Craig Biehl, Reading Religious Affections: A Study Guide to Jonathan Edwards’ Classic on the Nature of True Christianity (Birmingham, AL: Solid Ground Christian Books, 2012).
This is a very helpful study guide to one of the most important spiritual texts in all of history. It is designed as a teacher’s aid, a handy pedagogical supplement to Edwards’ own text. After its analytical outline of the study guide as a whole, a brief foreword by Ken Minkema of Yale University and a preface by Biehl himself, it offers a 20-module march through the structure, themes, and context of Edwards’ theological masterpiece. As teachers and students proceed, they are introduced to the Edwardses and their church historical context, given summaries and outlines of the main points of the treatise, provided with explanations of references that are difficult to follow, and presented with helpful questions for discussion.
I’ve never seen anything like this. I hope it will take away the fear some people feel when facing this tome. I recommend it for non-specialists in churches, home school settings, Christian high schools, even colleges with students eager to hear from Edwards on what he called the nature of true religion.
–By Douglas Sweeney, Director of the JEC at TEDS
Tags: craig biehl, reading religious affections, study guide