Course Sample for Our Reading Religious Affections Study Guide and Homeschool Bible Curriculum
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Session One
Introduction to Jonathan and Sarah Edwards
Suggested Reading:
- George Marsden, Jonathan Edwards: A Life. Yale University Press, 2003.
- Iain Murray, Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography. The Banner of Truth Trust, 1987.
- Edna Gerstner, Jonathan and Sarah: An Uncommon Union. Soli Deo Gloria, 1995.
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Introduction to Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)
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His reputation
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Positive
“The profoundest reasoner, and the greatest divine, in my opinion, that America ever produced.”
“He was, in the estimation of the writer, one of the most holy, humble and heavenly minded men, that the world has seen, since the apostolic age.”
“The Greatest, wisest, humblest and holiest of uninspired men.”
“Never was there a happier combination of great power with great piety.”
“Edwards was extraordinary. By many estimates, he was the most acute early American philosopher and the most brilliant of all American theologians. At least three of his many works—Religious Affections, Freedom of the Will, and The Nature of True Virtue—stand as masterpieces in the larger history of Christian literature.”
“No man is more relevant to the present condition of Christianity than Jonathan Edwards … He was a mighty theologian and a great evangelist at the same time. … He was pre-eminently the theologian of revival. If you want to know anything about true revival, Edwards is the man to consult.”
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Negative
“A visionary enthusiast, and not to be minded in anything he says.”
“The life of Edwards is a tragedy. … Because of his faith Edwards wrought incalculable harm. … a more repulsive individual never influenced history.”
“If he had lived a hundred years later and breathed the air of freedom, he could not have written with such old-world barbarism as we find in his volcanic sermons.”1
“His philosophical insight was buried under the ruins of his religion. He failed to see the futility of insisting on the Puritan principles.”1
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What accounts for the difference of opinion regarding Edwards?
“Here is the fundamental reason why opinions on Edwards are so divided, and why his biographers should also differ so widely. The division runs right back to the Bible, and, depending on where we stand in relation to Christ, we shall join ourselves to one side or the other in interpreting this man who was, first of all, a Christian.”1
