Johnthan Edward 1703-1758 - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages Such beliefs lead us all toward a common good and teach us a better way of life. Religion is also quite complex and difficult, at times, to understand. Theologians attempt to make sense of this difficult subject in an effort to bring people closer to an understanding of the divine nature of the world. While many such famous theologians come from Europe, Jonathan Edwards was born and raised right here in America and is still consider to be one the greatest and most intellectual theologians that ever lived. Jonathan Edwards lived a relatively short life of only 55 years. During his life, however, he contributed many things to American culture, and to the spiritual lives of people around the world. He was quite a smart child, entering Yale College when he was only 13 years old. At that time, Yale was still a seminary instructing students with a Biblical background. During his college years, he quickly began his career as a spiritual and theological writer and graduated as the Valedictorian in his class. By the time he graduated, he seemed to have already formulated a philosophy of life that he would use as the foundation of his future writings that are still well read today. What follows is a brief, yet thorough, description of the theological and intellectual influence of John Edwards on America. The Writings of Jonathan Edward Jonathan Edwards spend much of his time leading various churches in the Connecticut and New York area. In early adulthood, he learned a lot from his grandfather, who was seen as a spiritual man in the New England area. His grandfather, then, had a huge influence on the philosophy that Edwards would begin to adopt through his studies at Yale and beyond. Not only did people in New England really like Edwards as a person, his great influence probably came from his writings. He wrote volumes of books in intellectual and theological topics during his all to short life. As Phillip Sinitiere wrote, “Edwards was known both from his large network or correspondents and through his voluminous writing ministry” (744). He wrote about such concepts as the extent of sin, the importance of ethics and virtue, they dynamics of the human will, and the nature of mission work (Sinitiere 745). There are many scholars who contend that Jonathan Edwards is America’s greatest philosophical theologian. This would put him up there with such European philosophers as Martin Luther. More than being just a theologian, however, it should be pointed out the Edwards contributed a great deal to the intellect of those who read his works. His writings were both deep and profound. Many people still study his works because they are complex, yet so revealing about the world in which we live. It is amazing any time someone who lived 300 years ago is still mentioned today. Edwards is not only mentioned, but studied as if he is still around and living today. That speaks volumes of the respect he must have had while he lived, worked, and wrote in the New England area. As people continue to study the various writings of Jonathan Edwards, they have discovered that he spoke a great deal about ethics. This conversation is still as relevant today as it was when he first wrote. Philip Quin wrote that Edwards ha “something to contribute to contemporary conversations and debates in ethics” (300). This shows us that people today are still discussing his view on ethics. Conversations about ethics are ...Download file to see next pagesRead More