Religious Affections

How Man's Will Affects His Character Before God

By: Jonathan Edwards

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Quite possibly, one of the most important books ever written by the greatest American theologian. Some of the questions asked are "What is the nature of true religion? What are the signs of a true revival? How is the heart changed? Edwards used his pulpit and his leadership of the Great Awakening to pen one of the most challenging and inquisitive books written.©2007 Jonathan Edwards (P)2007 christianaudio.com

Greatest work ever written

Do your soul a favor and listen to this masterpiece . I chose to listen at 0.65 speed. The density and profundity of Edwards insights is staggering.

Important book

Edwards is difficult to read but contemplation on his writings is important for anyone who would like to understand the nature of genuine faith.

This is a hard but beneficial listen

It's hard to follow the writing itself seems to make hard work of things by being really thick, but the content therein is challenging and good for Christians who are keen not to be deceived in their own heart. I read the first part of this audiobook and went to a bible study, and their found I was picking up on things that were esteemed as a sign or imprint or imparting of God and his grace in our eyes, but this book explains how it is not always the case.

Power House of Faith and Truth

I highly recommend this book for more mature Christian's as it is full of meat.

Not as valuable as I had hoped for the time spent.

Unfortunately I didnt find this work as helpful as other Christian classics. While it was certainly a good extended discussion of the single topic of the unique heart affections of the Christian, it seemed very repetitive. Edwards was anything but sussinct in his writtings. I much preferred books like Calvin's Institutes even though they were 10x the length. I believe the narriator did a great job with this book even though it was not as good as I had hoped.

Affections

There should be some heart affections after knowing we are justified by grace alone. Our love ought to be higher than those who are married. We ought to look at what we love. We need to trust in grace, but once we know we are saved by grace, then affections should follow.

A nice easy listen

A good easy listen. Id listen it to again if I didnt have so many others I need to listen to.

Quality Material Read Quickly

What did you love best about Religious Affections?

The density and balance of Edward's thought stuck me as both beautiful and challenging. As an Anglican reader I found his Biblical fidelity deeply satisfying with very few cited passages on which I might question his approach. In other words, there was a time or two in which I thought his theology or his present purpose might have skewed his understanding of the text rather than having the text support that purpose or theological tack, but none so egregious that specifics come to mind.

Who was your favorite character and why?

n/a

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

He speaks very clearly and captured very well what seemed to be Edward's sentiments in the subtleties of his inflection.

Any additional comments?

Frankly, the Puritans (and their progeny) are a difficult read for those in our culture who are accustomed to sound bites and 30-second blasts of information. Following the lines of reason can be arduous as Edwards has no problem developing a matter from his or someone else's standpoint for several minutes at a time. While Vance is superbly clear, his quick cadence mixed with the density of the material, not to mention his U.K. accent (I'm a New Englander living in the Mid-Atlantic US) made it so that it took me nearly half of the work to really get into the presentation as a whole. I love Vance in Chesterton's Orthodoxy, though. I attribute my difficulty more to the material than the read, but a slower pace seems like it would have made the product a little more accessible.

Awesome book on real religious affections

this book explains in great detail the difference between false and real affections of the heart for Christ Jesus

The conviction which ensued from the author’s rich use of Scripture.

Laced with Scripture Jonathan Edwards Affections is a convicting work for our day. If our argument can’t be summed up in the Scripture we might do well to leave it alone. JE has a command of the Scriptures. This was both encouraging and convicting.