A Puritan Theology: Doctrine for Life offers a groundbreaking exposition of the Puritans' teaching on most major Reformed doctrines, particularly those doctrines to which the Puritans made significant contributions. Since the late 1950s, Joel Beeke and Randall Pederson have reprinted and cataloged nearly 150 Puritan authors and 700 Puritan books in their 2006 collection of mini-biographies and book reviews, titled Meet the Puritans. However, until now no work has brought together the threads of their teaching into a unified tapestry of systematic theology.
A Puritan Theology, by Joel Beeke and Mark Jones, attempts to do just that. The book addresses Puritan teachings on the six loci of theology, covering fifty areas of doctrine. The book explores Puritan teachings on biblical interpretation, God, predestination, providence, angels, sin, covenants, the gospel, Christ, preparation for conversion, regeneration, coming to Christ, justification, adoption, church government, the Christian Sabbath, preaching, baptism, heaven, hell, and many other topics. It concludes with eight chapters that explore "Puritan theology in practice." Some chapters highlight the work of a specific theologian such as William Perkins, William Ames, John Owen, Stephen Charnock, or Thomas Goodwin on a specific topic. Other chapters examine several authors on a particular topic. The goal of A Puritan Theology is to increase knowledge in the mind and piety in the soul. It was written for theologians, historians, pastors, and educated laypeople seeking to learn more about Puritan theology.
Joel Beeke is the president and professor of Systematic Theology and Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary. He is also one of the pastors of the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He has contributed more than two thousand articles to Reformed books, magazines, academic contributions, and encyclopedias.
Mark Jones (PhD Leiden, 2009) has been minister of Faith Vancouver Presbyterian Church (PCA), Canada, since 2007. He is also a research associate at the Faculty of Theology of the University of the Free State (Bloemfontein) and lecturer in Dogmatic Theology at John Wycliffe Theological College, in association with North-West University (Potchefstroom Campus), South Africa. He is co-author of A Puritan Theology.
