Jonathan Edwards: Puritan or Pluralist?

Experiential or evangelical religion moved toward explaining God's presence in the world, documenting the sorts of signs and expressions that religious people could expect to discover for themselves empirically. While Marsden's biography is more expansive and addresses the wider context of evangelicalism in American history, Gura presents Edwards with a fresh and light touch; Marsden's volume strives to be exhaustive, while Gura's book gives a broad sketch of this fascinating figure. Gura's biography is organized by the different stages of Edwards's life and revival work, emphasizing his roots in the Connecticut Valley, touching down lightly on some of the central points of New England history, but spending more time on Edwards's philosophical influences and the fruits of his labors in New England.