Dr. Michael A. G. Haykin is the Principal of, Toronto Baptist Seminary, Toronto, Ontario, where he teaches Church History, Historical Theology, and Spirituality. He is a Senior Fellow of The Andrew Fuller Centre for Reformed Evangelicalism. He will shortly take up the position of Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
Q In one place, you have said that the study of Jonathan Edwards “has become an academic industry in its own right.”Furthermore, book publishers seem to be having a field day bringing his works back into print. Why do you think books by and about Jonathan Edwards have become so popular these days?
A Well, there has been a movement over the past forty years of growing dissatisfaction with the intellectual and spiritual state of western Evangelicalism. In a desire to find an antidote to this situation, one of the most profitable avenues of approach has been to go back to past spiritual giants—and among them none stands taller than Edwards. His intellectual prowess and spiritual acumen are rich food for an anemic Evangelicalism.
Q With all of the excitement generated in relation to Edwards, are there any concerns you have about certain interests in and trajectories of scholarship on Edwards?
A Iain Murray rightly pointed out that the Edwards we need to recover is the theologian and man of God. We must be wary of hagiography and making Edwards a plaster saint, but his walk with God and his theological insights are of enormous value for the church. Earlier generations were both wary of and enamored by his philosophical predilections. We certainly need to be careful in this regard, remember that the heart of the heritage of Edwards is his biblical and theological reflections.
Q Many would claim that we live in a completely different time and culture than the one in which Edwards lived and wrote. How can reading Edwards’s works, composed so long ago, benefit us today?
A This is the perennial issue about learning from the past. Can Edwards help us with our technological difficulties? In one sense, no. He cannot help me fix my computer when it is broken. But can he speak to our technological age, as the consummate Edwards scholar, George Marsden, once put it? Undoubtedly yes, because men and women of our day share the same fundamental problems of Edwards’s day: the need for a place of spiritual safety, forgiveness of their sins, a comfort in the face of death, and a God of glory to live for.
Q Your new book, “A Sweet Flame,” highlights the spirituality of Edwards. There seems to be a growing interest in Reformed experiential piety. Why do you think this is a growing movement?
A As mentioned above, there is such a vacuum in many quarters of Evangelicalism and younger believers are longing for depth and reality. In its own way—though I do not applaud the solution—the Emerging Church movement (or at least, sectors of it) are seeking to respond to the same issue. I am solidly convinced that Reformed experiential piety offers the best biblical solution to our problems.
Q What do you consider Edwards’s greatest contributions to the church, either in his ministry as a whole or in his writings that have been passed down to us?
A His piety without a doubt. If he had only written The Religious Affections, he would be remembered as a major figure. Also his massive biblicism and love of Scripture is vital for a day when many Evangelicals are uncertain about the sufficiency of God’s Holy Word.
Q Where would you encourage people to go to learn more about Edwards’s life and thought?
A For those unfamiliar with Edwards, Iain Murray’s Jonathan Edwards: A New Biography is an excellent starting place. Also, Stephen Nichols’ survey of his life and works in Jonathan Edwards: A Guided Tour.
Q Many people have never read Edwards, but after reading this interview, there may be some who want to see what he is all about. Do you have any suggestions of which of Edwards’s writings would be a good place for them to start?
A I would begin with his A Faithful Narrative of a Surprising Work of God, the account of the revival in his church in Northampton, Mass., in 1734-1735 (this is found in Banner of Truth’s Jonathan Edwards on Revival). Then, maybe his sermon “Heaven is a World of Love” (this is the last chapter of Charity and Its Fruits). Then, The Religious Affections. And of course, I would recommend “A Sweet Flame”!
