To Understand Things as Well as Words: An Examination of Jonathan Edwards as an Educator and His Pedagogical Methodology

by Kenneth P. Minkema; John R. Van Wyk

Publisher:

Pickwick Publications

, 2025

Overview

One significant way that the influential Puritan minister Jonathan Edwards (1703-58) remains relevant today is through his approach to teaching. His holistic pedagogical approach addressed the "total person": mind, intentions, and actions. Crucial to Edwards, also, was mentoring students to assist their spiritual development and to encourage and to help enable their leadership potential. This volume fills a significant gap in the academic study of Jonathan Edwards--his work as a teacher and educational theorist.

Key Features

Praise for To Understand Things as Well as Words

“Many thanks to John Van Wyk for treating a topic in Edwards studies neglected for too long: his philosophy and practice of education. Edwards served as a teacher from adolescence to his death, from Yale through pastoral ministry to cross-cultural pedagogy at the Stockbridge mission and, finally, at Princeton. This fine book covers it all and offers pedagogical wisdom for thoughtful teachers today.”

—Douglas A. Sweeney, dean of Beeson Divinity School, Samford University



“John Van Wyk here examines both what “America’s greatest theologian” thought about theological education and how he educated aspirants to the ministry as well as everyday disciples, including women and native Americans. In light of our present crisis in higher theological education, this fascinating study of a past figure proves eminently timely: Jonathan Edwards’ offers a model of biblical and dialogical pedagogy that strives to foster the knowledge of God to the glory of God.”

—Kevin J. Vanhoozer, research professor of systematic theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School



 “John Van Wyk has provided us with an outstanding publication on the work of Jonathan Edwards as educator. This brilliantly-researched volume thoughtfully explores the resources, influences, context, and peers who helped to shape the Northampton Puritan’s full-orbed, theocentric approach to teaching and learning. Educators, historians, theologians, pastors, and students will all profit from Van Wyk’s mature reflection on these important themes, as well as his insights regarding Edwards and his legacy.”

—David S. Dockery, president, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary



“If the expansion of Christ’s kingdom was the aim of Jonathan Edwards’ life and ministry, education was a vital instrument in achieving this aim. John Van Wyk traces the diverse influences on Edwards’ pedagogy and brings to life Edwards’s interactions with children, Native Americans, and theological students. A valuable read for anyone who wants a fuller grasp of Edwards’ life and times.”

—Esmari Potgieter, author of Jonathan Edwards and a Reformational View of the Purpose of Education



“John Van Wyk has done two things for his readers.  In a meticulously researched and well-written volume he has both provided a solid introduction to Edwards the prodigious thinker and contributed a first-ever analysis of Edwards the educator.”

—Gerald McDermott, author of Jonathan Edwards Confronts the Gods: Christian Theology, Enlightenment Religion, and Non-Christian Faiths



“Ideas make a difference in the world. Ideas presented as stories help us to glimpse a life worth living. And for Christians, ideas communicated through sermons, sacraments, schools, and sensations have become leading strategies of spiritual growth in the modern world. Jonathan Edwards exemplifies them all and sets them within his bigger educational agenda, which this book expounds so judiciously, in a thorough, discerning, and edifying way.”

—Rhys S. Bezzant, director, Jonathan Edwards Center, Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia



“In this welcome volume, John Van Wyk explores Jonathan Edwards as an educator. This attention to Edwards contributes valuable insight to the more familiar studies of Edwards as Christian preacher, evangelist, philosopher, and theologian. Present day educators would do well to examine Van Wyk’s fine study and Edwards’ own writings to deepen their appreciation of Edwards’ holistic dialogic methodology, recognition of student agency as responsible image bearers, and encouragement toward lifelong learning.”

—Donald C. Guthrie, chair in educational leadership, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School 



“True to what he describes as Edwards’s holistic approach to education, John Van Wyk has produced a study that is both historical and inspirational. … Tracing Edwards’s educational theory, practice, sources, and legacy, Van Wyk situates Edwards in the transatlantic theological and philosophical currents of his time, exploring his appropriation and adaptation of those ideas in the lived context of ministry to family, congregation, Native American students, and ministers in training.  Edwards the educator emerges as a model for emulation in any age.”

—Bradley J. Gundlach, distinguished professor emeritus of history, Trinity International University



“Van Wyk has put together a commendable survey and fascinating analysis of Edwards’ pedagogical philosophy, methodology, and convictions. Thorough, wide-ranging, and insightful . . . Edwards scholars and students alike will enjoy Edwards’ emphasis on the dialogical nature of formative education.”

—Josh Moody, author of Jonathan Edwards and the Enlightenment: Knowing the Presence of God



“In this expansive study of ‘Edwards the Educator,’ John Van Wyk explores the philosophical, theological, and familial influences that shaped Edwards’s pedagogy. Of striking importance is Van Wyk’s illuminating discussion of Edwards’s holistic, dialogical teaching directed at two very different audiences: the Native American children in Stockbridge and the students Edwards mentored in preparation for the ministry.”

—David W. Kling, New Divinity scholar and author of Edwards and the Edwardeans: Jonathan Edwards, the New Divinity, and the Making of a Theological Culture

Product Details

• Title: To Understand Things as Well as Words: An Examination of Jonathan Edwards as an Educator and His Pedagogical Methodology
• Authors: Kenneth P. Minkema, John R. Van Wyk
• Publisher: Pickwick Publications
• Print Publication Date: 2025
• Logos Release Date: 2025
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• ISBNs: 9798385217557, 9798385217533, 9798385217540
• Resource ID: LLS:9798385217557
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-06-25T20:36:43Z