Customer Reviews

Jonathan Edwards: A Life

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Jonathan Edwards was probably the most impressive American intellectual of the 18th century. Not the best known, which would be Benjamin Franklin, or the most influential, which would be James Madison, but the individual with most impressive intellect and purely intellectual achievements. Edwards' reputation today suffers because he was on the losing side, so to speak, of a pair of particularly important developments in American life. In the Great Awakening that inaugurated modern American religous life, Edwards was an outspoken proponent of revivalism, but the ultimate emergence of a more democratic and less organized form of Protestantism ran counter to his essentially conservative form of Calvinism. Edwards' conservative Calvinism led him also to oppose the rationalistic philosophy and theology of the Enlightenment that came to be such an important element of American life. One of the great virtues of this outstanding biography is that it gives readers a vivid and unanachronistic understanding of how this powerful intellect ended up reaffirming doctrines that were coming to be regarded as outmoded by so many of his contemporaries.

Marsden shows Edwards' development as the son and grandson of learned Puritan clergymen, his immersion in the complicated theology of his branch of Calvinism, and his encounters with new intellectual currents emanating from Europe. Marsden does a particularly good job of connecting Edwards' thought with the interesting circumstances of his social position. Edwards was a child of the Puritan establishment of Colonial New England. Edwards grew up at the apex of a rural society whose social organiztion was based on deference, with social position shaped by personal and family relationships to an extent largely unknown in modern society (though there are exceptions; see George Bush). He was embedded in a strongly patriarchal family structure, with religion occupying a central position in society that would have been unusual even in contemporary Europe. Edwards also inherited an intense sense of being part of a larger British and Protestant world. The colonial New England of Edwards' time was not, however, impervious to outside influences. The Puritans placed great emphasis on education, particularly for clergy, and by Edwards' youth, many Puritan clergy were familiar with intellectual developments in Europe. Edwards was influenced by Locke's epistemology, was familiar with the work of Newton and later assimilated Newton into his theological work, and had a more positive view of the natural world than his 17th Puritan forebears. He remained connected with European intellectual trends throughout his life. It clear that he read Hume's Treatise at a time when it was ignored by most European intellectuals.

The combination of his Puritan heritage and receptivity to new ideas makes Edwards a peculiarly transitional figure. His life's work was to defend the sophisticated but demanding Calvinist theology and eschatology of his ancestors. In so doing, he would incorporate Newton and borrow ideas from Locke, Hutcheson, and other philosophers of the Enlightenment. He was an advocate of the Great Awakening that broke the fragile unity of New England Protestantism but but was unsympathetic to its increasingly influential anti-establishment elements. Edwards produced a number of impressive treatises defending his views, though he did not live long enough to complete all his projected theological works. If he had lived longer, he would have been the most systematic theologian since Aquinas.

Marsden's biography is not just an account and exploration of Edwards' ideas. Given the limited documentation about Edwards' personal life, this is also the story of Edwards' family life and pastoral work. It is remarkable that a man who produced thousands of pages of written work was also an active minister serving a substantial congregation. Edwards also devoted a good part of each day to contemplative activities.

This book is valuable also because it casts light on many important features of American history. Marsden's goal is to tell Edwards' story in a way that will illuminate Colonial America in the first half of 18th century. This book is instructive about religion, family life, education, Native American relations, and colonial politics. For example, there is a brief but very interesting section on Edwards' attitude towards slavery. This is an ambitious and superb piece of scholarship.

What's most surprising about Yale's latest attempt at an Edwards Biography is how thoroughly Christian it is. Having extensively studied the 18th century Puritan, I've long been baffled by just how many of his biographers have attempted to make Edwards, to quote G. Marsden, "over in their own images" (p.2). In so doing, some of these books have made his Orthodox Christianity, which was truly the centerpiece of his life and thought, strangely and eerily quiet. Some biographers have tried to separate Edwards' religious convictions from his genius. Marsden doesn't. Any biographer who wishes to write honestly about Edwards must necessarily write much on Edwards' faith and his God. Marsden does. These things were truly the centerpiece of his life and so therefore should be the centerpiece of any book about his life.

This excellent study on the greatest theologian/philosopher in American history is everything you would ever want in a good biography. George Marsden writes with an objective eye and at an even pace in this thoroughly researched, yet popularly written biography on Edwards. Much attention is given to the intellectual development of Edwards, and Marsden helps us see Edwards against the backdrop of the age in which he lived. There is also considerable focus on the Great Awakening, including the good, the bad, and the ugly. No one can understand Edwards without understanding something about the controversies in which he was enmeshed; and again, Marsden gives an objective account which is not unsympathetic to Edwards, but does not fail to recognize his feet of clay either. Towards the end of the book are several chapters introducing Edwards most important theological books, such as Freedom of the Will, Original Sin, History of Redemption, and The End for Which God Created the World. The book is carefully documented and indexed, but for all the detail it is an absolutely delightful read! I highly, highly recommend this book.

First, this book confirms my earlier suspicion that anything written by George Marsden is extraordinary and a must read, simply because of the quality of the research and the writing. The book was a 'from the pulpit recommendation' and as such not on my usual list of suspects to be read, i am however grateful for the recommendation and thankful for the time spent reading this biography of a very important and interesting person.

Second, the purpose of the book is aptly summed up by the author in the last chapter, "My belief is that one of the uses of being an historian, particularly if one is part of a community of faith, is to help persons of such communities better understand what they and their community might appropriate form the great mentors of the past and what is extraneous and nonessential. ... It should also be to help people see how to put things back together again. We need to use history for the guidance it offers, learning from great figures in the past-both in their brilliance and in their shortcomings. Otherwise we are stuck with only the wisdom of the present." pg 502

The book naturally breaks up into 3 pieces: the first, the much greater, is the biography of Edwards reaching a culmination in the church severing the pastoral relationship with Edwards that had been theirs for 26 years. The problems, both interpersonal and theological are summed up nicely in chapters 17 "A House Divided" and 18 "A Model Town No More". If you only have a limited time to invest in this book, i would start with reading these two chapters first. The next piece is the rest of his life, upto chapter 25. The final part is the systematic presentation of his theology in an historical context with one eye on its influence for the next 100 years in America. If you are primarily interested in Edwards as a theologian i would start but reading 26 "Against and 'Almost Inconceivably Pernicious' Doctrine" to the end.

The major threads in the biography appear to be:
Edwards as smitten by the beauty of God and His universe. The fragility of life and the necessity of getting right with God now as a consequence of mortality. The importance of 3 big controversies in Edwards' life: Old versus New Light, or the meaning and significance of emotional/enthusiastic revival, discipline in the church as illustrated by the boys and the midwife manual, which lead up to his dismissal from the church, and the place of reason in the life of a very bright man with deeply held convictions.

I appreciated the book, it is not a hard read, slanted to the general reader with all the hard stuff and references in endnotes. It moves evenly throughout with none of the low boring spots you might expect in a work this long. I would recommend it to most anyone with an interest in either theology or pre-Revolutionary America.

I am on the lookout for followup material. please email to rwilliam2 at yahoo. i have _Theology in American_ by Holifield and _America's God_ by Noll in hand.
as well as: The Philosophical Theology of Jonathan Edwards
by Sang Hyun Lee

thanks for reading this short review. i hope you pick up the book on this recommendation.

I echo the other favorable reviews. A couple of things really struck me as I read this remarkable book about Edwards. One, this book deals not only with Edwards, but with the early 1700's in America, one of the most important turning points in world history. During Edwards' lifetime, rapid changes were taking place in the way people (Christians and non-Christians) thought about God and the world. This transition laid the groundwork for the American and French revolutions, and for the modernism and post-modernism of today. Although this book focuses on Edwards, it explains that remarkable period of time better than any I know of. George Marsden has an incredible ability to bring in huge amounts of information about the people, events, way of life, and worldviews of the early 1700's, and yet tell the story in a way that (as others have said) reads like a novel.

Two, Marsden understands Reformed/Calvinistic theology very well. This is vital to an understanding of Edwards because his life was first and foremost about his love for and understanding (logos) of God (theo). It is clear that Marsden, an historian, has spent a lot of time studying theology in general and the writings of Edwards in particular.

Particularly masterful is Marsden's discussion about the underlying theological assumptions held by both sides in the Lord's Supper controversy that eventually resulted in Edwards' removal from the pastorate at Northampton. He convincingly argues that the dominant theological view in the 1700's -- and which had begun to change during Edwards' lifetime -- was the result of a framework that saw little difference between the church and the community. To Solomon Stoddard (Edwards' grandfather and predecessor), the church and the community as a whole were virtually the same thing, much like OT Israel. The town of Northamptom was a "covenant community" where everyone had been baptized, and they all attended the one and only church in town. Thus, reasoned Stoddard, you must allow them to take communion unless there was a radical renouncement of the faith. To Edwards, on the other hand, the church was a group of people who were "holy" or "called out" from the world. And because of this view, just like Augustine's as expressed in the City of Man/the City of God, Edwards could not allow clearly unregenerate people to partake of the Lord's body and blood. This is just one example of the way that Marsden displays his deep grasp of Reformed theology.

The book was a pleasure to read. It shows Edwards for who he truly was: an intensely devout follower of Jesus Christ, a prolific writer, an orthodox theologian, a loving husband and father, an incredibly principled man, and probably (as some encyclopedias have called him) the greatest mind America has ever produced. And yet, he was a sinner who struggled with depression, pride, biases, and cultural assumptions of his day, and who made many, many mistakes and miscalculations.

I came to realize not too long ago that, for a man of such importance, I knew shockingly little about Jonathan Edwards. I had some knowledge of the basic outline of his life and teachings, but knew little beyond that. Having heard so many positive reviews of George Marsden's recent biography of the man, Jonathan Edwards: A Life, I turned to this book to learn more about this giant of the faith. I was richly rewarded. And if ever I have felt inadequate to the task of summarizing a book in just a few short paragraphs, this is the time.

Whether we are aware of it or not, most contemporary Calvinists are deeply indebted to Edwards. His defense of Calvinism in works such as Freedom of the Will have made a deep and lasting impact on Reformed theology. It did not take me long to realize that much of what I believe, much of what I have taught to others and much of what has been passed down to me originated with Edwards. A lifelong student of the Bible, he wrestled with the great doctrines of the Scriptures and expounded them for countless generations of other Christians. Truly his impact can hardly be exaggerated.

I have sometimes found that biographies can become bogged down with examinations of the most minute details of a person's teaching. When I have been looking for the story of a person's life I have instead found a thorough examination of the person's thought and writing. I was pleased to see that, by and large, Marsden does a good job of incorporating Edwards' teaching into the story of his life, rather than examining them as separate entities. A possible exception to this is in three of the final four chapters where he focuses on Edwards' major theological treatises, but even here he summarizes them in a brief but satisfying way. He provides the framework of what made Edwards' teaching unique without becoming bogged down with details. The book strikes that delicate balance between describing and explaining the subject as a father, pastor, revivalist and theologian. The biographer, while clearly holding Edwards in high esteem, seems objective and honest with his subject's shortcomings and failings.

As I read about Jonathan Edwards, I could not help but draw comparisons to some of the great pastors and theologians who have lived since, but especially of John Piper who, in so many ways, is an Edwards to this generation. Piper has been so profoundly impacted by Edwards and, as I understand it, considers himself a teacher who brings before this generation the great work of men like Owen and Edwards. From what I know of his teaching and his life, he certainly does seem to exemplify the teachings and the ideals of his historical hero. Much of what has come from the mouth and the pen of Piper came first from the pen of Edwards.

Edwards is a towering figure in the history of the church and one whose impact will continue to be felt, I am sure, until the Lord returns. He lived a life that seemed both too difficult and too short. And yet he wasted scarcely a moment, dedicating his life to the great cause of defending and expounding biblical truths. This book surely presents Edwards as he was--a man who, though certainly flawed and sinful, was used greatly by God. Though he may have been brilliant in intellect, what makes Edwards such an important figure is his love for the Lord and his dedication to knowing Him more. These are ideals we can all imitate and all strive towards. Like any good biography of a follower of Christ, this one makes me long to mimic those aspects of the man that set him apart.

Praise for this book has been near-universal. I am glad to add my esteem for it as well. Jonathan Edwards: A Life is a great and stirring biography. It is a masterpiece.

George Marsden has given us Jonathan Edwards. This is a beautifully laid out book that is neither too reverent, nor too critical. It is a balanced portrait of Edwards as father, pastor, theologian, and revivalist. The book works chronologically through Jonathan's life, beginning with a discussion of his grandfather Solomon Stoddard, a minister who had a tremendous effect on the Northampton congregation that Edwards would eventually come to serve.

We also learn of Jonathan's struggle to find security in his own salvation in the early years of his life, his love for walking along the Hudson River in New York and basking in the beauty of creation.

We also get a picture of his keen mind, and his careful and systematic apologies for Calvinism, both in his sermons and in his monographs. Marsden allows us to be present for the meetings Edwards had with George Whitefield, both when George was a 21 year old evangelical preacher, and ten years later, as George had matured.

We see Edwards' loyalty and love for his family and for his congregation, although the congregation didn't always appreciate him as much as he appreciated them.

We also get to see some of Jonathan's quirks that laid the foundation for future conflict at Northampton. We read of his long office hours of uninterrupted study, his unwillingness to make pastoral visits to members of his congregation (breaking with local tradition), and his public overreaction to the lewd comments some of the local young people were making about female sexuality.

We also get to meet his wife and children, how they unswervingly supported their father through thick and thin.

Lastly, Marsden speaks of the influence Edwards had on later revivalists such as his grandson Timothy Dwight, and Charles Finney, who modified many of Edwards' ideas.

This is the best book on Edwards available, and it is also a great book for those interested in the history of Ne England at the time of the first Great Awakening (1734-1746).

Finally, an exciting biography that does justice to a great American thinker and a fascinating man. Marsden shows Edwards in all his brilliance, complexity, and originality. And Marsden also provides context: this book is a wonderful trip into the Colonial past.
Edwards is also shown to be a pivotal figure between two world-views, two ways of seeing humanity and God and history.
This is a wonderful book, great fun to read, and very thought-provoking.

Jonathan Edwards was not just one of the greatest Americans of the 18th century - he was, arguably, but I think convincingly, one of the greatest Americans of all time - and someone with a wide influence in places like Britain as well as the nascent American country. You cannot really understand the intellectual development of the American colonies, nor grasp the wonderful way in which God worked in revival, unless you fully come to grips with the true greatness of the polymathic Jonathan Edwards. George Marsden is by far one of the ablest Christian writers in the USA today and this book has deservedly come out to rave reviews on both sides of the Atlantic. This is a truly great, definitive book and it cannot be recommended too highly. Christopher Catherwood, author of CHRISTIANS, MUSLIMS AND ISLAMIC RAGE (Zondervan, 2003)

I greatly enjoyed this book. Although you probably do not agree with Edwards' theology, and I had the impression that the author does not agree with major components of that theology, it was refreshing to see that worldview taken seriously and within its historical context. Also interesting is the examination of the often rocky relationship between Edwards and his Northhampton congregation. This book is much better than Roy Hattersley's recent biography of John Wesley which does not seem to take HIS theology seriously.