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The Religious Affections

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As grape soda is to Louis Roederer Cristal, so today's Christian books are to Edwards' "The Religious Affections". Espousing a theology foreign to most postmodern Christians, Edwards lays out the cornerstone of Christian thought of the mid-18th century.

As unflinching as his more famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", this work develops the idea that what we feel and our true status in Christ are at war with one another, a constant battle that requires the searching of our souls by the Spirit of God in order to find the truth of our standing in Him. For some, the level of introspection and faithfulness demanded of the believer is higher than we might otherwise be prepared to endure. But only by complete surrender, the development of an inner craving for Christ, and spiritual examination can we rest in the assurance of our salvation.

This work also holds up a Christian faith that seems radically different - and more vital - than what we know. For this we should thank Edwards for allowing 21st century men and women a tie to historic Christianity, especially as seen through early-American eyes.

"The Religious Affections" is an extremely difficult book to read, not only because of the sentence structure and word choices of the 18th century, but also because of the loaded theology. It is a bombshell to the heart of anyone who earnestly desires to follow Christ. Impossible to ignore, Edwards' book demands a response. No one can read it and be unchanged. The level of discipleship it asks is shocking to modern readers, but ultimately necessary for our salvation.

Jonathan Edwards penned "Religious Affections" in a day much like our own. Battle lines were drawn over religion of the heart and religion of the head. Edwards, the consummate scholar, but his biblical mind and spiritual heart fully into the task of explaining the scriptural, theological, and practical truth of the nature of spiritual conversion and spiritual growth.

Unlike many Christian scholars today, Edwards recognized the age-old (Old Testament, New Testament, and Church History) truth/tradition of the affections. He saw them as the relational motivation that impelled the soul. Further, he saw the affections, or our longings, desires, and thirsts, as God-created/designed core components of the healthy human personality.

He then traced the relationship between the affections, our cognitions, our volition, and our emotions. Brilliantly he demonstrated that we pursue (volition) what we perceive (cognition) to be pleasant (affections) and pleasing (emotions). In other words, the "action" is in the affections. Capture the affections through the imagination (the deepest aspects of our cognitive capacity) and you capture the soul.

To understand the biblical psychology of the soul, other than the Bible itself, this is THE book to devour.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," and the forthcoming "Beyond the Suffering: The Story of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction."

I'm a minister of music at an evangelical church. Almost every week, I have the conversation with someone "what are the role of emotions in our services and in the Christian's life in general?" (Nobody really asks it THAT way, but you get the idea.)

I've come to the point where I won't even begin the conversation without having them read this book. Seriously! Edwards covers ALL the issues in a thorough and practical way.

Strap on your thinking cap, but know it's worth it! I read this book every year and God never fails in using it to refocus my heart on Him.

Don't misunderstand me: This is a great work by Jonathan Edwards. Please take time to slowly read and understand what he is saying in order to grasp it. Do not get in a hurry, there is much here to help our understanding of Christian things and use to examine our hearts and draw us closer to God. Again, it is a difficult read for most, yet slowing down to grasp each word, each sentence and each paragraph is of utmost importance to being able to follow him in his thinking throughout.

However, this book produced by Eremitical Press out of Vancouver, is filled with typos and missing/extra words. It is poorly edited and filled with error, even the blurb on the back cover shows this and contains error itself; "Edwards preached both encourage to true Christianity and to alert congregations to superficial imitations." Read it again and note the missing word "to" in the text between "both" and "encourage."

I am disappointed in this edition, not in this work. If you are bothered by typos and the sort and they turn you off, avoid this edition and purchase another edition by another publisher. You may also want to avoid any and all other publications by Eremitical Press, as perhaps this is status quo for them?

Keep in mind this book and subject itself is of great value otherwise.

I am amazed how often the great work by America's greatest thinker has insight and application to modern church ministry. As a pastor, this work ranks among the top works I have read in understanding the gospel, the work of the Holy Spirit, the nature of genuine salvation. There are three major parts to this work. The first section Edwards defines what a religious affection is and how it is different from what he calls animal affections. This distinction is both necessary for understanding his work, but also is a helplful tonic for insight into today's religious movments and modern worship experiences. In the second section, Edwards develop 12 marks that do not argue for or against the work of the Spirit. The Great Awakening had many excesses and abuses which Edwards neither support the event nor do they necessarilly take away from it. What is interesting about this section is that Edwards is saying that these marks ultimately mean nothing. Yet, most of what is found here is the basis of much of today's evangelical church. In my first reading I kept finding myself saying but this is what I was taught to be Biblical Christianity. Edwards was saying if you have this experience or don't have this experience means is not proof one way or the other about your conversion. In the third section Edwards develops the 12 marks that are truly evidences of the working of the Holy Spirit. This section is extremly helpful for the modern minister. With great care and lengthy development of thought, Edwards walks you through the marks of genuine conversion.

Edwards is hard to read for those who are just getting started with him. However, the more you read the easier he becomes. Don't give up too soon - you will get back 10 fold for all the effort you put in. The particular edition you are reading about is easy on the pocket book. If you have limited funds, it is a good way to get started. However, if you are serious about reading Edwards, don't forget to check out the Yale editions. They are very expensive, but the foot notes, extensive introductions, and indexs are worth the extra money.

This is one of the great devotional Christian classics of the 18th century, but it still packs a mighty punch today. It began its life as a series of sermons preached by Edwards to his Northampton congregation in 1742 and 1743, and was first published in 1746. Edwards discusses the place of religious fervor and feelings in the Christian life. For those who prefer a more staid and serene Christian existence, Edwards discusses the prevalence of such scripturally based affections as love, joy, desire, compassion, and zeal. He concludes this opening section by asking how can people sit and hear about "the unparalleled love of the innocent, and holy, and tender Lamb of God, manifested in His dying agonies, His bloody sweat, His loud and bitter cries, and bleeding heart, and all this for enemies, to redeem them from deserved eternal burnings, and to bring to unspeakable and everlasting joy and glory, - and yet be cold and heavy, insensible and regardless! Where are the excesses of our affections proper, if not here?"

After this stirring salvo, Edwards then addresses those who have gone overboard in emphasizing emotional experiences by giving 12 false signs which are thought by many to be indicative of someone who is experiencing true religious affections from God. Many people trust in the depthness of their emotions, the zeal for doing churchwork, the experiences they have had when a scripture verse came to mind, the appearance of love in a person's life, etc, but these things in and of themselves are not conclusive proof of God's divine grace.

Then in the body of the book, Edwards discusses 12 clear signs that God is at work in the life, and the chief sign is that there is a greater appreciation and love for God for who He is and not primarily for what you can get from Him.

Another sign that you are expression truly divine religious affections is that you continue to live for Christ every day. If you have one or two days in church where you feel genuinely inspired and then go back to living a life of sin, then you have not experienced a genuine awakening from God, because when God awakens you, you will be changed forever. Everything you do in life will be motivated by a selfless love for God and for His divine qualities and a selfless love for others.

This book was a shattering read for me because I have often looked upon the religious experiences in my life as proof that I was 'in the Lord,' or proof that I was walking with the Lord, when in actuality, a changed life is the proof.

I should also say that the book is a bit wordy. Many sentences are almost a whole paragraph long. You really have to concentrate to get the main idea in certain portions of the book. The reader not used to 18th century writing might have to adjust to these long and sometimes meandering sections.

But you will be greatly rewarded if you give this book the time and study that it deserves.

Can't really put into words what kind of affect this book had on me. A good ...hard slap in the face is probably a start. Reading it once will not do it justice...the second time around will really get things going..as it's impossible to truly comprehend everything the first time round. Mr. Edwards is most notably a keen intellectual...a brilliant mind & has the most unique way of communicating the timeless truths of scripture...I just wish my mind had an easier time translating it all. Once the translation into more modern words/ways is done..the effectual work of God's spirit begins. This book is only for the serious seeker....with a genuine desire to climb to higher ground

What can one say about Jonathan Edwards and "The Religious Affections!?" Amazing. After being brought up on Christian book store material such as Lucado, Warren, etc. (who are not bad men, just a little weak), Edwards is a difficult, yet overwhelmingly breath of fresh air.

The first section which catalogs signs and things are not necessarily signs of true religious affections goes a little long, but the last section which speaks of our love and actions being the primary evidence of our professed faith will grip you for hours. Amazing.

The Religious Affections is probably the most profound analysis of spiritual experience ever written - and by the most brilliant philosopher/theologian to ever come from North America (and possibly the English language).

Jonathan Edwards wrote this book after the Great Awakening with which he was closely involved. He wrote as both a friend, defending the authenticity of revivals - and also as a critique, warning against putting trust in things which were not certain signs of genuine Spirit-wrought affections.

His treatise takes three parts. In part one he defines his terms and gives twelve reasons why genuine religion (i.e. Christian spirituality - "religion," in Edwards day, did not have the negative connotations that it carries today) consists much in the affections. The affections, for Edwards, are more than mere emotions - they are the strong and lively inclinations of the will, seated in the human heart.

Part two discusses twelve things which are not certain signs of true religious affections. These are things which Edwards warned should not be trusted as evidences of grace OR discarded as evidences that the Holy Spirit has NOT worked in a saving way. They are not indicators one way or the other.

Part three is the most lenghty and examines twelve things which are signs of a true work of the grace, wrought by God's holy Spirit in the heart. This is where Edwards is at his best - carefully, logically, biblically, and passionately describing the true evidences of regeneration. His analysis is keen, his thoughts clear, his argument orderly, his scholarship extensive, his knowledge of Scripture profuse, and his understanding of the human heart profound.

This particular edition - produced by Yale and edited by John Smith - is the best critical edition in print. The introduction and notes on the text are very helpful, as Smith summarizes Edwards' arguments and backgrounds the Puritan writers and their books which Edwards quotes in Religious Affections. This volume also includes Edwards' related correspondence with Thomas Gillespie from Scotland - this being the first time the complete correspondence has been printed in the same volume with the Affections.

This is not an easy book to read. Edwards takes getting used to. But it is very worthwhile. I'm currently reading it for the third time and I continue to find it useful. I highly recommend it for pastors and preachers and all Christians who yearn for a personal and corporate work of the Spirit in revival and spiritual awakening.

This is the first Jonathan Edwards book I have read, and the first by a Puritan author. Of course, the language reflects that he lived in the 1700's, and his writing style is not the easiest to read. His sentences are quite long with many phrases, and I found I had to read more slowly and really concentrate. I highlighted many wonderful passages and will no doubt return to this book many times. I highly recommend it to any Christian seeking to understand true religious affections.