Jonathan Edwards
A Life

Name: Jonathan Edwards
Brand: Blackstone Audiobooks
Availability: InStock
Author: George M. Marsden
ISBN: 9781538556290

Author: George M. Marsden

Narrator: Jim Denison

Unabridged: 24 hr 29 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Published: 06/12/2018

Categories: Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Religious Nonfiction, Religion, Christianity, History, Presbyterian, Us History

Synopsis

Jonathan Edwards is a towering figure in American history. A controversial theologian and the author of the famous sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, he ignited the momentous Great Awakening of the eighteenth century.In this definitive and long-awaited biography, Jonathan Edwards emerges as both a great American and a brilliant Christian. George Marsden evokes the world of colonial New England in which Edwards was reared―a frontier civilization at the center of a conflict between Native Americans, French Catholics, and English Protestants. Drawing on newly available sources, Marsden demonstrates how these cultural and religious battles shaped Edwards’ life and thought. Marsden reveals Edwards as a complex thinker and human being who struggled to reconcile his Puritan heritage with the secular, modern world emerging out of the Enlightenment. In this, Edwards’ life anticipated the deep contradictions of our American culture.Meticulously researched and beautifully composed, this biography offers a compelling portrait of an eminent American.

About George M. Marsden

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.

About Jim Denison

Jim Denison is an audiobook narrator and voice actor with over thirty years experience in professional public speaking, including five years as a radio personality.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Logan on June 27, 2016

I've read Marsden's excellent full-length work and was thinking that this was just going to be a condensed version. I was pleasantly surprised that it is, and it isn't. Marsden basically asks the question "why is Jonathan Edwards important to America and to Christians" and proceeds to answer why. He......more

Goodreads review by Vinícius on August 21, 2018

Leitura cativante. O autor consegue condensar num texto agradável os muitos aspectos importantes da vida e ministério de Jonathan Edwards, além de sua influência sobre a história americana em geral. A frequente menção a Benjamin Franklin constitui um recurso interessante para contrastar o pensamento......more

Goodreads review by Jeremy on May 17, 2022

I was oddly encouraged by Edwards’ discouragements. Here’s what I mean… Edwards was (still is) a theological and pastoral giant. He seems untouchable. Yet, in this up close biography from Marsden, we encounter the human Jonathan Edwards…one who made clear mistakes in handling congregational issues a......more

Goodreads review by Michael on April 13, 2009

To echo the praise of Tim Keller, this book is a masterpiece. The author has mastered his subject: you'll learn not only about Jonathan's life, but also the cultural and historical background necessary to appreciate and critique the man. It's not a hagiography, but does what all the best biographies......more

Goodreads review by Ben on December 27, 2016

I thoroughly enjoyed this short look at the life of Jonathan Edwards. I now, Lord willing, will be spending many years to come learning and knowing more of this great man of God. Highly recommend.......more

Quotes

“A magisterial biography.” Wall Street Journal

“A biography…of the mighty American preacher, logician, and theologian who lighted the fuse on the [eighteenth century] Great Awakening.” New York Times Book Review

“Magnificent…This is a book that tells us as much about the intellectual foundations of America as it does about Jonathan Edwards.” Daily Telegraph (London)

“Superb and engrossing…Marsden has given us the most comprehensive account we have of the man who is the spiritual godfather of our nation.” Washington Post

“Thorough, dispassionate, and enlightening…Outstanding.” Sunday Telegraph (London)

“A triumph of scholarship, but also of readability…[A] richly satisfying and interesting portrait of the man and his time.” Times Literary Supplement

“This universally lauded biography portrays America’s greatest theologian, three hundred years after his birth.” Associated Press

“Elegant prose and vivid, vivacious storytelling…Magisterial and definitive…A beautifully written book about one of America’s most important thinkers.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)