John Owen and English Puritanism

This is the most thorough treatment of Owen's life yet, drawing on a variety of sources. -- Glenn Moots, Anglican and Episcopal History For most contemporary English-speaking Calvinists, John Owen is an unending source of wisdom and inspiration Gribben gives even better reasons for esteeming Owen than those that prevail in Calvinist circles. Such theological insight forged in a context of political intrigue and personal adversity make Owen truly exceptional. -Darryl G. Hart, Ordained Servant Engaging, quotable, scholarly, exemplary -- these four words summarise Gribben's fine biography of John Owen. This book belongs in the libraries of universities and theological coleges as well as in the hands of any serious student of Owen or the Puritans. --T. J. Marinello, European Journal of Theology John Owen and English Puritanism is a remarkable achievement, offering a sophisticated presentation of Owen's life and writings as they are embedded in the religious, political, and literary cultures of his period. Gribben is an astute and detailed observer of the complexity, range, and shifts in Owen's thought, and his book establishes a new standard in study of one of the most complex and enduringly provocative thinkers of seventeenth-century nonconformity. --John Webster, Professor of Divinity, University of St. Andrews Crawford Gibben's superb book establishes John Owen as a towering figure in the culture and politics of seventeenth-century England. Readers have been deterred by the bulk and difficulty of his huge output of theological writings, but Gribben steers us clearly and expertly through the development of his ideas across the rapidly-shifting political landscapes of revolutionary and post-revolutionary England. --David Norbrook, Emeritus Merton Professor of English Literature, University of Oxford Crawford Gribben has here produced the most persuasive account ever of a multi-faceted career that ended in deep personal sadness and public failure. Owen was a profound Calvinist thinker who outlived the welcome of most of the millions of words he published, but he was as much a Lord General in the war of ideas as Oliver Cromwell was the Lord General of the clash of swords. --John Morrill, Fellow of the British Academy, Emeritus Professor of British and Irish History, University of Cambridge