Denied Quote by Oliver D. Crisp
![“How many people in the pews know that [ Jonathan Edwards] is both a founder of evangelicalism and, say, an idealist who denied that the material world exists?” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9cf/oliver-d-crisp-12863_denied_how-many-people-in-the-pews-know-that-jo_747704.jpg)
“How many people in the pews know that [ Jonathan Edwards] is both a founder of evangelicalism and, say, an idealist who denied that the material world exists?”
About This Quote
Source Lecture: History of Theology, 2018
Jonathan Edwards combined evangelical fervor with philosophical idealism, denying material reality.
In simple terms: Edwards mixed faith and idealism.
Key Takeaway
Explore how belief shapes worldview.
Themes
theology
philosophy
idealism
evangelicalism
Mood
analytical
thought‑provoking
Type
philosophical
historical
When to use this quote
- academic study
- personal reflection
- faith discussions
Key Concepts
metaphysics
historical context
belief systems
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you reconcile faith with material reality?
- What impact does idealism have on moral action?
A Different Perspective
Idealism may conflict with empirical evidence.
![“[ Jonathan] Edwards is the person who really made theological determinism a serious option for Reformed thinkers, and the influence his views had in nineteenth century Reformed thought, in the USA and the UK in particular, is enormous.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ae4/oliver-d-crisp-12863_century_jonathan-edwards-is-the-person-who-reall_2794909.jpg)
![“[Jonathan Edwards] he has to be engaged with on this issue if you're writing about Calvinism as I am in this book.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a3b/oliver-d-crisp-12863_book_jonathan-edwards-he-has-to-be-engaged-wi_2705317.jpg)
![“[ Jonathan] Edwards is one of my heroes. I've learned much from him over the years.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/685/oliver-d-crisp-12863_hero_jonathan-edwards-is-one-of-my-heroes-i-v_2410640.jpg)
![“To my mind [ Jonathan Edwards] is an interesting figure because he is both a canonical Reformed thinker, and yet also someone that pushed the envelope in a number of key areas of theology.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/45c/oliver-d-crisp-12863_areas_to-my-mind-jonathan-edwards-is-an-intere_588690.jpg)
![“[Jonathan] Edwards definitely shows up in the book [Saving Calvinism]. He appears as one of the interlocutors in the chapter on free will, the other being the Southern Presbyterian theologian John Girardeau.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/37e/oliver-d-crisp-12863_book_jonathan-edwards-definitely-shows-up-in_710749.jpg)
![“Here is the interesting twist:[McLeod] Campbell came to his views through reading Jonathan Edwards who suggested at one point in his ruminations on the atonement that Christ could have offered up a perfect act of penitence instead of punishment, and that this would have been an acceptable offering…” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c6f/oliver-d-crisp-12863_acceptable_here-is-the-interesting-twist-mcleod-cam_712068.jpg)
![“[John] Calvin is revered as a thinker of immense importance in Reformed thought, Jonathan Edwards could say in his preface to his treatise on Freedom of the Will that he had derived none of his views from the work of Calvin, though he was willing to be called a "Calvinist" for the sake of…” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/79f/oliver-d-crisp-12863_conventions_john-calvin-is-revered-as-a-thinker-of-i_1850444.jpg)
![“I recommend Doug Sweeney's recent book [Jonathan] Edwards the Exegete (Oxford University Press, 2015), which is a terrific treatment of the way in which Edwards was steeped in the Bible, so that it shaped the whole of his thinking.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9d2/oliver-d-crisp-12863_bible_i-recommend-doug-sweeney-s-recent-book-j_1302304.jpg)
![“[John Calvin's] treatment of the person and work of Christ, of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, of prayer and liturgy, of the sacraments, and of the way in which we have an in-built sense of the divine that we suppress to our great sorrow - these are all immense contributions to…” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/4ef/oliver-d-crisp-12863_believer_john-calvin-s-treatment-of-the-person-an_62415.jpg)
![“What I am trying to argue here [Save Calvinism] and in other works before this one is that the Reformed tradition as I have characterized it is much broader and richer than many of us today imagine. It is not just about "Five Points," and it was never just about [John ] Calvin's thought.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2cb/oliver-d-crisp-12863_arguing_what-i-am-trying-to-argue-here-save-calv_134263.jpg)
![“[John Calvin] writes clearly, directly, without artifice, and gets straight to the practical heart of the matter.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/872/oliver-d-crisp-12863_artifice_john-calvin-writes-clearly-directly-with_309224.jpg)
![“In the chapter on the nature of the atonement [in the book saving Calvinism] I argue that it is a mistake to think that penal substitution is the only option on the doctrine of atonement.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/5fe/oliver-d-crisp-12863_arguing_in-the-chapter-on-the-nature-of-the-aton_377313.jpg)
![“Reading [John] Calvin is a breath of fresh air.” quote by Oliver D. Crisp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/e14/oliver-d-crisp-12863_air_reading-john-calvin-is-a-breath-of-fresh_529860.jpg)
