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Enjoying God Blog

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Aside from the biblical text itself, nothing has influenced me more than the writings of Jonathan Edwards. He is truly my favorite dead person (although, of course, he is very much alive in the presence of Christ)! In the course of my study of Edwards I’ve made it something of a hobby (an expensive one at that!) to obtain as many of the secondary works on his theology as my budget will allow (and oftentimes the budget is simply ignored; o.k., it’s always ignored!). I make no claim to this being an exhaustive list (I actually hope there are a lot more!), but I’ve provided below the most recent volumes of which I’m aware. One comes from 2011, one from 2013, and all the others were published in 2012. For all you Edwards fans, enjoy. If you’re not an Edwards fan, repent.

I make no special comments on these volumes, with two exceptions. The best that I’ve read thus far (and no, I haven’t read all of these) is the one by Oliver Crisp. It made my Top Ten list in 2012. I also only note in passing that if you are interested in Strobel’s “reinterpretation” of Edwards, save up! It retails for $130.00! Amazon’s discount brings it down to a more manageable $129.33!! I kid you not. But my guess is that it will prove itself worth every dollar.

Receptive Human Virtues: A New Reading of Jonathan Edwards’s Ethics, by Elizabeth Agnew Cochran (University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2011), 203pp.

Jonathan Edwards’s Vision of Reality: The Relationship of God to the World, Redemptive History, and the Reprobate, by John J. Bombaro (Eugene: Pickwick, 2012), 327pp.

Jonathan Edwards and the Gospel of Love, by Ronald Story (Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 2012), 165pp.

Jonathan Edwards and Justification, edited by Josh Moody (Wheaton: Crossway, 2012), 158pp.

Sermons by Jonathan Edwards on the Matthean Parables, Volume 1, True and False Christians (on the parable of the wise and foolish virgins), Edited by Kenneth P. Minkema, Adriaan C. Neele, and Bryan McCarthy (Eugene: Cascade Books, 2012), 220pp.

Sermons by Jonathan Edwards on the Matthean Parables, Volume 2, Divine Husbandmen (on the parable of the sower and the seed), Edited by Kenneth P. Minkema and Adriaan C. Neele (Eugene: Cascade Books, 2012), 130pp.

Sermons by Jonathan Edwards on the Matthean Parables, Volume 3, Fish Out Of Their Element (on the parable of the net), Edited by Kenneth P. Minkema and Adriaan C. Neele (Eugene: Cascade Books, 2012), 90pp.

God is a Communicative Being: Divine Communicativeness and Harmony in the Theology of Jonathan Edwards, by William M. Schweitzer (London: T & T Clark, 2012), 198pp.

After Jonathan Edwards: The Courses of the New England Theology, edited by Oliver D. Crisp and Douglas A. Sweeney (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), 339pp.

Jonathan Edwards on God and Creation, by Oliver D. Crisp (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), 260pp.

The Trinitarian Theology of Jonathan Edwards: Text, Context, and Application, by Steven M. Studebaker and Robert W. Caldwell III (Burlington, VA: Ashgate, 2012), 246pp.

Jonathan Edwards’s Theology: A Reinterpretation, by Kyle Strobel (London: Bloomsbury T & T Clark, 2013), 254pp.

2 Comments

I am looking at a few Edwards books. My time is limited for the next year to two years. What would be the best two-three books on Edwards to read. I've read all of Piper's on him, Marsden's, and I've read Edwards' major works. (Need to read his essay on Trinity still). I am looking at Lee's work published in year 2000. Of course Strobel's up above looks fantastic. Also McClymonds big book. Then there is the work that Paul Helm and Crisp edited "Philosphical Theologian". Also, the "God is a communicative being" book by Schweitzer. I kind of want to go with Strobel's, but I feel that I may be coming in late a bit too late in the discussion. Maybe I need to at least read Lee's and a counter to it to grapple with the conversation a bit. And again, I'm about to graduate seminary with a MA, and handle some other things.

Sam, thanks for this. I would just like to note that a paperback will be out in 18 months, so persevere!

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