Synopsis
Jonathan Edwards is one of the most extraordinary figures in American history. Arguably the most brilliant theologian ever born on American soil, Edwards (1703–1758) was also a pastor, a renowned preacher, a missionary to the Native Americans, a biographer, a college president, a philosopher, a loving husband, and the father of eleven children. George M. Marsden — widely acclaimed for his magisterial large study of Edwards — has now written a new, shorter biography of this many-sided, remarkable man. A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards is not an abridgment of Marsden’s earlier award-winning study but is instead a completely new narrative based on his extensive research. The result is a concise, fresh retelling of the Edwards story, rich in scholarship yet compelling and readable for a much wider audience, including students.
Library Journal
Marsden's condensed retelling of his definitive 2003 biography, Jonathan Edwards: A Life, highlights the key moments and overriding themes of the life of the New England evangelist best known for his role in the Great Awakening of the mid-18th century and for his sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God." Grover Gardner, Publishers Weekly's 2005 Audiobook Narrator of the Year, anchors Marsden's solid, succinct text in a seamless and engaging reading that balances the depth of the subject matter with the book's length. Recommended for those interested in a concise exploration of the theological underpinnings of American society. [The Eerdmans pb was described as "a readable and illuminating introduction to this important figure in American religious history," LJ 11/1/08.—Ed.]—Christopher Rager, Pasadena, CA