A Quest for Godliness: The Puritan Vision of the Christian Life

The author of the epistle to the Hebrews exhorts the readers in the last chapter to "remember" their leaders, "consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith." There is a value, great value in learning biography of great servants of God in the past, the giants of Christianity; some of whom are the Puritans, whose theology and lifestyle are still relevant to this day, in our days when it is getting real difficult to define and find what and where true Christianity is. Professor Packer has done a superb work in expounding Puritan themes on doctrines, practical theology, which Perkins defines as "the science of living blessedly forever. Blessed life ariseth from the knowledge of God", ministry and evangelism. In regard to doctrines, a particular emphasis was placed on John Owen whom I regard as one of, if not the best dead Christian apologists where his treatises on the doctrine of limited atonement, spiritual gifts, communion with God, the beauty of piety and holiness are treated exquisitely. Pastor Richard Baxter, though somewhat erroneous in doctrines, seems to be a role model of a compassionate, God-serving, people-loving, talk-the-walk, walk-the-talk-type of minister and evangelist where pastors have much to learn from in our days of quick decision, quick conversion, prosperity gospel, emphasis on fun, numbers, and programs in running the church, exhorting people to go to Afghanistan to preach the gospel while the pastor himself enjoys the glamour of rich congregation in Aspen.The beauty of Puritan principles in regard to family, keeping the Sabbath, marriage, and revival are covered impressively as well. The views on family and marriage are sober yet happy ones, for me personally, but I think are good for singles and married couples alike. If Puritan lifestyle were to be summarized in one statement, in my view, it is as follows: "a joyful compassionate, careful, thoughtful, serious, God-dependent commitment to live a life as pilgrims on earth journeying toward the blessed eternal residence of God in heaven, that expresses delight, reverence, worship of God, and display of the glory of God expressed in the gospel, particularly in the work of redemption carried out by the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross." I'm grateful to God to have the privilege to read some of their texts and biographies; some of which I thoroughly enjoy are those by Jonathan Edwards (Christian Pilgrims, Charity and its Fruits, The Excellency of Christ), John Owen (Overcoming Sin and Temptation, edited by Prof. Kelly Kapic and Justin Taylor), Thomas Watson (The Art of Divine Contentment, All Things for Good, A Treatise on the Beatitudes), Jeremiah Burrough (The Jewel of Christian Contentment); and look forward to read more. O how I long to fellowship with brothers and sisters in and be cared under a Puritan-like ministry, and if the Lord ever calls me to be a minister, or work in ministry, I desire to be like Owen when it comes to solidity and depth of understanding of biblical doctrines, and Baxter when it comes to counseling, ministering, loving and caring for people.

I cannot imagine anyone more qualified to write on the Puritan vision for godliness than one of the eminent theologians of our day, the revered J.I. Packer. With lucidity and skill, Packer takes the reader through a brief history of the Puritan life and purpose. And yet this work is not strictly an historical work. Much of the genius of this book is in Packer's ability to take the reader into the inner workings of the Puritan mind.Like a expert mechanic, Packer opens up the hood and shows the student the "engine" and its component parts within the Puritan worldview. Subjects such as the conscience, revivalism, preaching and the sermon, spiritual gifts, the Lord's Day, and marriage and family are all addressed with thorough documentation.One of the special features of this work are the copious quotations from the original source writings themselves. In each and every chapter, Packer brings the reader into a close-encounter with the very men he calls the "Redwoods" of Christian theology. (Foremost among them are Owen and Baxter, over whose works Packer demonstrates thoroughgoing mastery). New readers in this field will find that, having completed this book, they have already met a few of the Puritans first-hand.Rev. Matthew Everhard, Pastor, Faith Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Brooksville Florida.

I haven’t completed the book yet, but I will when I return from my trip. First, Dr. Packer writes superbly. Next, he is an excellent historian and researcher.It is almost embarrassing to see how little I know about the Puritans. Packer is correcting that through this book. I am taking my time going through this book, highlighting and taking notes as I work my way through, reading associated Scriptures to assure I understand the connection between his ideas and The Holy Spirit’s.I am learning a lot about what it means to give myself to God.Will update when I finish. If you want to know God better, read this book. Don’t wait for my update.

The title of this book quite accurately conveys its purpose, which is to make known and consider, the beliefs held by the Puritans on specific theological and practical subjects. Some of the theological subjects of which the Puritan view is given include the gospel, the holy spirit, and interpretation of scripture, while the practical part deals with family life, evangelism, and preaching. All of this is a review of how the Puritans believed a Godly life could be achieved.Packer is indeed a fine writer, and I very much enjoy reading his writings even though at times it can be quite difficult. No, you must not gloss over his words for you will not profit from them. This book requires you to be very conscientious if you are to gain the fullest extent of its meaning. I treasure this book because it has inspired me to live a Godly life just as the Puritans did.

The book is a collection of essays on the Puritan's quest for godliness. He covers various aspect of Puritan life and ministry. Some of the essays appear in different collections. The book is challenging and informative as is typical of Packer's books. He quotes the Puritan writers extensively (e. g. Baxter), but he throws in other theologians such as Spurgeon and Augustine as well. The last chapters that focus on the last of the puritans, Jonathan Edwards, is extremely interesting. Packer brings in theology, history and exhortation into his writings. If you don't understand the strength of "Reformed Theology," this book will definitely help.The book is very good, but for me it started out slow because I read some of the essays before. But the more I read, the more I realize what he is trying to do and I am deeply impressed. Packer is giving us a peek into the puritan world view so that we may purify our worship today.

Husband really appreciated this book and read it quickly!

Chuck Colson empfiehlt das Buch mit der treffenden Charakterisierung: 'Packer zeichnet ein lebendiges Portrait der Puritaner als Modell für ein leidenschaftliches, heiliges Leben.' Die einzelnen Bilder gehen auf Konferenzen zu den einzelnen Figuren ' bekannte wie John Owen, Richard Baxter oder Jonathan Edwards, und unbekanntere - zurück, die in den 1950er und 60er-Jahren abgehalten wurden. Packer bündelt die inhaltliche Vielfalt mittels grösserer Themenblöcke (Bibel, Evangelium, Heiliger Geist, christliches Leben, Dienst). In der Entfaltung gewährt er Einblick in wichtige Schriften.In der Einleitung arbeitet der Autor seinen eigenen Bezug und die wichtigsten Lernfelder heraus. Er beginnt bei einer eigenen geistlichen Schlüsselerfahrung kurz nach seiner Bekehrung. John Owen half ihm, zu einer realistischen Einschätzung seiner eigenen Sündhaftigkeit zu gelangen.Warum brauchen wir gerade die Puritaner? Dieser Frage geht Packer im ersten Kapitel nach. Ähnlich wie bei Calvin hat sich der Begriff als eigentliches Schimpfwort für spröde Gesetzlichkeit eingebürgert. Zu Unrecht! Es gilt also zu entdecken, was hinter der Bewegung steckte: Faszinierende Beispiele für - wie wir es heute nennen würden - ganzheitliches Leben. Gott sollte durch Dankbarkeit gegenüber seinen vielfältigen Gaben geehrt werden (23). Denken wurde nicht gegen Handeln ausgespielt. Gottes Weg zum menschlichen Herzen (Willen) läuft via den menschlichen Kopf (Verstand, 24). Daraus geht die Leidenschaft für effektives Handeln hervor!Durch den lebendigen Bezug zum reichen Erbe der Puritaner entwickelte Packer einen Scharfblick auf die eigenen Reihen. Er ortete drei Typen von Evangelikalen: Ruhelose Erlebnissucher (restless experientialists), die simple Extrovertiertheit mit einem gesunden christlichen Leben verwechseln; verschanzte Intellektualisten (entrenched intellectualists), welche stets den Kampf um inhaltliche Korrektheit gewinnen wollen; den unzufriedenen Abweichler (disaffected deviationists), welcher der Bewegung desillusioniert den Rücken zugekehrt hat. Das Buch schliesst den Leser jedoch nicht in eine Schublade ein, sondern regt vielmehr zum - von Christus befreiten - Denken UND Handeln an.Die ermutigenden Impulse der Bewegung befruchten das geistliche Leben. Lehre wird nicht gegen Erfahrung ausgespielt, sondern miteinander verbunden. Gesetz und Evangelium müssen im Gleichgewicht gehalten werden. Die Schrift soll mit Verstand und Energie erforscht und dann auf alle Bereiche des Lebens angewandt werden. Auslegendes Predigen verbindet sich darum mit der Arbeit, die Wahrheiten auf die brennenden Fragen der Zeit anzuwenden und damit einen fruchtbaren Dialog in Gang zu setzen.Was gäbe es Schöneres, als Alleinstehende, Familie und Kirchgemeinden zu erleben, deren Leben von der Kraft des Evangeliums erneuert worden ist? Die Folgen würden sich nicht nur in den Gottesdiensten und einem ausdauernden Bibelstudium, sondern in verschobenen Prioritäten bezüglich unserer Freizeitgesellschaft, einem Eifer in der Bildung und einem aufopfernden Dienst an den Schwächsten unserer Gesellschaft zeigen.Die Lektüre war anstrengend, denn der Text ist mit Zitaten gepflastert. Die ausgeführten Aspekte sind vielfältig; der Leser ist gezwungen in manche Nebenstrassen einzubiegen. Doch gerade dort gab es an den Wegrändern so manches zu entdecken!Das Buch ist Pflichtlektüre für Christen, die geistlich wachsen wollen ' und für solche, die merken, dass seichtes Erfahrungschristentum nicht genügt.

It looks like I am the first UK reader to post a review of this excellent overview of the Puritans on Amazon...which given the significance of Packer's masterly distillation is a bit depressing. To be fair, I would probably not otherwise have got around to reading the book (much as I love Packer's writings), but it was a required text for my M.A.There is a lot that could be said about this introduction to the ministry, theology and writings of the Puritans. Firstly, the author's own style of writing is engaging, and hooks you in - there are frequent points of challenge, as one compares the priorities and emphases of the Puritans, with those of our day, and one is left frequently wondering why mainstream churches so very often, and so conspicuously avoid taking seriously the lessons from this period in our history. Packer does a good job of dismissing those old (frequently secular) caricatures of this period in church history, which might otherwise cause embarrassment to Christians who haven't studied the subject.Secondly, I was reminded again of how the Puritan divines were preaching and writing to ordinary people, struggling with the kinds of issues of life which are not so remote from our experience. Their books and sermons may at times be a little long and verbose, but (for the most part) they are speaking plainly and directly to the realities of human experience. So, I was reminded of the sheer accessibility of the writings of Sibbes, Baxter, Goodwin and others...and, thanks to Packer, I even began to understand a little better how Owen's slightly awkward, formalised way of writing made a great deal of sense.Thirdly, Packer covers in real detail all those points of tension which any student will experience when looking at the Puritans: (1) the relationships between the Established Church, conformity, nonconformity, presbyterianism and the 1662 Act of Uniformity; (2) the character and basis for Puritan theology - how they approached the Bible, exegeted it and applied it; (3) the impact of Calvinistic doctrine, especially upon evangelism; (4 the very strong emphasis of the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the church community.In the process, I learned quite a few new things. Puritan theology was the admiration of continental Europe, with many writings being translated into many european languages. The Puritans pretty much invented the 'popular Christian book', with many titles running to 20,000 or even 40,000 copies in their first and second print-runs - that's huge even by modern-day standards. Some titles, such as John Owen's 'The Death of Death in The Death of Christ' remain unsurpassed in terms of the quality and thoroughness of the treatment of the core truth of the atoning work of God's Messiah. And, I discovered how well-read relatively unlearned people were: Bunyan, by the age of 15, had already read a series of books which would be beyond the ability of most people today.The joy of this book is that Packer unfolds the core qualities and emphases of the Puritans against the backdrop of the decline in Western spirituality in the 20th and 21st Centuries - showing that this theology and spirituality is very much the antidote to what Jaques Barzun calls the 'decadence' of the present age (http://www.amazon.co.uk/From-Dawn-Decadence-Western-Cultural/dp/0613708504/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398685975&sr=8-1&keywords=barzun). The answer to our condition is not some 'new' gimmick, technique or theological novelty - it is the rediscovery of something that we have lost, on the way.

Awesome book! Awesome writer!

Great product.