John Owen (not) for everyone

I’m normally something of a completist with it comes to reading classic works. Certainly abridgements and collections have their place, but why not read all of Plato’s Republic, the church fathers, or the complete works of John Flavel? (Seriously, Flavel is solid gold.) But I’ll admit that even I struggle when it comes to John Owen. His writing is… difficult, to say the least. And yet, I’m still delighted that Crossway keeps coming out with the reissue of the Works of John Owen, including the latest work Sermons and Tracts from the Civil Wars (1646-1649).

So should you pick this book up and read it, assuming you’re not a college professor or academic? Well, to be fair it’s certainly not for everyone. Again: Owen’s writing is tough, so be aware of what you’re getting into. That said, this collection is particularly important given that it includes Owen’s writing about toleration, religious conscience, and the importance of separating politics and religion at a time when Englishmen were killing each other in largish numbers over religion and politics.

So take and read if you are willing to put in the time and effort, it is worthwhile. But do realize that it will require some time and effort, and be aware before you open up the book. It will pay your time and effort, but it will take both.

Dr. Coyle Neal is co-host of the City of Man Podcast an Amazon Associate (which is linked in this blog), and an Associate Professor of Political Science at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, MO