Why God Created the World
Description
It is entirely possible that God could have existed without the universe, and without humans, for all eternity. But for some reason, He decided to create anyway. What inspired Him to start the human story in the first place, and how should the answer to that question affect the way we view our lives? Few Christians ever stop to seriously consider these deepest-of-all deep questions.
Jonathan Edwards explains, in his original dissertation: God's inherent predisposition to spread out His truth, goodness, and beauty motivates everything He does. So, His decision to create our universe was motivated not by a desire or need for us, but by a desire to glorify Himself.
Ben Stevens' remarkable new adaptation brings Edwards' powerful arguments to life in fresh, contemporary language. In addition, thought-provoking questions for discussion or reflection invite readers to engage with the concepts and begin to apply them.
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Person
Ben Stevens was born in West Tennessee and grew up in various cities throughout the Mid-South. He studied German at Missouri State University and Philipp's Universität (Marburg, Germany), and went on to get an MDiv with emphases in Preaching and Intercultural Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. As a career missionary to Berlin, Germany, with his wife Becky, Ben loves chatting with and preaching to groups of post-Christian Europeans who have never heard the gospel articulated clearly.
Content
- Intro
- Title Page
- Endorsements
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- Part I: Logic
- Chapter One: Motives: A Few Helpful Distinctions
- Chapter Two: Good, True, and Beautiful: First Steps Toward an Answer
- Chapter Three: Set Loose: The Fruits?of?Creation
- Chapter Four: One and the Same: How?We?Fit?in?the Plan
- Chapter Five: Objections: Examining God?s Character
- Part II: Scripture
- Chapter One: To and Through and For: The Clear Answer in Scripture
- Chapter Two: A Word and a Process: Defining the Word Glory
- Chapter Three: Glory: God?s Work in History
- Chapter Four: Then You Will Know: Glory?by?Another Name
- Chapter Five: His Daily Delight: God?s Love for Humanity
- Chapter Six: Practical Considerations
- Appendix A: Using This Book for Small-Group Study
- Appendix B: The Story of Jonathan Edwards
- Appendix C: How I Adapted the Text
- Appendix D: Jonathan Edwards?s Original Introduction
- About the Author
- Note
