Jonathan Edwards and the Church

by Rhys S. Bezzant

Overview

Though Edwards spent most of his life working in local churches, and saw himself primarily as a pastor, his own views on the theology of the church have never been explored in depth. This book presents Edwards's views on ecclesiology by tracking the development of his convictions during the course of his tumultuous career. Drawing on Reformation foundations and the Puritan background of his ministry, Edwards refreshes our understanding of the church by connecting it to a nuanced interpretation of revival, allowing a dynamic view of the place of church in history and new thinking about its institutional structure. Indeed in Edwards's writing the church has an exalted status as the bride of Christ, joined to him forever. Building on the recent completion of the works of Jonathan Edwards, and material newly published online, this book, the first ever on Edwards's ecclesiology, demonstrates his commitment to corporate Christian experience shaped by theological convictions and his aspirations towards the visibility and unity of the Christian church. In a final section, Bezzant discusses topics relating to ecclesiology (such as hymnody, discipline, and polity), that occupied Edwards throughout his ministry. Edwards preached a Gospel concerned with God's purposes for the world, so it is the growth of the church, not merely the conversion of individuals, that is the necessary fruit of his preaching. The church in the West is rediscovering the importance of ecclesiology as it emerges from its Christendom constraints. Edwards's struggle to understand the church and its place within God's cosmic design is a case study that helps us to appreciate the church in the modern world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199890309
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	12/12/2013
Pages:	328
Product dimensions:	6.20(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Rhys S. Bezzant teaches Church History, Theology and Christian Worship at Ridley Melbourne, having studied at the University of Melbourne and the University of Cologne. He directs the Jonathan Edwards Center Australia, a satellite of the JEC at Yale University, and is a visiting fellow at the Yale Divinity School and research associate at the University of the Free State in South Africa.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
Preface
1. Puritan Search for Ecclesiological Order
2. Ordered Ecclesiological Thoughts (1703-1734)
3. Ordered Ecclesiological Passions (1735-1746)
4. Ordered Ecclesiological Visions (1747-1758)
5. Ordered Ecclesiological Life
6. Conclusion: Orderly But Not Ordinary: Edwards's Evangelical Ecclesiology
Endnotes
Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

"Scholars will certainly benefit from this outstanding study, but I wish to especially commend this monograph to lay leaders and pastors who will inevitably navigate the tumults of controversy and change within the local church." — Joseph T. Cochran , Trinity journal

"Jonathan Edwards and the Church offers, for the first time, a synthetic analysis of Edwards s ecclesiology and, as a result, makes a significant contribution to the literature."—Journal of Religion

"[A] rich, carefully constructed study...Bezzant has produced an excellent study of Edwards's ecclesiology which joins the first rank of Edwards scholarship....Bezzant provides fresh readings of familiar and not-so-familiar texts, and his sensitivity to the pastoral challenges and foregrounding of the eschatological dimension are strengths of the book."—Ecclesiology

"This eighteenth-century pastor's pursuit of contextualization is a helpful model for twenty-first-century pastors and church leaders who are looking for a model of mediating between the historic faith and a contemporary, largely post-Christian, cultural context. Thus, this book is recommended not just for Edwardsean scholars but also for church leaders, especially those interested in learning from the past how to do ministry in the present and future. Edwards's model is worthy of consideration and perhaps even emulation."—Bibliotheca Sacra

"A beautifully written and elegantly executed study. It is a major advancement for not only Edwards studies but for historical studies of protestant and evangelical ecclesiology more generally. It will be the standard work in the field for many years to come."—Church History

"Bezzant's work is a rich introduction to the development and influence of Edwards' understanding of the Bible's teaching on the doctrine of the church... Readers of Edwards will find Bezzant's volume a valuable introduction to Edwards' doctrine of the church and its relevance to matters of contemporary church life." —The Banner of Truth

"[Bezzant] has done the church a great service by tackling this elusive subject...In this important work, Bezzant has brought an authoritative voice in evangelical circles into our contemporary discussions on the doctrine of the church, and for that he is to be applauded."—9Marks

"Bezzant's work is an outstanding example of how one can delve into historical theology, offering up both biographical insights as well as astute theological promulgations...Pastors, scholars, and seminary students alike will benefit greatly from this work, one that is truly a contribution to the field of Christian scholarship." —Themelios

"Highly recommended" — CHOICE

"Rhys Bezzant's work is truly pioneering, sensitive, and encompassing, unique in over a century of scholarship on Edwards, being the first systematic study devoted to Edwards's ecclesiology-and not just the 'Qualifications Controversy'. It is distinctive in its 'reading' across Edwards's publications for ecclesiological meaning, demonstrating that Edwards's interest in the nature of the church was not merely episodic or a distraction, but of central and sustained interest." —Kenneth P. Minkema, Jonathan Edwards Center, Yale University

"It's sad but true: among the hundreds of books on Edwards, nary a one has been published on his view of the Christian church, a doctrine Edwards preached and wrote about throughout his pastoral ministry (despite what you may have heard from other leading scholars). We have needed Rhys Bezzant's book for a very long time. It is far and away the best, most systematic and comprehensive work on the subject ever written." —Douglas A. Sweeney, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

"Jonathan Edwards's revivalist sensibilities are considered to be at the heart of modern evangelicalism's push for emotional and personal experiences of God, often at the cost of a high view of the Church. In this well-sourced book Rhys Bezzant conclusively shows Edwards holding together traditional ecclesial confessionalism inside a new modern framework constructed around the individual. This is a must read for any fan or critic of Jonathan Edwards." —The Rev. Michael Keller, Pastor, Reformed University Fellowship of New York

From the Publisher