Enjoying God Ministries

The year 2003 was a high point of celebration for many of us, as it marked the three-hundredth anniversary of the birth of Jonathan Edwards (1703-58). Conferences and seminars were convened, quite literally around the globe, to honor Edwards and to study the great theological legacy he bequeathed to the church.

But what has happened since? Some expected a significant decline in the number of books and articles focusing on Edwards, and there's no denying the fact that the production following 2003 has fallen off to some extent. But that doesn't mean Edwards has been forgotten.

In the past few weeks I've been packing up my books for an impending move to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Those who know me shouldn't be surprised that the last books to be put away are the more than three shelves of volumes either by or about Edwards. As I made my way through this cherished section of my library, I couldn't help but notice several important works that are worthy of note. So, what follows is a brief bibliography of "Edwardsean" works published subsequent to 2003. I don't profess to have listed all that have been released in the past five years. I list here only the ones I personally own (some of which I have not yet read, but hope to).

By far and away the most helpful of all these volumes is Reading Jonathan Edwards: An Annotated Bibliography in Three Parts, 1729-2005 (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008), by M. X. Lesser. Anyone preparing to write on Edwards or wanting to know of available resources on him cannot ignore this monumental accomplishment. The book includes a reprint of two earlier works compiled by Lesser that covered virtually everything written about Edwards up through 1994. This volume extends the survey up through 2005. This includes not only books about Edwards but journal articles, book reviews, and doctoral dissertations. It is absolutely indispensable for those doing research on Edwards.

I'm sad to say that it retails for $145! You can obtain it on Amazon.com for $110, or perhaps find a used copy for significantly less. I got mine for $58, but only because I bought it at the Eerdmans bookstore in Grand Rapids where all their publications are available at greatly reduced prices.

Five volumes in the Yale University Press edition of Edwards' collected works have been released since 2003. They include Volume 23, The Miscellanies (Entry Nos. 1153-1360), edited by Douglas Sweeney (2004); Volume 24, The Blank Bible, Part 1, edited by Stephen J. Stein (2006); Volume 24, The Blank Bible, Part 2, edited by Stein (2006); Volume 25, Sermons and Discourses 1743-1758, edited by Wilson H. Kimnach (2006); and Volume 26, Catalogues of Books, edited by Peter J. Thuesen (2008).

Here are some others listed by year of publication. The following includes only books, and I'm sure there are many I've left out (to whose authors I issue a profound apology).

2004

A God Entranced Vision of All Things: The Legacy of Jonathan Edwards (Wheaton: Crossway Books, 287 pp.), edited by John Piper and Justin Taylor.

The Glory and Honor of God (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 387 pp.), edited by Michael D. McMullen. This is Volume 2 of previously unpublished sermons by Edwards. Volume 1, The Blessing of God, was released in 2003.

Jonathan Edwards and Hell (Christian Focus Publications, 171 pp.), by Chris Morgan.

The Trinitarian Ethics of Jonathan Edwards (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 324 pp.), by William J. Danaher, Jr.

2005

The Princeton Companion to Jonathan Edwards (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 331 pp.), edited by Sang Hyun Lee.

Jonathan Edwards at 300: Essays on the Tercentenary of His Birth (Lanham: University Press of America, 175 pp.), edited by Harry S. Stout, Kenneth P. Minkema, & Caleb J. D. Maskell.

Originally written as a Ph.D. dissertation in 1955, a new edition is now available of William S. Morris's The Young Jonathan Edwards: A Reconstruction (Eugene: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 688 pp.).

Jonathan Edwards and the Metaphysics of Sin (Burlington: Ashgate, 146 pp.), by Oliver D. Crisp.

Jonathan Edwards: The Holy Spirit in Revival (Webster, NY: Evangelical Press, 227 pp.), by Michael A. G. Haykin.

Jonathan Edwards: America's Evangelical (New York: Hill and Wang, 284 pp.), by Philip F. Gura.

Jonathan Edwards and the Enlightenment: Knowing the Presence of God (Lanham: University Press of America, 203 pp.), by Josh Moody.

2006

Heaven on Earth: Capturing Jonathan Edwards's Vision of Living in Between (Wheaton: Crossway, 142 pp.), by Stephen J. Nichols.

Originally published in 1837, we now have a new edition of Life of Jonathan Edwards (Puritan Reprints, 256 pp.), by Samuel Miller.

2007

The God-Centered Life: Insights from Jonathan Edwards for Today (Regent College Publishing, 196pp.), by Josh Moody.

The Cambridge Companion to Jonathan Edwards (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 374 pp.), edited by Stephen J. Stein.

Published in 1830, we now have a new edition of The Life of President Edwards (Puritan Reprints, 766 pp.), by Sereno E. Dwight.

Signs of the Spirit: An Interpretation of Jonathan Edwards' ‘Religious Affections' (Wheaton: Crossway, 238 pp.), by yours truly.

2008

A New Inner Relish: Christian Motivation in the Thought of Jonathan Edwards (Christian Focus Publications, 263 pp.), by Dane Ortlund.

The Preaching of Jonathan Edwards (Carlisle: The Banner of Truth Trust, 465 pp.), by John Carrick.

Happy reading!

Sam