A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards by George M. Marsden -- Book Review

The Christianaudio.com free book of the month for October was A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards by George M. Marsden.

I really enjoyed listening to this book. I didn't really know anything about the life of Jonathan Edwards before this book. I knew the name, I knew that he had a major impact in the evangelical world, and I knew that there were several of his works that were on my list of "to read" at some point in the future, but frankly, I was fairly ignorant as to why his name was "known."

From what I understand, this book was meant to be an abbreviated version of a larger book by George M. Marsden. I haven't attempted to verify that, but I think this book mentions that in the introduction or the appendix.  I am sure that a longer work would be of great value, but if you are seeking to find the reasons why Jonathan Edwards has become an influential name in the realm of Christianity, then I would highly suggest this book.  It gives all of the basic information as to his history, the setting of his ministry, contemporary figures, works accomplished, family life, and personal impact.  I didn't feel that anything was left out concerning important aspects of his life.

This book will whet your appetite for learning more about Jonathan Edwards and for reading the books that he has authored. The voice talent for the reading of this book did an excellent job, and I would recommend it to anyone wanting to find out about this amazing man.