Jonathan Edwards on Beauty (The Essential Edwards Collection) [Paperback]

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

Book Description

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

Beauty is hard to describe, but easy to identify. It resides in expected and unexpected places in our world. Beauty is present in our world in a variety of forms. Yet while the average person might think about the reality of beauty from time to time, few people would think about the source of beauty. Where does beauty come from' Why is it here'Several hundred years ago Jonathan Edwards did some thinking of his own on this difficult subject. This volume explores his meditation on the subject and lays out a Christian framework for understanding and experiencing the beauty God has planted in His world.Edwards found in the study of beauty the person of God. Where Edwards saw beautiful images and acts, he saw a representation, a small picture, of a reality too great to comprehend, a God too majestic to adequately adore. He sets in motion a path of glory that begins with the Lord, moves to creation, continues to the incarnation of Christ, moves to the church, and ascends to the glory of heaven, where the Holy Trinity dwells.Easily accessible and readable, you do not need to be a scholar to enjoy these insights about Jonathan Edwards and his writings.

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: 160 pages
• Publisher: Moody Publishers; New Edition edition (February 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802424589
• ISBN-13: 978-0802424587
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #453,798 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An appetizer for more!, May 12, 2010

By 

J. Shamblin (Ironton, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jonathan Edwards on Beauty (The Essential Edwards Collection) (Paperback)

I have never really read anything of Edwards expect "Sinners in the hands" but after recently being intrigued by him ( through friends, and John Pipers Bio sermon) I thought I would give this little paperback a try. I'm glad I did! It is compiled very well and will definately leave you wanting to read more of Edwards. Why? Very simple: Edwards exalts Christ! To see the beauty of Christ in the section that talks about Edwards sermon " the excellency of Christ" is worth far more than what you could ever pay for this book.

Now I am challenged to read more from this great theologian. I'm going to try to find "the Excellency of Christ" sermon right now.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Primer on A Beautiful God, June 1, 2011

By 

Jacob Sweeney (Louisville, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Jonathan Edwards on Beauty (The Essential Edwards Collection) (Paperback)

How do you describe the color red to a man who has never seen? Beauty can be like that. We have trouble articulating the precise boundaries of beauty and non-beauty - but we know when we see it. Humans don't have to be trained to find sunsets captivating. We don't need a social construct to tell us a starry night sky is breathtaking. We know.

So where does beauty come from and how are we to understand it? Owen Strachan and Doug Sweeney have produced a helpful little book on the subject. Jonathan Edwards on Beauty is a helpful introduction to the thought of America's most significant mind. Christian and secular sources alike consider Edwards to be one of the most brilliant minds America has every produced. Christians understand that it is no accident that he also happened to be a pastor.

A brilliant theologian, Edwards could write tomes about complex and complicated theological themes. He was also captivated by his God. He knew that "the study of true beauty...was the study of God" (21). Strachan and Sweeney provide a quick and accessible tour through Edwards' thought concerning Beauty. They begin where Edwards begins: the beauty of God. Our visually over-stimulated world could use the antidote provided here. Edwards saw the world as a stage for the glory of God to be on display through what he has made. As he so often does, Edwards shakes us loose from the enchantments of our contemporary world.

Beauty begins and ends with the Trinitarian God who creates universes and redeems rebellious sinners. Whatever does not accord with this is but an ugly caricature. George Orwell captures this well in 1984. The main character finds himself captivated by the beauty of a young woman from afar. As he draws near he discovers she is neither young nor beautiful. Every line on her aged face was like another scar left by the pain inflicted by a broken world. He takes her for himself regardless - and adds a figurative scar of his own.

Beauty is not something that can be achieved through covering, removing, adding or seducing. Beauty comes from the hand of God; the very same hand which wipes away the make-up from a prostitutes' face to expose each scar and claim them as his very own. This God takes our ugliness upon himself and makes us like him. He makes us beautiful.

Note: To comply with Federal Trade Regulations I would like to state that I received a complimentary copy of the aforementioned text for review as compensation.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Intro to a Great Theologian, September 25, 2011

By 

N. Shoemaker (Georgia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jonathan Edwards on Beauty (The Essential Edwards Collection) (Paperback)

This book contains some excellent quotes from some of Edwards' sermons about the beauty of God. I really enjoyed reading those quotes. However, I wish there had been more of Edwards and less commentary. All in all, I thought it was a good introduction to one of America's greatest theologians.