Becoming Divine - Paperback

by Brandon G. Withrow (Author)

Was Jonathan Edwards always--or ever--the stalwart and unquestioning Reformed theologian that he is often portrayed as being? In what ways did his own conversion fail to meet the standards of his Puritan ancestors? And how did this affect his understanding of the divine being and of the nature of justification? Becoming Divine investigates the early theological career of Edwards, finding him deep in a crisis of faith that drove him into an obsessive lifelong search for answers. Instead of a fear of God-which he had been taught to understand as proof of his conversion-he experienced a "surprising, amazing joy." Suddenly he saw the divine being in everything and felt himself transported into a heavenly world, becoming one with the divine family. What he developed, as he sought to make sense of this unexpected joy, is a theology that is both ancient and early modern-a theology of divine participation rooted in the incarnation of Christ.

Author Biography

Brandon G. Withrow is lecturer in religious studies at The University of Findlay, Ohio. His latest books include, Consider No Evil: Two Faith Traditions and the Problem of Academic Freedom in Religious Higher Education (2014), Becoming Divine: Jonathan Edwards's Incarnational Spirituality within the Christian Tradition (2011), and Katherine Parr: A Guided Tour of the Life and Thought of a Reformation Queen (2009). His contributions have appeared in The Huffington Post, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Inside Higher Ed. He lives in Perrysburg, OH where he spends his days cycling, gardening, and drinking copious amounts of coffee.