Edwards on the Christian Life: Alive to the Beauty of God (Theologians on the Christian Life)

“Edwards is profound, and this book breaks down the complexity into manageable portions around the theme of beauty, thus engaging readers in a fresh vision of the importance of Edwardss theology to contemporary living.”

“The supreme value of reading Edwards is that we are ushered into a universe brimming with beauty, writes Ortlund. I couldnt agree more. And one would be hard-pressed to find a more engaging introduction to this universe for the church. Even the final chapter, on ways in which we should not follow Edwards, offers crucial Christian wisdom. Ortlunds criticisms of Edwards hit the markand deserve consideration by Edwardss growing number of fans. I plan to use them with my seminary students in years to come. Please peruse this beautiful book. Its good for the soul.”

“What a delight to see a book on Edwardss conception of the Christian life. And how beautiful it is that it depicts the Christian life as ordered by and to the beauty of God. This book will help strengthen the fertilization of todays churches by Edwardss vision of Gods triune beauty.”

“No one has taught me more about the dynamics of Christian living than has Jonathan Edwards. And no one has more clearly articulated the role of beauty in Edwardss understanding of the Christian life than has Dane Ortlund. If youre unfamiliar with Edwards, or if you wonder how beauty could possibly have any lasting effect in your growth as a Christian, this book is for you.”

“Jonathan Edwards is widely known as a hellfire-and-brimstone preacher. Serious students, like Dane Ortlund, have long known he was much more. In this book Ortlund puts his careful research to good purpose as he demonstrates convincingly that the center of Edwardss concern was always and supremely beautyin God, from God, and for God. Grateful readers will find this book highly informative on Edwards and deeply encouraging for the Christian life today.”

“In his theological concern for the beautiful and the beauty of God, Jonathan Edwards stands at the end of a long theological tradition that reaches back to Augustine and beyond, even to the Scriptures themselves. In the last two centuries, however, this area of theological inquiry seems to have dropped off the radar for Christian theologians and practitioners, which may explain why students of Edwardss corpus of writings have not tackled the subject. Ortlunds study nicely fills this lacuna, for he rightly shows, from a multitude of angles, that beauty is the fulcrum of Edwardss thinking. A joy to read and to ponder!”