Jonathan Edwards on Beauty (Volume 2) (The Essential Edwards Collection)

When is the last time you picked up a book about beauty? I have to say that I cannot think of any time that I have concerned myself with the subject of beauty but it will certainly be on mind after reading this short treatise on the matter. Jonathan Edwards is a theological "heavyweight" who has weighed in on so many pertinent topics that every christian should explore, but this was certainly an original concept to tackle and one that was well worth the read. Before looking at Strachan and Sweeney's work on beauty I would encourage the reader to make sure to have read the first book in this series that is called "Jonathan Edwards: Lover of God." The story of the life and ministry of Mr. Edwards will help the reader gain a solid perspective on this tremendous Christian thinker. It is important to state from the onset that the books in this series may not be as useful to an Edwards enthusiast who has spent a large portion of time pouring over Edwards' thoughts. For someone like me who not spent a great deal of time mulling over the writings of Edwards this is a great primer, and these two books have certainly whetted my appetite for more of the writings of Edwards. Although, I enjoyed the first book in the series better than this one, I can say that I was still blessed and challenged.Make no mistake, while sections of messages from Jonathan Edwards are shared; this series is actually an analysis of his thoughts and the bulk of the writing is Strachan and Sweeney. In this book the question was raised about what makes something beautiful and where this concept originates from. Jonathan Edwards believed that beauty was a reflection of God's person and anything that was genuinely beautiful was imbued with some truth about who God is. The book starts with analyzing the aspects of God's person that Edwards found most full of beauty and it is clear as one reads this section that Edwards was a man that really loved God. The sections of messages that Strachan and Sweeney pull from demonstrate how often and how lovingly Edwards thought about God. Edwards knew what it meant to be a worshiper and his reflections about God show him to be so. While Edwards' writing was good I did feel that this was the weakest chapter. Some of the attributes that were discussed were not well related to the subject of beauty and the writers did not connect the material very well. In addition, their comments were trite and came across a little forced. The rest of the book was quality but this was section that needed a little more thought and revision.Edwards loved nature and he was able to see the beauty of God in just about everything. Edwards saw God's nature reflected in the web-making of spiders, he saw the cross in the silk worm, he saw Jesus as the sun, he literally perceived the mystery of God in everything. I have to admit I was a little jealous because Edwards saw the world in such a unique way that it challenged me to look at things much differently. Edwards connected everything in the universe with the "main frame." That is, when he saw something he looked for a truth in that creature that demonstrated some aspect of God being reflected in the world. As far as Edwards was concerned he did not restrict typology strictly to the scripture, but he was not "cooky" with it either. While he appreciated the beauty of nature he recognized at the same time that this world was very damaged by sin and that even the beauty that exists in the world is tainted by the reality of the fall. Compared to the person of God who is pure and lovely everything is more or less impure. His reflection on nature was excellent and I thought Strachan and Sweeney did well in highlighting specific ideas that they drew great applications from. I really appreciated the way that they used this to discuss the responsibility that Christians should take in being good stewards of the planet that God has given us because it is a reflection of his beauty.The other sections dealt with Edwards' view about Jesus and his view about the beauty as well as splendor of the church. I think it goes without saying that Edwards had such a terrific and high view of Jesus and he was truly the center of all things, especially Edwards' preaching. This section is solid and while there is nothing profound; there are a lot of thing to think about as Edwards declared the supremacy of Jesus. The same can be said for his views about the beauty of the church. I preached a message a couple of days ago about the church and I was able to use some of this as a great resource to encourage people to look at God's community the way he looks at it. I love how Edwards thought that Christians were like the many colors we see in creation whose beauty remains unseen until the sun rises. He saw that the beauty and splendor of Jesus as that which brings out what is lovely in the life of the believer. There was a lot of great imagery that was invoked and I love the way that he and the authors place God in the center and man in the periphery. This is refreshing to see because much of the Christian community has it moving in the opposite way.The last section is great and the sermon "Heaven is a World of Love" really tugged at my heart strings. That is an incredibly touching message and it is great capstone on the concept of beauty because of if any place encapsulates the principles of glory it is no doubt heaven. The idea that he give of unobstructed love in heaven is a thought that literally boggles my mind. I look forward to the next book in this series where Edwards' thoughts are explored to understand his thinking on the important topic of heaven and hell. This is the second one of these I have read and I have to recommend the series so far. They are short and they don't take long to read. Yet, they provide the reader with rich thought that will continue long after the book is finished. I want to get more of Edwards' works and read them because he is a remarkable thinker that every theologian should read more about. 1 star = readability. 1 star = layout. 1 star = bibliography. 1 star = originality. Negative 1 star = a rocky first section.

Edwards' collected works are daunting. Worthwile, but daunting. This volume distills Edwards thinking in one important area and makes it accessible. Edwards saw and spoke with piercing accuracy and his words still stir joy and worship. This volume is well worth reading.

This is a book of quotes from Jonathan Edwards with additional commentary from the two editors. It seemed as if they would present a quote where Edwards says x and then their commentary would consist of, "Edwards said x." They did not add much to the discussion. By all means read Jonathan Edwards, but there are better Edwards books out there. This one is probably not what you're looking for.

Superb testimony by one of our most outstanding theologians -- to be highly recommended.

This book was an encouragement and a challenge to spend more time studying the Trinity in Scripture and to savor even more my time in the Word to get to know The God who is love and to reflect that Love in my life.This book also caused me to look forward to that day when I will love God perfectly in heaven.

Good quick return on my order. Book is thoroughly Bible-based and that God is the supreme standard for beauty. You can't love the beauty of this created world and not see the Creator as well. This is as it should be. Beauty is in the eye of the Beholder.

This book presnents a good picture of some of Edwards essential thought, This publication is done excellently it is a joy to own and read. The whole collection is a treat. It is published by Moody Bible Inst. a very conservative school. Watch out for the Tract presentation.

Wonderful book