Jonathan Edwards and the Kingdom of God

Jonathan Edwards's grand vision for life, ministry, and the world was integrated under the biblical category of the kingdom, which appears everywhere in his writing, but until now there has been no book-length exploration of its meaning. In this book, Rhys S. Bezzant examines the various dimensions of the kingdom of God in Edwards's writings from existential, historical, philosophical, ministerial, and systematic angles, demonstrating Edwards's capacious mind alongside his contextual nuance. The language of the kingdom of God serves to mark Edwards as a faithful biblical commentator, an Enlightenment thinker, and a passionate exponent of mission during the Great Awakening and beyond. Indeed, his global vision and personal identity were built on his own experience of the kingdom of God. His description of his conversion is drenched with the language of the kingdom, pushing back against Puritan assumptions. Edwards exemplifies how ministry within the constraints of the kingdom might be an expression of order and dynamism, both critiquing and affirming the British Empire. God's restorative reign provides structure and texture for any doctrinal concern he expounded. This book provides an accessible way into understanding Edwards's biography and priorities as a leader in the eighteenth-century world.