
Isaac Watts
Reason, Passion and the Revival of Religion
Graham Beynon(Author)
T.& T.Clark Ltd (Publisher)
Published on 19. April 2018
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-0-567-68121-8 (ISBN)
Description
Isaac Watts was an important but relatively unexamined figure and this volume offers a description of his theology, specifically identifying his position on reason and passion as foundational. The book shows how Watts modified a Puritan inherence on both topics in the light of the thought of his day. In particular there is an examination of how he both took on board and reacted against aspects of Enlightenment and sentimentalist thought. Watts' position on these foundational issued of reason and passion are then shown to lie behind his more practical works to revive the church.
Graham Beynon examines the motivation for Watts' work in writing hymns, and the way in which he wrote them; and discusses his preaching and prayer. In each of these practical topics Watts's position is compared to earlier Puritans to show the difference his thinking on reason and passion makes in practice. Isaac Watts is shown to have a coherent position on the foundational issues of reason and passion which drove his view of revival of religion.
Graham Beynon examines the motivation for Watts' work in writing hymns, and the way in which he wrote them; and discusses his preaching and prayer. In each of these practical topics Watts's position is compared to earlier Puritans to show the difference his thinking on reason and passion makes in practice. Isaac Watts is shown to have a coherent position on the foundational issues of reason and passion which drove his view of revival of religion.
Reviews / Votes
Beynon has produced an erudite, brilliant investigation into the work of Watts. * Reading Religion * Isaac Watts the Dissenting hymnwriter was also an eighteenth-century intellectual who exerted a powerful influence over several generations through his extensive writings. His achievement, as Graham Beynon shows, was to build on his Puritan inheritance by engaging with contemporary thought so as to lay the foundations for the reformation of religion. In many ways he anticipated the concerns of the Evangelical Revival that took off in his later years. * David Bebbington, University of Stirling, UK * Reason and passion and the relationship between them are key themes in the early eighteenth century. Graham Beynon has made a significant contribution in this area with this volume on reason and passion in the works of Isaac Watts. Beynon examines Watts's approach to reason and passion and the interconnections between those subjects and preaching, worship and prayer. His study makes a significant contribution to the understanding of English Dissent in the first part of the 18th century. * Robert Strivens, Principal, London Theological Seminary, UK * The theologian and hymn-writer Isaac Watts was one of the major shapers of eighteenth-century evangelicalism, yet he has received far less scrutiny than the Wesleys or Jonathan Edwards. Graham Beynon's book joins other recent studies by Isabel Rivers and Tessa Whitehouse in turning the spotlight onto Watts. He reveals a serious and consistent thinker, one who found a place for religious passion within the context of England's Protestant Enlightenment. What makes the book particularly useful is its judicious assessment of how Watts perpetuated and modified the Puritan tradition. * John Coffey, University of Leicester, UK *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Edinburgh
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 156 mm
Weight
331 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-567-68121-8 (9780567681218)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
10/2016
1st Edition
T.& T.Clark Ltd
€39.99
Available for download

E-Book
10/2016
1st Edition
T.& T.Clark Ltd
€39.99
Available for download
Person
Graham Beynon is Minister at the Grace Church in Cambridge, UK, and Director of Independent Ministry Training, Oak Hill College, London, UK.
Content
Introduction
Part 1: Reason and Passion
Chapter 1: The Role of Reason
Chapter 2: The Place of Passion
Chapter 3: The Art of Preaching
Part 2: The Revival of Religion
Chapter 3: The Art of Preaching
Chapter 4: The Need for Praise
Chapter 5: The Method of Prayer
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
Part 1: Reason and Passion
Chapter 1: The Role of Reason
Chapter 2: The Place of Passion
Chapter 3: The Art of Preaching
Part 2: The Revival of Religion
Chapter 3: The Art of Preaching
Chapter 4: The Need for Praise
Chapter 5: The Method of Prayer
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index