Jonathan Edwards America's Evangelical

An important new biography of America's founding religious father. Jonathan Edwards was America's most influential evangelical, whose revivals of the 1730s became those against which all subsequent ones have been judged. The marvelous accomplishment of Philip Gura'sJonathan Edwardsis to place the rich intellectual landscape of America's most formidable evangelical within the upheaval of his times. Gura not only captures Edwards' brilliance but respectfully explains the enduring appeal of his theology: in a world of profound uncertainty, it held out hope of an authentic conversion---the quickening of the indwelling spirit of God in one's heart and the consequent certitude of Godly behavior and everlasting grace. Tracing Jonathan Edwards' life from his birth in 1703 to his untimely death in 1758, Gura magnificently reasserts Edwards rightful claim as the father of America's evangelical tradition. Philip F. Gurais William S. Newman Distinguished Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he holds appointments in English, American Studies, and Religious Studies. Jonathan Edwards was America's most influential evangelical, whose revivals of the 1730s became those against which all subsequent ones have been judged. The accomplishment of Philip F. Gura'sJonathan Edwardsis to place the rich intellectual landscape of America's most formidable evangelical within the upheaval of his times. Gura not only captures Edwards's brilliance but also respectfully explains the enduring appeal of his theology: in a world of profound uncertainty, it held out hope of an authentic conversion--quickening of the indwelling spirit of God in one's heart and the consequent certitude of godly behavior and everlasting grace. Tracing Jonathan Edwards's life from his birth in 1703 to his untimely death in 1758, Gura magnificently reasserts Edwards's rightful claim as the father of America's evangelical tradition. "Gura's study further broadens our view of the man, insightfully placing him in the context of the Connecticut River valley's powerful and learned network of Calvinist ministers."--Daniel Sullivan,The Weekly Standard "Philip F. Gura superbly explains Edwards' belief and how they relate to New England Colonial theology."--Houston Chronicle "Gura offers a sharply honed biography of Edwards, sculpted down with a supreme discipline befitting its evangelical subject and yet fleshy enough to offer a full sense of Edwards and his times."--Leigh E. Schmidt,Bookforum "Gura's capacity to thumbnail the world of the Connecticut River valley, the Yale 'apostacie' of 1722. the ecstasies of the awakened. The 'bad books' debacle, and the village politics of Stockbridge is a running delight."--Allen Guelzo,Books & Culture "Gura does a fine job of sketching the problems Edwards faced 'on the ground' in the pre-Revolutionary War era--a period that is, for most people, unfamiliar beyond a handful of images involving Pocahontas, Thanksgiving, and witchcraft trials."--Scott McLemee,Newsday "Superbly explains Edwards' beliefs and how they relate to New England colonial theology."--Bob Trimble,TheDallasMorning News "Gura's study further broadens our view of the man, insightfully placing him in the context of the Connecticut River valley's powerful and learned network of Calvinist ministers. He also helpfully explains the conflicts between strictly orthodox Calvinists like Edwards, and more lenient Arminian thinkers around Boston. But more than anything else, Gura seeks to explain how the minister's conception of revival a

Philip F. Gura is Professor of English and Adjunct Professor of American Studies and Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the author of The Wisdom of Words: Language, Theology, and Literature in the American Renaissance and A Glimpse of Sion's Glory: Puritan Radicalism in New England, 1620-1660, and editor, with Joel Myerson, of Critical Essays on American Transcendentalism.