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Owen on the Christian Life: Living for the Glory of God in Christ Paperback – September 30, 2015
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John Owen is widely regarded as one of the most influential English Puritans. As a pastor, he longed to see the glory of Christ take root in people’s lives. As a writer, he continues to encourage us toward discipline and communion with God. His high view of God and deep theological convictions flowed naturally into practical application and a zeal for personal holiness.
In Owen on the Christian Life, Barrett and Haykin guide us through the seventeenth-century theologian’s life and doctrine, giving us a glimpse into the majestic vision that served as the foundation for his approach to the Christian life―the glory of God in Christ.
Part of the Theologians on the Christian Life series.
- Print length304 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherCrossway
- Publication dateSeptember 30, 2015
- Dimensions6 x 0.63 x 9 inches
- ISBN-101433537281
- ISBN-13978-1433537288
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“John Owen is one of the church’s greatest minds. His theology runs deep: it is exegetically robust, expansive in scope, and penetratingly insightful. Barrett and Haykin ably guide readers through Owen’s work and mine many brilliant gems. I highly recommend this book for anyone weary of banal and Christless spirituality.”
―J. V. Fesko, Harriet Barbour Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson
“The writings of John Owen constitute an entire country of biblical, exegetical, doctrinal, spiritual, casuistical, practical, ecclesiastical, controversial, and political theology. Massive in size, Oweniana cannot be visited on a day trip. Indeed a lifetime hardly suffices for all there is to explore. But hire as your tour guides Matthew Barrett and Michael Haykin, and the daunting journey seems possible after all. With these seasoned scholars and enthusiasts as companions, visiting the varied counties, the significant towns, and the great cities of Oweniana is as enjoyable as it is instructive. Owen on the Christian Life simply excels as an outstanding contribution to an already first-class series.”
―Sinclair B. Ferguson, Chancellor’s Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary; Teaching Fellow, Ligonier Ministries
“Theologically rich, carefully researched, and historically grounded, this book leads us into the wisdom of one of the greatest theologians of all time. Barrett and Haykin’s study of John Owen expands our view of the Christian life to embrace the knowledge of God’s glory in Jesus Christ. As our Lord reminded us, that is life indeed (John 17:3). Once you finish this book, you will definitely want to read Owen himself!”
―Joel R. Beeke, Chancellor and Professor of Systematic Theology and Homiletics, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary; Pastor, Heritage Reformed Congregation, Grand Rapids, Michigan
“John Owen’s work is well worth knowing, especially since he was one of the giants who understood that all good theology is inevitably pastoral. Matthew Barrett and Michael A. G. Haykin strongly believe this as well; therefore, they prove able guides committed to introducing key theological emphases that not only inform Owen’s own conception of the Christian life but should guide ours as well.”
―Kelly M. Kapic, Professor of Theological Studies, Covenant College
“All that Owen wrote sought to promote contemplation of God and pursuit of godliness. This clear and loving account of his theology provides a sure guide to the spiritual riches of a magnificent Christian thinker.”
―John Webster, Professor of Systematic Theology, University of Aberdeen
“I am delighted to be able to commend this guide to the Christian life drawn so deftly from the writings of John Owen by Drs. Barrett and Haykin. The authors are familiar with the Owen corpus and have drawn widely from the available materials. The result is a delightfully lucid work. When one first comes to Owen’s writings, the sheer bulk may be daunting. Owen was a pastor, and this guidebook is a delight to read and study. Anyone who ventures into these pages will find the result richly rewarding and hopefully will turn to the sources. As I read this book, repeatedly I thought of what a blessing this would have been to me in the late 1950s when I acquired unexpectedly an almost complete set of Owen’s Works.”
―Robert W. Oliver, Pastor Emeritus, Old Baptist Chapel, Bradford on Avon, UK; Emeritus Lecturer in Church History and Historical Theology, London Theological Seminary
“John Owen was arguably the most important Puritan; his mind, the most penetrating; and his understanding of the Bible and theology, preeminent. As a pastor, he had a deep concern for the spiritual well-being of his hearers and readers. It is gratifying that this excellent discussion of Owen’s consideration of the Christian life brings his work to a wider readership.”
―Robert Letham, Senior Research Fellow, Union School of Theology
“Owen on the Christian Life is one of the most valuable accounts yet published of the practical theology of the most eminent English Puritan. Owen’s theology has become known for its difficulty and polemic, and yet, as Barrett and Haykin demonstrate, it was driven by and was intended to develop a life of discipline and devotion. This book will be one of the best studies of Owen’s thinking to be published in anticipation of his anniversary year.”
―Crawford Gribben, Professor of History, Queen’s University Belfast; author, An Introduction to John Owen
“As Barrett and Haykin make clear, John Owen always wrote for life: truth is not just to be believed but also to be experienced. Their book explores many of the great truths of the Christian faith in the hands of this great thinker. They translate the wisdom of his age for the benefit of ours, all in a way that helps us faithfully to live in the reality of God’s holiness, love, and grace.”
―Tim Cooper, Professor of Church History, University of Otago, New Zealand; author, John Owen, Richard Baxter, and the Formation of Nonconformity
About the Author
Michael A. G. Haykin (ThD, University of Toronto) is professor of church history and biblical spirituality at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies. He has authored or edited more than twenty-five books, includingRediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church.
Product details
- Publisher : Crossway; Reprint edition (September 30, 2015)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 304 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1433537281
- ISBN-13 : 978-1433537288
- Item Weight : 14.4 ounces
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.63 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,200,745 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,506 in Christian Systematic Theology (Books)
- #2,503 in Christian Saints
- #6,390 in Religious Leader Biographies
- Customer Reviews:
About the authors
Michael A. G. Haykin (PhD, University of Toronto) is professor of church history and biblical spirituality at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has authored or edited more than twenty-five books, including The Emergence of Evangelicalism: Exploring Historical Continuities.
Dr. Stephen J. Nichols is president of Reformation Bible College, chief academic officer for Ligonier Ministries, and a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow. He holds a Ph.D. from Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He is host of the podcasts 5 Minutes in Church History and Open Book. He is author of more than twenty books, including Beyond the 95 Theses, A Time for Confidence, and R.C. Sproul: A Life and coeditor of Crossway’s Theologians on the Christian Life series.
Matthew Barrett is Professor of Christian Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, as well as the founder of Credo Magazine and host of the Credo Podcast. He is also the Director of the Center for Classical Theology. He is the author of several books, including Simply Trinity: The Unmanipulated Father, Son, and Spirit, which won the Christianity Today Book of the Year award in Theology and Ethics. He is currently writing a Systematic Theology for Baker Academic.
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- Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2020There are many attempts to summarize the theology of John Owen, but this one is the best by far. The authors incredibly make the oft-times prolix Owen not only clear but also accessible. Liberally sprinkled with quotations from his works and integrating them by topic (the Holy Spirit, Sin, etc.), Barrett’s and Haykin’s book will lead you directly to the primary source itself—John Owen. Truly outstanding and highly devotional.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2016Owen's writings are dense but rich and the authors did a wonderful job condensing them without losing their vital substance. I can't recommend this volume or Owen himself highly enough.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2015Overall, I thought this was a great piece of work summarizing Owen's theology. The first chapter was excellent (and very timely for today) as it draws the reader into the historical context of Quaker theology abour the Spirit, and then observes Owen's response on the sufficiency of Scripture with the Spirit. It may be worth the price of the whole book.
On the whole, I felt the remainder of the book was certainly good and solid. However, the excellent quality of the first chapter did not feel as present throughout the bulk of the book. While a very good piece of work, at times it felt more like reformed, systematic theology with Owen quotes to give support, rather than an intimate, personal look at the man and his gems (as found in Horton's on Calvin, or Trueman's on Luther). It wouldn't be fair to say that the entire book is like this, not at all, but for myself anyway, that was one thing that stood out to me as I read it. A little more "Owen", by way of quotations and anecdotes, would have been fun.
Ultimately, this is a solid piece of historical theology in a readable fashion, which makes it well worth the price and time. I definitely recommend it.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2016Quality resource in its field
- Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2015Owen on the Christian Life provides a broad-spectrum approach to John Owen’s theological insights into the Christian life. It is part of the “Theologians on the Christian Life” series from Crossway (see my other reviews in this series here).
John Owen was a Puritan. Yes, one of “those people.” The word “puritan” has something of a bad connotation nowadays, but the theological movement was actually remarkably broad. Moreover, many insights can be gleaned from reading through the works of these theologians who emphasized a Christian life lived.
The authors outline Owen’s theology through a number of chapters that build on each other, including chapters on the Trinity, penal substitution, justification, and more. Readers also learn about Owen’s transition towards congregationalism, discussions about church and state, and more.
Central to Owen’s theology are the Trinitarian relations, which can help us to learn about divine-human and human-relations as well. Owen emphasized the importance of religious experience for the Christian life. This experience was never taken to trump the authority of the Bible–far from it. Instead, it was taken to be a bulwark in times of doubt and need. Justification in Owen’s view provides a way to be assured of one’s salvation, for God completes that which God has set out to do. Sanctification is where I believe Owen’s main contributions might be found, though I will outline that more below.
The primary critique I have of the book is that it doesn’t seem to focus on Owen’s specific views of the Christian life as the other works in the series have. As I outlined above, there are chapters emphasizing various aspects of Owen’s theology, but these only get tied into the Christian life in what seems like offhand fashion at times. This makes the book read more like an exposition of Owen’s broader (largely Calvinistic) theology than a specific look at his doctrine of the Christian life. Particularly surprising to me was how Owen’s insights on sanctification and overcoming sin and temptation were lumped in with discussions of the power of prayer and the indwelling Spirit. Perhaps this is at least partially my own bias, having been edified greatly by his works on sin and temptation, but I think that more space dedicated to his work in this area would have been on point in a book on the Christian life.
That said, the authors do a good job summarizing Owen’s approach to overcoming sin and putting it to death in our lives. Owen argues for several steps a Christian can take to battle sin and temptation in their lives. This is a proactive approach which views the Christian life as a Spirit-empowered battle against the temptations we face. Steps Owen describes include the envisioning of the consequences of sin, reflection on the Bible, and realizing the fact of the suffering our sin causes Christ.
Owen on the Christian Life provides insight into the whole of Owen’s theology, with a focus on his theology of Christian living. It’s not necessarily as focused on the topic at hand as some other books in the series, but it is a worthy read that provides an introduction into the thought of this theological giant.
The Good
+Excellent insights into the Christian life
+Provides broad overview of Owen’s work
+Great insights into doctrine of the Holy Spirit, sanctification, and more
The Bad
-Doesn’t seem to focus entirely on the Christian Life
- Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2017Having read several other volumes in Crossway's Theologians on the Christian Life series, I can say that this is the most theological treatment on any book in the series. Which would normally be okay, but the series is supposed to lean towards the practical aspects of Christian living. That's not to say that theology isn't practical, because it is, but is to say that the authors should have given much more space to Owen's views on sanctification and killing sin than his understanding of justification by faith and the atonement.
It's criminal that they only gave one chapter (and a short one at that!) to Owen's works on the mortification of sin and indwelling sin.
But aside from this qualm, I didn't want to give a review below 4 stars because there is so much good in this book. We would do well as Christians to read more on and by the great Puritan, John Owen.