I'm finding George Marsden's biography on Jonathan Edwards to be quite a page-turner. I've read about half, up to 1742 when the Great Awakening has faded into schisms between various "Old Light" (conservative) and "New Light"(pro-revivalists) factions. This is my first serious look at Edward's life and ministry, and there are many things to pursue further.

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So far, I'm most intrigued by Edwards' church leadership even more than his theological understanding. Here's a leader who presided over two outpourings of God's Spirit in 1735-36 and again in 1740-1741. A deeply spiritual man, deeply biblical, gloriously dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, these revivals were not sustained and led to more trouble than blessing. Were they authentic? They seem to be. Did God intend a blessing that somehow became a burden? Could this have been prevented? Could the blessing have been sustained?

My very premature thesis is that Edwards' leadership lacked critical biblical elements and that the presence of these elements may have allowed the Great Awakening to remain a sustained blessing. Even before reading of the demise of these awakenings, I wondered at some of Edwards' practices as they did not all seem biblical to me. Some seemed obviously off the mark of the clear teachings from Christ and His apostles.

Recall Proverbs 27:21 "The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, And a man is tested by the praise accorded him." Many a shepherd can sustain his sheep during lean times. It is the rarest of men who can thrive during times of extreme blessing and not quickly lose their perspective. Edwards was not negligent nor willfully disobedient during these outpourings. However, these blessings "tested" the fruit of his leadership up to that point in his life. I must believe that God has not designed His church for short-term blessing followed by catastrophe. A more thoroughly biblical eldership, adhering more closely to the apostolic directions given to Timothy and Titus, would have proven sound. The blessing would be sustained and not distorted into pride, arrogance, disorder, and human ambition - qualities found not in Edwards but in many congregants and associates he impacted.

May the Lord add a great measure of His blessing and presence to His Church, as Church leaders faithfully equip Her to eternally prosper from His touch.