Meet the Puritans (Beeke & Pederson)

Description

This encyclopedic resource provides biographical sketches of all the major Puritans as well as bibliographic summaries of their writings and work. Meet the Puritans is an important addition to the library of the layman, pastor, student and scholar.

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Endorsements  

“Joel Beeke and Randall Pederson have produced a tremendous gift to and resource for all who want an entryway into the study of the Puritans. They not only provide accurate biographical and theological introduction to every Puritan whose works have been reprinted in the last fifty years, but also combine with their helpful summaries an insightful analysis. If this were not enough, they’ve added major appendices that include the so-called ‘Scottish Puritans’ (that is, the great Scottish theologians who were contemporaries of and like-minded brethren in doctrine and piety with the English Puritans) as well as the Dutch Further Reformation divines. Meet the Puritans, With a Guide to Modern Reprints is a must have. I know of nothing like it. If you are looking for a reliable window into the life, theology, piety and ministry of the Puritans—this is it.”  — Dr. Ligon Duncan, Senior Minister, First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi, and President, Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals

“ Meet the Puritans is a cornucopia of good things: a remarkable portrait gallery, a wonderful library of biographies, a reader’s guide to great Christian literature, a record of an international movement of the Spirit, a personal tutorial in Puritan history and theology—and much more. The student of Puritanism will often reach for it, and yet the bedtime reader will be enthralled by it. It will persuade you that giants for Christ did once exist. Here are their stories. They will make you want to grow tall spiritually, too.”  — Dr. Sinclair B. Ferguson, Pastor, First Presbyterian Church, Columbia, South Carolina

“Joel Beeke and Randall Pederson have given us a priceless treasure in this introduction to the Puritans and Puritan literature. I have often wished for just such a resource. An encyclopedic wealth of biographical and bibliographical information has been distilled here in a simple, readable, understandable, and wonderfully useful compendium. For the novice lay person who wants a reliable introduction to the Puritans, this is the perfect handbook. And for the seasoned scholar seeking a catalogue of the best available Puritan literature, this is also an indispensable tool. My prayer is that it will help spark a new wave of interest in the Puritans, a new appreciation for their theology, and especially a revival of their passion for careful biblical exposition.”  — Dr. John MacArthur

“Finally, the resource we’ve always needed! Meet the Puritans is one of those books that raises the question: Why has this not been done before now? We are in Joel Beeke and Randall Pederson’s debt for giving us the best introductory book on the Puritans ever made available. Meet the Puritans is nothing less than a who’s-who of the Puritan tradition.”  — Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky

“The Puritans—English, Scottish, American, and Dutch—are being read again! In an era of superficial discipleship and erratic, impotent, ailing, and dying churches, this is indeed a hopeful sign. And this wide-ranging handbook of backup information about the writers themselves, their special strengths, and modern reprints of their books, is another hopeful sign. Meet the Puritans is a fascinating compendium, scholarly yet popular and accessible, that Puritan-lovers will value very highly—and justly so.”  — Dr. James I. Packer, author of Knowing God and A Quest for Godliness

“As furnaces burn with ancient coal and not with the leaves that fall from today’s trees, so my heart is kindled with the fiery substance I find in the old Scripture-steeped sermons of Puritan pastors. A warm thanks to the authors of Meet the Puritans for all the labor to make them known.”  — Dr. John Piper, Pastor, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota

“The recent revival in interest in and commitment to the truths of Reformed theology is due in large measure to the rediscovery of Puritan literature. The Puritans of old have become the prophets for our time. This volume is a treasure for the church.” — Dr. R.C. Sproul, President of Ligonier Ministries

The resurgent appetite for Puritan literature has produced long book lists and heavy bookshelves. Intimidated students and busy pastors ask, Where do I start? Regular readers of the Puritans ask, Where do I go from here? The obvious answer to both questions now is, Meet the Puritans. I am confident that God will mightily use this mind-enriching, heart-warming, and soul-satisfying publication to arouse new interest in the Puritans, to stimulate demand for their books, and so to multiply among us the Christ-centered lives they so passionately promoted. — Dr. David Murray

About the Authors 

Joel R. Beeke (PhD, Westminster Seminary) is president and professor of systematic theology and homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary; a pastor of the Heritage Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan; editor of Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth; editorial director of Reformation Heritage Books; and a prolific author.

Randall J. Pederson (M.T.S. Calvin Theological Seminary) is a member of the Heritage Netherlands Reformed Congregation in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the author of several publications relating to Puritanism.