day Christian living. The authors close each chapter with a practical application section of what they've just covered in the chapter. I also appreciate the effort being made with these volumes to expose current-day believers to one of the great men of God of the past and his biblically sound teaching. We all need badly to drink from the wells of men such as Jonathan Edwards, and these volumes definitely help people like me, who find Edwards hard to read, to benefit from him. Another thing, these volumes are beautifully and simply written, easy to read, and not written on a high level. Therefore they would be excellent reading for younger people. I think these volumes could be very helpful to people like my nephew who is 14 yo (and even younger) and in their formative years, to lay a solid foundation for their life. As I've read I thought I've got to get these into his and my niece's (12 yo) hands. The practical applications in each chapter will go a long way in helping young people (and older!) apply sound biblical teaching to their lives. I love these sections! I hope to see more books like these in the future. Thanks to the authors for serving the church with these excellent volumes.