Communion with God
The Divine and the Human in the Theology of John Owen
About
The recent resurgence of interest in the Puritan John Owen has resulted in increasing requests for Kelly Kapic's Communion with God, which was one of the books that helped foster renewed attention on this classic theologian. This book is now back in print with a new preface by the author.
According to Kapic, a variety of people today are rediscovering Owen, including academic theologians, ministers from different denominational backgrounds, and laypeople interested in classic forms of spirituality. With this diverse audience in mind, Kapic focuses on the concept of communion with God in Owen's thought, covering key areas such as anthropology, Christology, trinitarian studies, and the Lord's supper.
Kapic shows that Owen remains a rich dialogue partner for those engaged both in contemporary theology and pastoral practice.
1. The Lingering Shadow of John Owen
2. Created to Commune with God: Owen's Formulation of the Imago Dei
3. Humanity Actualized: The Relationship between the Incarnation and Fallen Humanity
4. Reconciling God and Humanity: Looking at the Question of Justification
5. Communion with the Triune God: God's Being and Action Informing Human Response
6. Signs of Continuing Communion: Lord's Day and Lord's Supper
Epilogue
Appendix: Comparing Westminster Standards and John Owen on Humanity (Jesus's and Ours)
Indexes
Endorsements
"John Owen was one of the giants of Puritanism, his massive erudition displayed on every page of the many volumes that flowed from his pen. We now have no better guide to Owen's thought than Kapic's study. Focusing on the relation of humans to God and the communion with God established by Christ, Kapic masterfully opens up all aspects of the great Puritan's theology. This fresh look is a most welcomed resource as it probes significant aspects of Owen's thought for contemporary theology and Christian life."
Donald K. McKim, editor, Encyclopedia of the Reformed Faith
"This well-rounded research will be of interest to anyone concerned with the development of Reformed theology from a historical or systematic perspective. Kapic's analysis is clear and well constructed, solidly grounded in an excellent grasp of recent writing on Owen and with a sure sense of where its own distinctive contribution lies. Kapic has produced a meticulous piece of scholarship that brings a sophisticated and nuanced approach to the exploration of crucial themes in Owen's theology."
Susan Hardman Moore, School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh (emeritus)
"This book, which draws from an impressive array of sources, is a marvelously rich, full, and systematic treatment of Owen's focus on communion with God. It will enhance our understanding and appreciation of Owen and, most importantly, of personal communion with the Triune God."
Joel R. Beeke, chancellor and professor of homiletics and systematic theology, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary
"Those who know the theology of John Owen recognize one of the most powerful, and sometimes original, theologians to have written in the English language, but there are few studies tracing the themes and arguments of this great thinker. Thankfully, this is now being reversed, and Kapic's study not only provides the reader with a much-needed guide to the literature that is becoming available but also adds its own significant and powerful contribution. This is a clear, careful, and compelling exposition of a powerful and challenging theological scheme. It deserves to be widely read, for both the greatness of the subject and the ability of the interpreter."
Steven R. Holmes, St. Mary's College, University of St. Andrews
"Kelly Kapic's work makes two major contributions. First, Kapic effectively dislodges the assumption that pejoratively identifies the Protestant scholasticism of the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries as being ossifying and unduly scholastic. He does so in a way that is truly ecumenical and amiable rather than pugnacious and polemical. Second, as the best examples of 'pre-critical' exegesis are in need of fresh attention, Kapic's sophisticated contextualization of Owen within the wider intellectual context of seventeenth-century Europe deserves our attention."
Paul C. H. Lim, Vanderbilt University; co-editor, The Cambridge Companion to Puritanism
"Kelly Kapic has carefully mined the theological riches of John Owen and has presented them for our study and edification. This welcome work provides the theological foundation for understanding the spiritual hunger and needs of our contemporary church and points us in the proper direction for addressing them. We are greatly in debt to Kapic for this reminder of the transforming message of John Owen for today."
Tom Schwanda, associate professor of Christian formation and ministry emeritus, Wheaton College
"Kapic is an able guide to England's greatest theologian, and he has restored Owen's remarkable exposition of communion with God to its central place. Here is a study that understands and underlines the Puritan conviction that all truly biblical theology is profoundly pastoral."
Sinclair B. Ferguson, Chancellor's Professor of Systematic Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary
The Author
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Kelly M. Kapic
Kelly M. Kapic (PhD, King's College, University of London) is professor of theological studies at Covenant College in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, where he has taught since 2001. He is a popular speaker and the award-winning author or editor of more than fifteen...
Continue reading about Kelly M. Kapic
Reviews
"I am impressed by Kapic's demonstration of Owen's participation in longstanding philosophical and theological conversations. . . . Kapic's discussion of Owen's trinitarianism enters important conversations among contemporary theologians from radical orthodoxy to postliberalism to advocates of spiritual theology. . . . Kapic sets up habitation in Owen's oeuvre, opening doors here and there to neglected tomes, always confident that the further we explore this Puritan establishment, the more capacious we will find it."
Craig E. Mattson,
Calvin Theological Journal
"Kapic declares that his primary intention is to 'present John Owen's theology in the light of his view of communion with God.' As it turns out, Kapic offers the reader an incisive outline of Owen's soteriology. . . . Kapic successfully brings together a number of key themes from Owen's wide-ranging theological corpus in a coherent and satisfying framework of thought. . . . He has interpreted Owen's theology with remarkable faithfulness in the context of his peers and his times. A number of the contentious issues that are raised in the exposition are treated carefully and helpfully. . . . Kapic has ably presented in his book a theologian of the very highest order, whose spiritual fervor and pastoral concern is the engine that drives his magisterial theological writing. It seems to me that Kapic admirably fulfilled his own declared purpose in writing Communion with God."
Alan Spence,
Journal of Reformed Theology
"[Kapic's] book certainly supports the contention that Owen warrants far greater consideration than he has received thus far. . . . Kapic has, if it is possible, produced a summary of Owen's theology. He cogently argues for the driving force of scripture accompanied by careful consideration of philosophical ideals in Owen's own thoughts. . . . The book offers a tantalizing foretaste of what is yet to come regarding what Kapic and others have begun to unearth from John Owen's massive writings."
Joseph Chi,
Sixteenth Century Journal
"Kapic is no stranger to the Puritans or to Owen. . . . The book succeeds in working through the massive writing of Owen . . . and develops for readers today a helpful theological construct in understanding the theology behind the relationship between God and man. In a day when there is an incredible lack of focus on precision in theology, especially in the life of the church, a study of a great theologian and churchman like Owen . . . is important. . . . This is a rich work that deserves wide readership. . . . This book is recommended for seminary students, professors, pastors, and believers who have a serious desire to study in-depth theology and church history."
Allen R. Mickle Jr.,
Criswell Theological Review