An Introduction to John Owen: A Christian Vision for Every Stage of Life
Overview
More than three centuries after his death, Puritan theologian John Owen continues to have an impact on readers. In his eight million published words, he addressed a wide range of topics, from theological and biblical commentary to social and political issues. In this survey of Owen’s life and work, Crawford Gribben captures the vision of the Christian life that Owen himself lived out—and hoped his readers would live out as well.
- Explores how Owens developed a Christian vision for every stage of life
- Distills the theology of John Owen so readers can apply his desire for the Christian life to their own lives
- Includes a time line of the life of John Owen
- Map
- Preface
- Timeline
- Introduction
- Childhood
- Youth
- Middle Age
- Death and Eternal Life
- Conclusion
- Appendix: Prayers for Children from John Owen, The Primer (1652)
Top Highlights
“The Primer deserves to be recovered. It reveals how this formidable Puritan theologian imagined the ideal Christian home—and illustrates the simplicity and warmth that he thought appropriate for the nurture of Christian children.” (Page 48)
“Owen described the spiritual life as being sustained by and sustaining others in grace” (Page 14)
“The religious instruction of children was too important to be allocated only special time in a weekly routine. It had to happen everywhere, all the time, daily, hourly, individually at the close and break of day, and every time the family ate. The parents’ piety and their hopes for their children created an atmosphere in the home that their religious instruction explained and that the life of the church confirmed.” (Pages 64–65)
“That knowledge of God … which we have by the word, the letter of it … is not saving to us if we have no other help,’ for ‘there is a wide difference between understanding the doctrine of Scripture as in the letter, and a true knowing the mind of Christ.’” (Page 75)
“For all his learning, his greatest discovery was not an idea but an experience. Owen’s new birth and early spiritual formation took place in cheap lodgings in London and with the help of a borrowed book.” (Page 74)
“In the relatively brief compass of this fresh approach to the
core intellectual ideas of John Owen, Crawford Gribben has written
what amounts to a must-read work about the mentalité of this
theological colossus. A fabulous achievement!”
—Michael A. G. Haykin, Chair and
Professor of Church History, The Southern Baptist Theological
Seminary
“Studying John Owen’s life and theology is like visiting a vast
food buffet—delicious but overwhelming, resulting in satisfaction
but also a sense that one missed quite a lot. Crawford Gribben
serves up a sampler plate with an engaging blend of biography and
doctrine flavored with the pervasive sauce of Owen’s view of
godliness and spiced with Gribben’s own interpretation of Owen’s
story. This book is a helpful introduction to one of the greatest
theologians our world has known and a healthy enticement to feed on
Owen’s writings for a lifetime.”
—Joel R. Beeke, President,
Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary; author, Reformed
Preaching; coauthor, Reformed Systematic Theology
“Crawford Gribben draws on expertise gathered over years of work
on John Owen to paint a picture that is both deeply scholarly and
extremely readable. Looking at different stages of human life
through the prism of Owen’s personal experience and theological
writings, the book gives a striking new perspective on this
significant Reformed theologian. It’s an excellent introduction to
Owen.”
—Susan Hardman Moore, Professor
of Early Modern Religion, School of Divinity, University of
Edinburgh; author, Pilgrims: New World Settlers and the Call of
Home
“John Owen is one of the most remarkable figures to emerge out
of seventeenth-century England. His writings span a wide range of
topics, from Trinitarian theology and religious toleration to
educational reform and personal piety. While recent scholarship has
helped us reevaluate Owen in significant ways, a one-dimensional
portrait of the Puritan often emerges, whether as a timeless
theologian or as an outdated historical figure. Crawford Gribben’s
book excels at situating Owen’s theology in the times in which he
wrote. The result is not only a stimulating exercise in
biographical theology but also a compelling vision of the Christian
life. For those wanting to get to know Owen the man as well as Owen
the theologian, this book is the best place to start.”
—John W. Tweeddale, Academic Dean
and Professor of Theology, Reformation Bible College; author,
John Owen and Hebrews
“This is a beautifully written book. It is accessible and
uplifting, blending the highest scholarship with deep devotion.
Gribben presents John Owen in a fresh new light. It has something
for those who are new to Owen as well as for those who have read
him for a lifetime. Gribben’s introduction is an essential,
life-giving guide to a great man whose influence is still with
us.”
—Tim Cooper, Associate Professor
of Church History, University of Otago, New Zealand; author,
John Owen, Richard Baxter, and the Formation of
Nonconformity
- Title: An Introduction to John Owen: A Christian Vision for Every Stage of Life
- Author: Crawford Gribben
- Publisher: Crossway
- Print Publication Date: 2020
- Logos Release Date: 2020
- Pages: 190
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Owen, John, 1616-1683; Spiritual life › Christianity; Grace (Theology)
- ISBNs: 9781433569654, 9781433569685, 9781433569661, 9781433569678, 1433569655, 143356968X, 1433569663, 1433569671
- Resource ID: LLS:INTROJOHNOWEN
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T00:46:01Z
