A Pastor in Revival

I personally never tire of reading about the revivals that occurred in the long eighteenth-century, of which those that took place in relation to the ministry of Jonathan Edwards, ‘America’s Augustine,’ were some of the most remarkable in the entire history of Christianity. This new study of Edwards’ experience and vindication of revival is rich in historical context, primary source material, and footnotes (which I love), but also spiritual lessons for today. It is eminently readable and I am extremely happy to commend it as an extremely helpful precis of Edwards’ involvement in the Great Awakening.

This wonderful work on Jonathan Edwards and the revivals of the eighteenth-century Great Awakening deserves careful, prayerful attention from both pastors and laypeople. It offers a fine summary of Edwards’ approach to revival, one that should inform and inspire ministry leaders in our day. I am writing this endorsement in the midst of another special work of the Holy Spirit on several college campuses. I pray that God will use the biblical wisdom laid out here by Pastors Edwards and Smith to bring many more to Jesus and grow them in discipleship.

This compact study is a remarkable storehouse of pastoral wisdom needed in a time of revival. Smith’s work presents us with a narrative of the Great Awakening from the point of view of Edward’s as a pastor who ministered among real people amidst real challenges. To top it off, the book ends with letters and sermons Edwards composed during the Awakening, writings which vividly portray the Awakening from the perspective as one passing through it in real time. A helpful and needed guide for the church today!

So, "A Pastor ... !" Not every pastor can construct original thoughts to the degree and with the logical impenetrability of reasoning that regularly characterizes the writings of Jonathan Edwards. The greatest philosopher/theologian of American Christianity, so some contend, was first and foremost in his own passion and estimation a pastor. Though the rest of us may not have such power of original thought, we can follow the argument of his thought and gain valuable insight on subjects he considered worthy of mental and spiritual energy. Revival and the nature of genuine religious experience is certainly one of those. Kurt Smith, as he has done for George Whitefiled, has made Edwards's eyewitness observations on this subject clear, manageable, and pastorally insightful. This book will be good for the mind and good for the ministry.

This is an excellent book on an excellent topic: Jonathan Edwards’s defense of true revival. Kurt Smith combines fascinating history with sound doctrine to sketch the controversy surrounding the Great Awakening and how Edwards responded with biblical wisdom. Smith also includes illuminating selections from Edwards’s sermons and personal letters. May God use this book to teach us about His mighty works in the past, to help us to exercise discernment about claims to revival in the present, and to move us to pray for revival in the future.