My Top 5 Books on Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards: A Life
George M. Marsden (Yale University Press)

Far and away the best biography of America's premier theologian, Marsden's book is comprehensive, beautifully written, and deeply perceptive.

A Jonathan Edwards Reader
Edited by John E. Smith, Harry S. Stout, and Kenneth P. Minkema (Yale University Press)

This compendium is the best place to start for those looking to read a representative sampling of Edwards's actual writings.

The Cambridge Companion to Jonathan Edwards
Edited by Stephen J. Stein (Cambridge University Press)

Leading Edwards scholars look at Edwards from various disciplinary perspectives, such as history, literature, religious studies, and philosophy.

The Princeton Companion to Jonathan Edwards
Edited by Sang Hyun Lee (Princeton University Press)

This volume focuses more on Edwards's theology. Featuring contributions from some of the most influential Edwards scholars, it's an excellent way to get up to speed on the past 50 years of research on Edwards's thought.

God's Passion for His Glory: Living the Vision of Jonathan Edwards
John Piper (Crossway)

Piper's introduction is a passionate and accessible presentation of Edwards's significance, and the second half of the book is The End for Which God Created the World, which is Edwards's explanation for why a happy God created an erring world.

Related Elsewhere:

Jonathan Edwards:A Life, A Jonathan Edwards Reader, The Cambridge Companion to Jonathan Edwards, The Princeton Companion to Jonathan Edwards, and God's Passion for His Glory are available from ChristianBook.com and other book retailers.

Christian History has more on Jonathan Edwards.

Previous articles on Edwards include:

What Would Jonathan Edwards Say About Harry Potter? | How the preacher responded to pop culture's version of transcendence. (July 24, 2007)

What Jonathan Edwards Can Teach Us About Politics | "Before Jerry Falwell and Jesse Jackson, another preacher ventured into the public square" (July 1, 2001)