By David Mathis, TGC. (Image: Public Domain)
My first impression of Jonathan Edwards wasn’t good. I lived for years with the distorted (and sadly common) perspective I received from a high school history textbook. It seemed like the only thing Edwards had done was preach “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.”
In college, an older student twisted my arm to read John Piper, where I came across quotes from Edwards. Those quotes were surprisingly bright and warm compared to the dark and morose figure I expected.
But even that wasn’t enough to get me to read Edwards right away. I assumed these glimpses must be exceptions and that his books would be inaccessible and filled with fire and brimstone. It’s tragic how common textbooks often misrepresent one of the greatest minds and hearts in American history.
My kids deserve a better introduction to Edwards. Your kids do too. For years, that wrong first impression held me back from feeding on the banquet of God-centered, Christ-adoring food spread out in the works of Jonathan Edwards.
The Boy Who Lived—for Jesus
American history is on our minds this summer as we celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary. As we teach our children about George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and Benjamin Franklin, let’s not forget other significant figures in our history. Edwards’s theological and evangelistic work was as important for the formation of the United States as the political philosophies of other great leaders.