An Infinite Fountain of Light: Jonathan Edwards for the Twenty-First Century

by George M. Marsden

Christians need to pause once in a while to get their bearings. For perspective on our own times and how we got here, it helps to listen to wise guides from other eras. In An Infinite Fountain of Light , the renowned American historian George Marsden illuminates the landscape with wisdom from one such Jonathan Edwards. Drawing on his deep expertise on Edwards and American culture, Marsden explains where Edwards stood within his historical context and sets forth key points of his complex thought. By also considering Benjamin Franklin and George Whitefield, two of Edwards's most influential contemporaries, Marsden unpacks the competing cultural and religious impulses that have shaped our times. In contrast, Edwards offered us an exhilarating view of the centrality of God's beauty and love. Christians' love for God, he taught, can be the guiding love of our lives, opening us to transformative joy and orienting all our lesser loves. "There is an infinite fullness of all possible good in God, a fullness of every perfection, of all excellency and beauty, and of infinite happiness," wrote Edwards. "This infinite fountain of light should, diffusing its excellent fullness, pour forth light all around." With Marsden's guidance, readers will discover how Edwards's insights can renew our own vision of the divine, of creation, and of ourselves.

Genres: Theology, History, Christian, Biography

176 pages, Hardcover

Published June 27, 2023

About the author

George M. Marsden is the Francis A. McAnaney Professor of History Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame. He has written extensively on the interaction between Christianity and the American culture and has published numerous books, including Jonathan Edwards: A Life, which won the prestigious Bancroft Prize given for the best work of history. He lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Reviews

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5 stars

I have learned over the years that I prefer reading books about Jonathan Edwards more than actually reading the works of Edwards himself, and this book gives further confirmation.

Marsden’s writing here is clear and informative throughout, and I appreciated much he had to say. But then trudging through the edited version of Edwards’s sermon, “A Divine and Supernatural Light” included in the appendix just made my eyes glaze over. His florid, puritanical style is so stodgy and off-putting. I can’t help feeling a little bit guilty about my failure to appreciate his writing, especially given my assent to CSL’s criticisms of “chronological snobbery,” but it is what it is. Blame it on the deleterious effects of the internet on my reading fortitude. Idk.

I have enjoyed a number of books written by fans of Edwards like this one. So maybe I’m more of a fan of fans of Edwards.


I recommend reading Bob’s much more helpful and insightful review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


I’m just gonna save this nice big chunk from the book so I can easily find it later:

“In the Christian view, the Creator God is essentially personal. In fact the triune God is revealed, remarkably, as three persons, even if of a single essence. Furthermore the most fundamental quality of these three persons is that they are loving. So the universe is not simply the product of the divine being, it is the expression of an essentially loving and always active God.
[…]
Edwards's outlook that the universe is most essentially an ongoing expression of a loving God offered a dramatically radical alternative to the emerging sophisticated perspective on the universe shared by Franklin and others in the era following the work of Isaac Newton.
[…]
In striking contrast is the magnificent Christian view of the universe. Rather than being most essentially the product of vast interacting material forces, it is a personal expression of the exploding or overflowing love of the loving triune God. Scientists today speculate about the "Big Bang" that seems necessary to explain the origins of the universe. If we adopt the Edwardsean paradigm shift, we can think about those origins as at their deepest level the Big Bang of God's love. Everything is indeed related to everything else, as in the post-Newtonian universe, but in a universe that is the expression of overflowing love, the most essential relationships, by far, are personal. Everything is related to everything else because everything is related to the loving triune God. After all, the central starting point in the Christian account of things is that God is one being in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These three persons, perfect in love to each other, have created the universe to share that love with other beings capable of voluntarily loving. So everything is either related to God harmoniously as a response to or expression of proper love, or it is an expression of disharmony reflecting the rejection of true love in favor of lesser loves. It is persons, then, not impersonal material forces, who are at the center of reality. And seemingly impersonal material forces take on their significance as they relate to persons. Material things are expressions of the language of God's love…For Newton himself and for many post-Newtonian theists, the deity might be invoked as the supernatural force that we need to explain what physical forces cannot explain—as what later came to be called "the God of the gaps.” For Edwards, the dynamics of the physical universe were to be understood and admired most essentially as beautiful expressions of the love of their Creator and Sustainer. And not just in the gaps, but everywhere.”

[Michael Philliber · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few years ago, I was invited to a Christian school to do a class on Jonathan Edwards’s notable sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” It was an intriguing class, interacting with teenagers who were trying to get their heads around Edwards’s perspective and position. After what I thought was a fairly successful class, I was saddened that the only thing these teens would likely remember Edwards for is that sermon. And then recently I have seen him receive another black eye from some, because he owned African slaves. Rarely do most people know that Edwards was a very compassionate man and preached with a view to the compassion of God. And rarely do most recall that he actually addressed the underlying racism in American slavery and laid some of the groundwork what would later turn slavery on its head and throw it out on its ear. But George Marsden, professor emeritus at the University of Notre Dame, historian, and author, has given readers a delightful hand in reexamining Edwards in his context in a brand-new 176-page hardback, “An Infinite Fountain of Light: Jonathan Edwards for the Twenty-First Century”. This work gives us the opportunity to “step back in order to gain perspective on where we are by looking at how we got there” (2).

Marsden takes us through five chapters geared to aid readers with proportion and prospect. He does this by bringing in details of Edwards’s moment and time, and two crucial people in Edwards’s life: Benjamin Franklin and George Whitfield. The author shows how each of those other men saw things, and the lasting impact they had on Twenty-First Century America. The role of liberty on the one hand, and ecclesiastical license on the other. He does this to give a clearer backdrop to what made Edwards unique and makes him lastingly valuable for today. “My central argument in these reflections is that Edwards’s core vision, grounded as it is in mainstream Augustinian Christianity, has much value to offer for renewal today” (23).

Because Marsden is an historian, each chapter draws close lines from the 18th Century characters he is working on, and our moment in time. That means that the author presents astute social critique, whether it is regarding Franklin’s liberty, Edwards’s trinitarianism and assessment of creation, or Whitfield’s ecclesiastical license that helped to spawn our modern love affair with superstars and democratized versions of American Christianity. There was so much in this work that I found helpful, especially the historical ties from then to now.

Marsden is not Edwards’s defense lawyer or PR frontman. Therefore, he was able to point out Edwards’s blemishes, without burning Edwards’s house down. One aspect of the author’s analysis I found most useful was his taking Edwards’s twelve positive signs of conversion, and then slowly moving to our moment of time and pastoral situations to see how they give us a hand in evaluating society, ourselves, and our congregations. Another feature was Edwards’s conclusions about the Trinity and its impact on how we perceive creation, “For Edwards, the dynamics of the physical universe were to be understood and admired most essentially as beautiful expressions of the love of their Creator and Sustainer. And not just in the gaps, but everywhere. The dynamic beauty of love, then, is the center of reality” (50).

To put the volume in a nutshell, the heartbeat is clearly about how, in our personal lives and communities, “the beauty of rightly ordered loves can shine through the clouds…that what must hold our lesser loves in place is our loving response to the personal love of God, expressed most fully in the sacrificial love of Christ and sustained by the person of the Holy Spirit” (138). Toward this end, Marsden attaches one sermon Edwards should be remembered for, “A Divine and Supernatural Light”.

All told, the book is a must. Before you pass judgment on Edwards and slough him off into the dusty confines of “antiquated” take up this volume and allow it to challenge some reassessment in your mind. If you’re concerned with modern Christianity in North America, you ought to quickly grab a copy. If you’re a Christian activist trying to think more clearly about our moment in the human story, you should take the time to read this book first before you do anything. If you’re a pastor or person-in-the-pew, grab hold of this work and make it a priority to read. I highly recommend the book.

My thanks to IVP Academic. I asked for a copy of this book to review, and they promptly sent it to me before its release date. There were no demands made or bribes given. All they wanted was an honest evaluation, which I have freely made, and now freely give to you.

[Aidan Busch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smash hit. What a delightful little book- has given. E so much to think about regarding our own current assumptions about reality, and how some Edward’s offers some prescient insights that jar us out of our flat assumptions and back into enchantment w God.

[Paul Womack · Rating 4 out of 5]

An accessible overview to Edwards’ Christian thought. The book is addressed to the evangelical community as a corrective to their excesses of recent years. The passages on beauty are quite inviting in catching a glimpse of the possibilities for a humane life.

[David Bruyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marsden's knowledge of Edwards is unparalleled and his summary of his theology is excellent.

[Robert D. Cornwall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonathan Edwards is probably best known for a sermon about "sinners in the hands of an angry God." It's a fire and brimstone sermon that one might expect from a fundamentalist preacher, but probably not from someone considered America's greatest theologian, or at least one of the greatest. Unfortunately, that sermon, whatever its merits or demerits, has overshadowed Edwards' larger work. Thus, we need to be continually reintroduced to Edwards and his theology so that we can see the larger picture. While I do not share much of Edwards' theology, I do believe he is someone worthy of getting to know in his fullness.

Edwards was fully Reformed (Calvinist) in his theology. He was also fully acquainted with and utilized the philosophical movements and tools of the Enlightenment. He spent much of his life and ministry serving a church located in Western Massachusetts, which in the 18th century was the frontier. He was a creature of his own time, but George Marsden, who has written two biographies (one lengthy and one shorter) of Edwards believes he is also a person for our time. In other words, he has a message that can speak to the twenty-first century. As such, he sees parallels between Edwards and C.S. Lewis. Although the two were very different, with Lewis being a theological minimalist (Mere Christianity) and Edwards a theological maximalist. What Lewis reminds us is that theologians often need translators, Edwards needs translating, and Marsden seeks to be that translator, making Edwards accessible to the 21st-century church.

Since Marsden has already written two biographies of Edwards, this book has biographical details but isn't a biography proper. Instead, it serves as a translation of Edwards' message for the twenty-first century. But, we need to remember his context. He was the product of a large family, mostly women and children. He lived before the more progressive era that led to the American Revolution, and though living in Massachusetts and Connecticut, he owned slaves, though he was vocally anti-racist. It should be noted that the next generation of Edwardsian theologians including his son and Samuel Hopkins were abolitionists. His life on the frontier also influenced his thinking, as his community, Northampton at times was fortified against attacks from Native Americans. That was even more true at Stockbridge. He was also fully British in his loyalties. Nevertheless, he lived to the edge of two overlapping eras, the age of the Puritans and the Modern era. Thus, he read both Puritan divines and Newton and Locke.

Having laid out the foundations for Edwards' life and ministry, in chapter 3, Marsden locates Edwards in "The Culture that Franklin Built." Franklin's world was much more urban and cosmopolitan than Edwards' world. Marsden suggests that we would likely feel more at home with Franklin than with Edwards. Franklin could imagine a future that might look a lot like ours, while Edwards' looked more to the past. While Franklin had a more modern view of the world than Edwards, he believes that Edwards' core vision, rooted in Augustinian Christianity, can help us discern the contrasts between the assumptions of our time and the Christian message. Contrasting Edwards with Franklin can help us with that discernment.

While Chapter 2 places Edwards in the context of the emerging modern worldview, in Chapter 3, Marsden introduces us to a key aspect of Edwards' theology, and that would be the beauty of God. While Edwards is known for his sermon that pictures an angry God, more central to his theology is beauty. He began with God's sovereignty, a foundational Reformed position, but he sought to expand that vision by drawing on philosophy to envision God's role as creator and sustainer of the universe. Thus, he was open to the teachings of science to better understand that world. As he did so, he also drew on theology to see the universe as being an expression of a loving God. Rather than the universe operating on impersonal laws of nature, for Edwards, these material forces are a "personal expression of the exploding or overflowing love of the loving triune God" (p. 48). As we read this chapter we gain a very different understanding of Edwards and his theology. While Edwards could be narrowly focused at times, he had a broader vision than we often credit him with.

If Chapter 3 focuses on Edwards' understanding of God, in Chapter 4 we turn to his participation in the First Great Awakening, comparing his efforts with George Whitefield, his revivalist contemporary. I should note that Edwards invited Whitefield to preach at Northampton. While they were friends and colleagues, Marsden notes that as time passed, Whitefield became closer to Benjamin Franklin than Edwards. That might in part be due to Franklin's location in Philadelphia, where Whitefield often visited., Nonetheless, the two were important contributors to the revivalist spirit of the 1740s and 1750s. Marsden also notes that the more populist forms of evangelicalism have more in common with Whitefield, who was a well-known celebrity than the more theologically inclined Edwards. In fact, Edwards was a strictly Reformed believer.

In Chapter 5, Marsden explores Edwards' attempts to discern authentic Christian experience. It is a question he explored in his A Treatise Concerning Religious Affections (In Three Parts), Revised Edition. Marsden suggests we might better translate that title as "A Treatise on Religious Loves." Edwards isn't speaking here of emotions or feelings, ala Schleiermacher, but is defined in terms of loving what God loves. It brings joy, yes, but something deeper. He understood that heightened emotions that often come in response to revival can be short-lived, so here he envisions a much more balanced vision of the Christian life, which is behavioral. That is, it involves right action. It is to pursue a life of moral excellency.

Marsden includes in an appendix Edwards' sermon from 1733, "A Divine and Supernatural Life." This sermon gives us a better sense of Edwards' theology than the more famous "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."

There is much about Jonathan Edwards's theology and ministry that I cannot embrace, however, while he was a man of his time, and not nearly as open to the world as Benjamin Franklin, he has something valuable to teach us in the 21st Century. He can help us ponder what it means to live an authentic Christian life, one that reflects not the angry God, but the God of true beauty. Again, this is not a biography per see (Marsden has written two of them) but an exploration of a message that Edwards might share with 21st-century Christians, especially American evangelicals, many of whom have embraced a populism that is less than conducive to loving what God loves, and loving as God loves.

[Josiah Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine, brief look at Edwards. Marsden is certainly the man to write *another* biography of sorts of Johnathan Edwards. I have read most of Marsden’s and Piper’s work on Johnathan Edwards and they compliment each other well. This particular work seemed more like it was written in the vein of Piper than Marsden, but that isn’t a bad thing.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary: A brief introduction to the life and thought of Jonathan Edwards, setting him alongside two of his contemporaries, Benjamin Franklin and George Whitefield.

George Marsden is one of the outstanding scholars we have in the area of American religious history, His biography of Jonathan Edwards, Jonathan Edwards: A Life, won the Bancroft Prize in 2004, a prize recognizing outstanding works of American history and diplomacy. This work, much briefer, introduces us to some key ideas of Edwards, setting him alongside two contemporaries, Benjamin Franklin and George Whitefield. The chapters began as the Stone Lectures at Princeton Theological Seminary in 2008 and have been developed in subsequent presentations.

What Marsden hopes to do here, as he explains in his first lecture, is to translate Edwards, who spoke and wrote for his time, for us, at least a few of his profound ideas about the beauty of God who is light and love, and about how we might recognize rightly ordered love of God in the life of one who claims to be in Christ. He then offers a short biography of Edwards focusing on his pastoral ministry and oversight of revivals, his role as an apologist for the “New Light” movement and his publication of the Religious Affections.. He briefly covers his alienation from his congregation in Northampton over who may participate in communion, his ministry with Native peoples in Stockbridge, and his presidency at Princeton and connections to the Burr family.

The second lecture considers Benjamin Franklin and how his ideas cleared the way for the modern/post-modern immanent framing of life, focused on a material universe, human initiative and activity, the autonomous individual. While Franklin and Edwards were acquainted they were worlds apart. Franklin held to vaguely theistic beliefs and believed religion played an important role in motivating the moral life necessary for the democratic ordering of society. Yet his vision of the self made person anticipated Charles Taylor’s “buffered self.”

I thought the third chapter was worth the price of admission in elucidating Edwards ideas of the “new light” of God’s beauty Edwards apprehended in his conversion. In contrast to Franklin’s materialist outlook, Edwards saw “that the universe is most essentially an ongoing expression of a loving God [that] offered a dramatically radical alternative to the emerging perspective on the universe shared by Franklin and others in the era following the work of Isaac Newton” (p. 48). Far from a distant deity, Edwards saw all of this as a personal expression of the Triune God. Edwards was enthralled with the beauty of this love both in creation and the sacrificial work of Christ. He further saw the beauty of God’s love and joy in creation and salvation as a “fountain of light” illumining and transforming the life of one who believes, leading to a life of love ordered by the One whose loving light has shown into the believer’s life.

In Chapter Four, Marsden considers Edwards’ other contemporary, George Whitefield. Edwards welcomed and defended Whitefield’s preaching in New England, hoping that he would stir the revival fires that had died down. While Edwards defended New Light ideas within an establishment shaped by the Reformers, Whitefield innovated both in message and methods of promotion that anticipated modern evangelicalism, anticipating the Wesleyan movement and those which followed. His conversionist message would be recognizable to evangelicals today, and its core paved the way for movements with far less stress on education than that which Edwards and Whitefield shared. It also paved the way for the diversity of churches dotting the American landscape.

The concluding chapter considers the Religious Affections or as Marsden translates the term, the rightly order loves that distinguish those who are truly regenerate from the falsity of those who are not. Such love begins with the indwelling Holy Spirit who makes real God’s love in the believer. This results in love centered on the loving God rather than the self. Such love is drawn to the moral beauty of God. This is more than rational knowledge of the love and beauty of God; it is a heart enthralled by that love and beauty. Yet rightly ordered love also involves right understanding shaped by the scriptures. Such love is humble. It is lamb-like, not proud, arrogant, or self-asserting. It is tender of spirit. The true believer’s life will be one of symmetry and proportion, reflecting an eigthteenth century idea of beauty. Rather than fading, the appetite for the beloved grows, and finally eventuates in a life of actively growing in grace. Against the shallow spirituality and cults of personality in the present day church, Marsden sees the vision of the “infinite fountain of light and love” and the “rightly ordered loves” of Edwards offering profound insight for the growth of believers in Christ.

Marsden appends to this material an edited version of Edwards’ sermon “A Divine and Supernatural Light” from 1733, in which we can see how Edwards develops the ideas Marsden has discussed. If only this were the preferred sermon rather than “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” as representative of Edwards.

This is a delightful little book that both introduces the reader to some important strands of Edwards’ thought, worthy of translation into our contemporary context, and considers the shaping influence of his contemporaries Franklin and Whitefield on both secular belief and evangelical practice. This left me reflecting why the latter have had far greater influence, it seems, than Edwards, when he is often deemed America’s foremost theologian. Perhaps it is this matter of translation. We seem to be better at translating Edwards flaws, whether they be the “Sinners” sermon or his slave holding, than his striking insights into the nature of God and how this bears on true spirituality. Perhaps this book and the renaissance of Edwards studies will help redress this balance, if we keep the necessity of translating well, as Marsden has done, in mind.

________________________________

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher.

[Casey Blackbird · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to Edwards. Marsden's grasp of Edwards is top-rate and he serves as a superior guide in any of his works on Edwards, including this one. It's written in a lucid manner, but some lay-people may get bogged down by some of the historical work at times--especially in chapter four.
Chapter four is where my chief criticism lies. The content is fine and helps to provide us with a better understanding of Edwards' context and the precursors to modern evangelicalism that we can find in the early evangelicalism of Whitefield. By considering those precursors, it technically falls under the scope of the book's argument--though it felt a bit disjointed from the whole. If the ideas of chapter four, which were stated with very little engagement of Edwards, were developed in conversation with Edwards in a subsequent chapter it would make more sense. As is, I'm not confident that the chapter contributed much to the overall argument of the book.
That said, many things in this book are laudable. Marsden provides smooth introductions to a wide variety of Edwards' thought, even hinting to his idealism, continuous creation, and other more nuanced aspects. Chapter three, "The Dynamic Beauty of God," is worth the price of the book. In it, he outlines how New England developed along the lines of Benjamin Franklin's vision rather than that of Edwards. While Franklin would be largely excited by how things have played out, Edwards would be sorely disappointed. From there, the rest of chapter three effectively outlines an alternative modern vision for the world--one from a distinctly Edwardsean perspective. This is the first great strength of the book. Throughout, Marsden provides acute cultural analysis and supplements analysis with a proposal for how we might apply the best of Edwards' thought in our contemporary culture.
The last section of the book, Appendix 1, is a slightly, and helpfully, abridged reprint of Edwards' sermon, "A Divine and Supernatural Light," which Marsden suggests as the best place to start in reading Edwards. This is the other great strength of the book: Marsden provides enough secondary analysis to get a relative novice started, then sets them on a readable primary source. Marsden has provided an accessible entry-point into the world of Edwardsean studies.

Overall, I'd commend this to a college or seminary/graduate level student, or an interested and diligent layman, as an entry point to studying Edwards.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is Jonathan Edwards relevant to us today? In An Infinite Fountain of Light, George Marsden writes how Jonathan Edwards is still relevant for the 21st century.

History and Theology

In just over 150 pages and 5 essay-like chapters, this book sets the historical context of Edwards’ life alongside key points in his theology. It is expertly written, accessible and warm, educational and entertaining. I was fascinated by the time he lived in and inspired by his life.

What sets this book apart is how Marsden compares and contrasts Edwards with two of his contemporaries: Benjamin Franklin and George Whitefield. In regards to Franklin, his love for technology and individualism continues in the world today. Edwards’ fundamental view of reality from a Christian perspective is still needed.

The Heart of Reality

I was especially intrigued by Whitefield’s example of what seems to be the celebrity culture of his time. With a knack for the dramatic and an understanding of publicity, he took the Gospel all over. Edwards’ examination of an authentic religious faith versus emotionalism and counterfeits is still critically important.

Throughout the book, Marsden looks at Edwards’ theological distinctives. Most importantly, he is able to explain Edwards’ thoughts to the modern reader. When Edwards speaks of “an infinite fountain of light,” he speaks of the infinite beauty of the love of God at the heart of reality. There is so much to learn from Edwards’ wisdom, and it remains relevant wherever the Gospel will go.

I received a media copy of An Infinite Fountain of Light and this is my honest review.

[Dennis Nicholson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review from Eleutheria, Liberty Divinity Journal (vol. 7, no. 2)

George Marsden received his Ph.D. in American history from Yale University, is professor emeritus of history at the University of Notre Dame and is author of Jonathan Edwards: A Life. The work here focuses more specifically on the historical context of Edwards, giving a comparative analysis between him, Benjamin Franklin and George Whitefield. Edwards presents God as full of beauty and love which Christians use to guide, transform, and orient lesser loves. In the appendix, included is Jonathan Edwards's sermon, "A Divine and Supernatural Light." Although those in the Reformed tradition will find this reading interesting and insightful, Marsden states that the audience is of the transdenominational heritage which C. S. Lewis referred to as "mere Christianity" (7). Somewhat an homage to the writing style of Edwards, Marsden's writing style is pious, pithy, and quotable. The book is recommended to the broader church, laity with more practical and existential concerns.

[Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jonathan Edwards is one of my favorite theologians, and undoubtedly America’s greatest theologian, but he is largely ignored because the only thing most Christians know about him is his sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, included in most American lit anthologies. Marsden has provided a helpful and accessible explication of Jonathan Edwards’ greatest insight, found initially in his sermon A Divine and Supernatural Light and fully expressed in The Religious Affections. He includes a edited and readable version of Edwards' sermon, A Divine and Supernatural Light, in the Appendix.

[Horace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and sweet. Anyone who has read a fair amount by Tim Keller, James KA Smith, Richard Lovelace, Augustine or about Jonathan Edwards or George Whitefield will find themselves in familiar territory with this brief book. The end is the best where he covers Jonathan Edwards view on the 12 signs that someone is a Christian. There’s a good summary of those 12 signs here: https://static1.squarespace.com/stati...

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marsden is a historian well acquainted with Edwards and, as such, is able to authoritatively draw out the relevance of his thought of the 21 century. Some of what I enjoyed most was Edwards' view of God's love as setting the priority of all of our other loves and his belief that we can see God's hand and even see signs from God in all of creation. The comparison of Edwards and Franklin was fascinating, also.

[Joel Wentz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was surprised at how much I loved this. It's an extremely concise, clear, well-argued exploration of Edwards' relevance to current cultural and religious issues. Perhaps I loved it so much because I'm not well-read in Edwards' work, and this is an outstanding primer.

Full video review here: https://youtu.be/MqX5oXC863M

[Roy Van Den Brande · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an atheist I'm trying to stay open to nuggets of wisdom in all kinds of scripture. I treat it as I would treat philosophical works.

But not when everything is about believing just for the sake of belief. It doesn't add meaning to the understanding of the world outside of God.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

would be 3.5 if I could. Conflicted. What is here re: Edwards is largely good and insightful. But only two of the five chapters are actually about Edwards and his thought. I am grateful for Marsden and all his work on Edwards, but this seems like a good idea that didn't get finished.

[Ademi Mirabal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book is mostly about Whitefield, Ben Franklin, and a summary of Religious Affections. Bit disappointed.

[Dom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Out of the five chapters, I enjoyed three of them. It was an interesting read but wasn’t my favorite.

[David Swartz · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Marsden reclaims Jonathan Edwards from the theobros, he asks, Why don't more evangelicals emphasize humility, love, and gentleness as evidence of being “born again.”

[Blake Reas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little too much big Eva thinking but a good short bio in spite of his politics coming out.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great overview of the theology of Johnathan Edwards. I am not typically a fan of enlightenment literature, but Marsden brings Edwards verbose style down to a more digestible level. I had only ever read Edward’s famous “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” before. A powerful sermon, but it is missing the grace that can be so readily found in the majority of Edwards’ work.