THE FOUNDATION OF COMMUNION WITH GOD:
The Trinitarian Piety of John Owen
By Ryan M. McGraw
Reformation Heritage Books. 150 pages. £6.48
ISBN 978 1 601 783 394
Perhaps a splendid collection of volumes containing the works of John Owen adorns your bookcase. They have pride of place amongst the other books, alongside Calvin and Spurgeon and other worthies. But then comes the crucial question: have they been read? If the answer is no, then this might be the book for you.
Ryan McGraw presents a series of extracts from the writings of John Owen. There are 41 short extracts, taken from a range of Owen’s many works. His aim is to give an authentic flavour of Owen’s writing, without overloading the reader with too much at once. Each extract is between two and three pages long, but seeks to get to the heart of the particular matter. The choice of the different extracts is aimed at demonstrating Owen’s emphasis on the importance of the Trinity in having fellowship with God and worshipping him.
The book begins with a brief section sketching out Owen’s life and theological writing. There are also some very helpful appendices to the book. In these the writer deals with issues like why it is hard to read John Owen’s works and gives useful advice to aid reading them. Perhaps most helpfully of all, the writer gives his suggestions as to the best order in which to read the different volumes. He indicates which works are easier to get into and as such should be attempted first, and which to leave until later, when the reader has some more appreciation of Owen’s writing style.
If you are thinking of tackling Owen’s works, or if you’ve tried in the past and been put off by the sometimes impenetrable nature of the task, then this book could well be of great help.
