Rating: 
Summary: The best sort of biography
Review: A colleague of mine, a fellow Christian as well as a published historian, marveled while reading this book. "How does Marsden get away with it? He writes a sympathetic biography of an eighteenth-century Calvinist theologian-a slave owner to boot-and then wins the Pulitzer Prize." My own guess is that the Pulitzer judges simply couldn't resist such a first-rate biography, carefully anchored in a generation of Edwardian studies and presented here in clear, unimpeachable prose. Even evangelicals looking for a devotional work in what Marsden calls "the honorable but uncritical tradition of Edwards' earlier admirers" should prefer this volume to Ian Murray's 1987 biography. A scholar such as Marsden who can provide inspiration along with intellectual stimulation is as rare as he is blessed. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Belief produces values produce behavior
Review: A notable addition to the biographic genre, this work by George Marsden makes the faith, thought, and life of Jonathan Edwards accessible to the modern reader. Marsden based his biography on Edwards' faith life first and foremost. One could even call this a biography of Edwards' beliefs, but there is plenty of detail also on his family life, his ministry, and his extensive network of relationships with theological colleagues in New England and Great Britain. Marsden places his analysis firmly in the context of the first half of the 18th Century. The frontier conflict with France and its implications for British relations with the various Indian nations is a case in point. Marsden weaves a gripping immediacy to the growing conflict into his account of Edwards' missions ministry in Stockbridge. Marsden's horizon, however, stretches into the 21st Century. He has been careful to seed his work with anchors for those who wish to trace Edwards' influence into our present day. Marsden's notes are exemplary -- accurate, concise, and informative. This biography is on the study path of anyone who wants to understand Edwards in his 18th Century context and in our 21st Century context. Start here.
Rating:
Summary: intellecual biography at its best
Review: Finally, an exciting biography that does justice to a great American thinker and a fascinating man. Marsden shows Edwards in all his brilliance, complexity, and originality. And Marsden also provides context: this book is a wonderful trip into the Colonial past.
Edwards is also shown to be a pivotal figure between two world-views, two ways of seeing humanity and God and history.
This is a wonderful book, great fun to read, and very thought-provoking.
Rating:
Summary: biography plus theology of a serious and important man
Review: First, this book confirms my earlier suspicion that anything written by George Marsden is extraordinary and a must read, simply because of the quality of the research and the writing. The book was a 'from the pulpit recommendation' and as such not on my usual list of suspects to be read, i am however grateful for the recommendation and thankful for the time spent reading this biography of a very important and interesting person. Second, the purpose of the book is aptly summed up by the author in the last chapter, "My belief is that one of the uses of being an historian, particularly if one is part of a community of faith, is to help persons of such communities better understand what they and their community might appropriate form the great mentors of the past and what is extraneous and nonessential. ... It should also be to help people see how to put things back together again. We need to use history for the guidance it offers, learning from great figures in the past-both in their brilliance and in their shortcomings. Otherwise we are stuck with only the wisdom of the present." pg 502 The book naturally breaks up into 3 pieces: the first, the much greater, is the biography of Edwards reaching a culmination in the church severing the pastoral relationship with Edwards that had been theirs for 26 years. The problems, both interpersonal and theological are summed up nicely in chapters 17 "A House Divided" and 18 "A Model Town No More". If you only have a limited time to invest in this book, i would start with reading these two chapters first. The next piece is the rest of his life, upto chapter 25. The final part is the systematic presentation of his theology in an historical context with one eye on its influence for the next 100 years in America. If you are primarily interested in Edwards as a theologian i would start but reading 26 "Against and 'Almost Inconceivably Pernicious' Doctrine" to the end. The major threads in the biography appear to be:
Edwards as smitten by the beauty of God and His universe. The fragility of life and the necessity of getting right with God now as a consequence of mortality. The importance of 3 big controversies in Edwards' life: Old versus New Light, or the meaning and significance of emotional/enthusiastic revival, discipline in the church as illustrated by the boys and the midwife manual, which lead up to his dismissal from the church, and the place of reason in the life of a very bright man with deeply held convictions. I appreciated the book, it is not a hard read, slanted to the general reader with all the hard stuff and references in endnotes. It moves evenly throughout with none of the low boring spots you might expect in a work this long. I would recommend it to most anyone with an interest in either theology or pre-Revolutionary America. I am on the lookout for followup material. please email to rwilliam2 at yahoo. i have _Theology in American_ by Holifield and _America's God_ by Noll in hand.
as well as: The Philosophical Theology of Jonathan Edwards
by Sang Hyun Lee thanks for reading this short review. i hope you pick up the book on this recommendation.
Rating:
Summary: A Must-Read Edwards Biography
Review: George Marsden has written an excellent biography of America's preeminent theologian. The work is an even-handed account not a romanticized version of Edwards' life. Still Edward's impeccable integrity, devotion to God and astounding mental aptitude shine through the pages of the book. We not only get a look at EdwardÕs life but the times and culture that produced him and the one he interacted with as a pastor and scholar. This work will be the litmus test for future works on Edwards and a model for other biographers on how to write a lifeÕs story. The prose is fluid and keeps the attention of the reader from the beginning to the end. I highly recommend that those interested in Jonathan Edwards to place this book at the top of their prospective reading list.
Rating:
Summary: A Biography Worthy of its Subject
Review: George Marsden is an academic historian who writes in a readable style accessible (and enjoyable) to a wide range of readers. This biography effectively demonstrates the 18th century influences that helped to shape Edwards' thought while also accounting for the reasons that Edwards has remained a compelling, if largely misunderstood, figure throughout American history. Though sympathetic toward Edwards, this book is certainly not hagiography: it brings into sharp focus Edwards' limitations and flaws. This work belongs on the bookshelf of anyone with an interest in American colonial, intellectual, or religious history.
Rating:
Summary: A Lively and Likeable Life
Review: Having read most of what Edwards has written, I now wish I could warp back in time to first read Marsden's biography. It's rare for a secondary source to clarify the meaning of a primary source, but Marsden does just that. For instance, Edwards' "Religious Affections," quoted by so many modern evangelicals, is understood by so few. Marsden captures the culture and context that motivated "Religious Affections" and thus explains its meaning and potential applications today. Though long, Marsden's style is lively; he rarely says more than is necessary. Perhaps the sheer length is why a few typographical errors remain in this first edition. That aside, Marsden has written what will be the classic Edwards text for decades. If you are a student of early American history, even if you care little for Edwards or the Puritans, "A Life" will enlighten you to shaping factors often overlooked in other American history texts.
Rating:
Summary: A good read
Review: I greatly enjoyed this book. Although you probably do not agree with Edwards' theology, and I had the impression that the author does not agree with major components of that theology, it was refreshing to see that worldview taken seriously and within its historical context. Also interesting is the examination of the often rocky relationship between Edwards and his Northhampton congregation. This book is much better than Roy Hattersley's recent biography of John Wesley which does not seem to take HIS theology seriously.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent Read!
Review: I have a habit of buying biographies or checking out biographies from libraries. I rarely finish them. This biography I finish. It is very readable. Marsden covers Edwards's life and times very well. He addresses the theology and summarizes Edwards's writings. It is a fascinating read. I know very little about Church history in pre-revolutionary America and this book is a very good introduction.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent and mostly fair biography
Review: I loved reading this. It was a great companion to the recent uber-bestselling bios of Alexander Hamilton, John Adams and especially Isaacson's Benjamin Franklin. This is a great look at the way the country was changing, socially, politically, and especially religiously, right before the revolutionary period, through the eyes of a man who is considered perhaps America's greatest Christian theologian. Edwards seems to have grown in life as much if not more through his failures as his successes. That's a lesson we could all learn. However, although you don't have to be an evangelical to appreciate this book, I think it helps a little... 4.5 stars (I rounded up)
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