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Imaginary
Ideas of Christ:
A
Scottish-American Debate
by
John K. LaShell
You may order this book from Amazon.com or get it from me for less (JKLaShell@Godisbeautiful.com
or JKLaShell@gmail.com).
This is my PhD dissertation
done under Dr. Samuel T. Logan, Jr. at Westminster Theological Seminary in
1985. It examines the controversy over mental images of Christ that erupted
during the Great Awakening of the 1740s. The study explores mental idolatry and
the appropriate use of vivid images in preaching—both essential topics
for today. Key figures in the study include Jonathan Edwards, Ralph Erskine,
and James Robe. Although the opening chapters are suitable for a general
audience, the bulk of the book is written at a more academic level.
Table of
Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 Visions
in New England
Foretaste of Things to Come
Fulfillment with a Vengeance
The Extent of the Flood
Reaction and Response
Chapter 2 The
Scottish Connection
The Lamentable State of the Church
New England Speaks—Scotland Replies
Clamor in the Kirk
Divisions in God’s Flock
Chapter 3 Jonathan
Edwards and the Vision of God
To See or Not to See
How a Man Sees
Perry
Miller’s Thesis
Edwards
and Locke
Imagination,
or Internal Sight
Preliminary
Answers
What the Christian Sees
Antecedents
to Edwards’ “New Sense”
The Nature
of Edwards’ “New Sense”
The
Content of Edwards’ “New Sense”
Seeing God in the World
Edwards’
Idealism and the Trinity
Typology:
The Sensible and the Spiritual World
Beauty
and God in the World
Retrospect and Prospect
Chapter 4 Mental
Images: A Scottish Bombshell
The Shape of the Controversy
Slander
among the Saints
Substantive
Issues
Theological Arguments
Claims
and Accusations
Robe’s
Arguments
Erskine’s
Arguments
Theological
Sources
Philosophical Arguments
Erskine
contra Locke
The Independence
of the Faculties
Erskine’s
Epistemology
Philosophical
Sources
Win, Lose, or Draw
The
Body of Christ
The
Body of the Christian
The
Testimony of Creation
Chapter 5 A Final Confrontation
Images and Thought
Conflict
Resolution
Images and Idols
Exegesis
Explanations
Objections
Application
Exceptions
Images and Preaching
The
Puritan Ideal
Affectionate
Application
Crucial
Questions
Conclusion
Results of the Study
Psychology
and Conversion
Metaphysics
Mental
Idolatry
Preaching
Relevance of the Study
Bibliography
About the Author