God is a Communicative Being: Divine Communicativeness and Harmony in the Theology of Jonathan Edwards: No. 14

“‘The concept of communion is central to Edwards’ thought. Believers partaking in the eucharist shadow forth a greater communion of Christ and the church; regeneration is achieving communion with the Holy Spirit; and the very nature of God is communicative. God seeks to communicative Godself to creation and to perceiving being. This “unifying factor,” William Schweitzer demonstrates in this new appraisal, helps to “explain Edwards” his doctrine of God and the Trinity, his theology of revelation, and the harmony of Scripture, nature, and history, all of which informed Edwards’ “overarching project” of elucidating God’s sovereign work of redemption.’ – Kenneth Minkema, The Jonathan Edwards Center at Yale University, USA.” –Kenneth Minkema

“‘Rigorously researched and lucidly written, this work highlights the unique combination of orthodoxy and originality which characterised the mind of Jonathan Edwards. It is immensely stimulating, and I hope it will prove a seminal work, encouraging further development of the core idea that God by his very nature communicates himself; and in doing so shares not only his knowledge and ideas, but also the love and joy which lie at the heart of his own trinitarian life.’ – Donald Macleod, Free Church of Scotland College, UK” –Donald Macleod

“‘This book helpfully uncovers Edwards’s attention to harmony as an interpretive key (God’s “calling card”) to not only his doctrine of God but also providence and redemption. More importantly, it proposes “harmony” as Edwards’s basic apologetic strategy-one that convinces believers and unbelievers of the divine identity, and one that links God’s inner nature (Trinitarian harmony) to his communicative efforts in history. These fresh arguments help us see the Edwards corpus from a new perspective by revealing a previously-obscured angle on what Edwards did and why he did it.’ – Gerald R. McDermott, Roanoke College, USA” –Gerald R. McDermott

“This is an important book, not because it offers a penetrating analysis of a specific theme found in Jonathan Edwards’s theology, but because it presents a very readable overview of Edwards’s entire theological project. William Schweitzer’s work is an admirable study which seeks to ascertain the overarching scaffolding that frames Edwards’s thought. The book is clearly written and easy to understand. I recommend it to anyone seeking to grasp the central themes animating Edwards’s theology … It is eminently readable and a great place for theologians, pastors, and Christians to begin grappling with Edwards’s theology as a whole.” –Robert W. Caldwell, III, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, USA, Journal of Theological Studies (Vol. 64.2)