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Owen Among the Theologians: Conversations Across the Christian Tradition
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 27, 2026
Really enjoyed this one from Dr. Kieser and Dr. Kapic. I’ve always respected Owen as a theologian, and have wanted to expose myself more to him and his thought. This was a great primer on Owen and his theology, comparing him to other theologians throughout church history. There were obvious ones like Augustine and Calvin, but I even got to meet new people like Macrina and Lemuel Haynes (how have I never heard of them before??)
Recommend to anyone interested in Owen! It does get a bit academic at times, but can be mostly understood by a lay person.
Recommend to anyone interested in Owen! It does get a bit academic at times, but can be mostly understood by a lay person.
March 31, 2026
Very fun to read comparison of Owen and a couple different theologians throughout church history. Some chapters were great! Some, not so much, but I definitely came out with a greater appreciation for our triune God and his glorious gospel, while also coming to a greater appreciation of Owen.
My favorite chapters for his dialogue with didymus the blind on the Holy Spirit, John Calvin on the eternal priesthood of Christ, and Jonathan Edwards on preservation of the saints.
My favorite chapters for his dialogue with didymus the blind on the Holy Spirit, John Calvin on the eternal priesthood of Christ, and Jonathan Edwards on preservation of the saints.
August 5, 2026
I’ve always enjoyed reading Kelly Kapic. I’ve also noticed that he’s always ready to talk about John Owen as often as possible. Probably, then, this title was inevitable. Though I wasn’t as familiar with Ty Kieser, he must live in Kapic’s usual domain. As for John Owen, though clearly a brilliant writer, I’m really not sure what has brought on the phenomenon of his fairly recent ascendancy in popularity. Whatever it is, it must be catching because I too was intrigued by this title.
The design of this book was quite novel for a theological title. It takes various (random ?) subjects and compares Owen’s take versus that of some other famous theologian. Sometimes the difference is substantial while at other times it is minute. What is consistent is the breadth of knowledge displayed in every comparison.
After an Introduction to Owen and particularly his themes of writing, the book dives into comparing Owen and Didymus the Blind on the subject of Inseparable Operations. It was one of the best in the book, but perhaps that’s because I’ve always been fascinated by that subject and once had to spend a lot of time studying it. Owen agreed far more than he sparred on this one.
The chapter comparing Owen with Macrina on Christian dying was warm and compelling. I enjoyed it more on a devotional level than other chapters in the book. The next chapter on Cain as the prototypical sinner again did not have wide divergences between Owen, and in this case Augustine, but was just enough to be great teaching.
The next chapter put Owen and Bernard of Clairvaux in dialog on the Song of Solomon. I love hearing these older writers talk about the Song because I tend to believe their approaches over modern writers. What modern scholarship has reduced the Song to is a sad thing in my opinion.
Next, when John Owen meets Thomas Aquinas on divine simplicity it seems more a splitting of hairs to me, but maybe that was my own shortcomings. From there, Owen and Luther on justification was exactly what you’d expect. The following chapter was like a powerful joint presentation between Owen and Calvin on the Ascension.
I would have preferred a different subject for the heavyweight comparison of Owen and Jonathan Edwards. Owen with Lemuel Haynes was the most unexpected of the book and was far better than I expected while the battle between Owen and Barth was more nuanced than I expected.
While this book will not appeal to everyone, it is rich fare for lovers of theology. Members of Owens’ fan club are likely to salivate over it too. Mark me down (even if the design is a bit far fetched) as really liking this book as well.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
The design of this book was quite novel for a theological title. It takes various (random ?) subjects and compares Owen’s take versus that of some other famous theologian. Sometimes the difference is substantial while at other times it is minute. What is consistent is the breadth of knowledge displayed in every comparison.
After an Introduction to Owen and particularly his themes of writing, the book dives into comparing Owen and Didymus the Blind on the subject of Inseparable Operations. It was one of the best in the book, but perhaps that’s because I’ve always been fascinated by that subject and once had to spend a lot of time studying it. Owen agreed far more than he sparred on this one.
The chapter comparing Owen with Macrina on Christian dying was warm and compelling. I enjoyed it more on a devotional level than other chapters in the book. The next chapter on Cain as the prototypical sinner again did not have wide divergences between Owen, and in this case Augustine, but was just enough to be great teaching.
The next chapter put Owen and Bernard of Clairvaux in dialog on the Song of Solomon. I love hearing these older writers talk about the Song because I tend to believe their approaches over modern writers. What modern scholarship has reduced the Song to is a sad thing in my opinion.
Next, when John Owen meets Thomas Aquinas on divine simplicity it seems more a splitting of hairs to me, but maybe that was my own shortcomings. From there, Owen and Luther on justification was exactly what you’d expect. The following chapter was like a powerful joint presentation between Owen and Calvin on the Ascension.
I would have preferred a different subject for the heavyweight comparison of Owen and Jonathan Edwards. Owen with Lemuel Haynes was the most unexpected of the book and was far better than I expected while the battle between Owen and Barth was more nuanced than I expected.
While this book will not appeal to everyone, it is rich fare for lovers of theology. Members of Owens’ fan club are likely to salivate over it too. Mark me down (even if the design is a bit far fetched) as really liking this book as well.
I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
June 14, 2026
I am quite grieved over this rating. I had high expectations for this book. The moment I found out about it, I rushed down the road to Crossway to secure a copy for myself. Owen paired with theologians throughout Christian history? What a great idea!
Unfortunately, it was not executed as well as I hoped it would be. I was unsure why I was supposed to care about the pairings in most chapters. The chapters tended to go as follows: (1) simple introduction to the theological topic; (2) presentation of one figure's thought; (3) presentation of Owen's thought; (4) conclusion. Most of the time, the figures were pretty much saying the same thing, and the slight difference between them didn't seem to contribute much more than satisfying an itch of curiosity.
In the end, I don't think this book contributed much to any conversation, which I believe should be the aim of scholarship like this. It felt like mere information for information's sake. However, I must commend the authors' presentation of the chosen figures and Owen's thought. The summaries of their theologies were always clear and accurate, but the payoff was weak. Nevertheless, there is a sense in which the book accomplished its aim: I am even more eager to go read Owen for myself than I was before picking up this volume. Excited to do so this fall with Dr. Shawn Wright at SBTS!
Unfortunately, it was not executed as well as I hoped it would be. I was unsure why I was supposed to care about the pairings in most chapters. The chapters tended to go as follows: (1) simple introduction to the theological topic; (2) presentation of one figure's thought; (3) presentation of Owen's thought; (4) conclusion. Most of the time, the figures were pretty much saying the same thing, and the slight difference between them didn't seem to contribute much more than satisfying an itch of curiosity.
In the end, I don't think this book contributed much to any conversation, which I believe should be the aim of scholarship like this. It felt like mere information for information's sake. However, I must commend the authors' presentation of the chosen figures and Owen's thought. The summaries of their theologies were always clear and accurate, but the payoff was weak. Nevertheless, there is a sense in which the book accomplished its aim: I am even more eager to go read Owen for myself than I was before picking up this volume. Excited to do so this fall with Dr. Shawn Wright at SBTS!
June 13, 2026
I grabbed this because I'm a big fan of Kelly Kapic and church history, and while I really liked a few chapters, overall it didn't spark any new interest for me. It landed in that weird middle ground of staying light and readable, while also attempting to cover a LOT of historical theology, and ultimately didn't go deep enough in any particular area. Probably really good for big fans of John Owens, or the Puritans more broadly.
Video review here: https://youtu.be/4P4SxxEeVoY
Video review here: https://youtu.be/4P4SxxEeVoY
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews