The Fading of the Flesh and the Flourishing of the Faith George Swinnock Review
The Fading of the Flesh and the Flourishing of Faith by George Swinnock
Sometimes in our walk with the Lord we get so caught up in the here-and-now that we fail to contemplate the death that we will all soon face. In this video, we continue in our series Why You Should Read the Puritans. This series is built of books that show the value of the Puritans for the modern reader. In this video, we begin the first book in the Living Urgently bundle, The Fading of the Flesh and the Flourishing of Faith by George Swinnock. RHB sent me this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Book info
P. #: 170
This book is also one of our giveaways in this series. To win this book, follow our instagram account which is linked down below.
Author: George Swinnock (c. 1627-1673)
Life: Swinnock was born at Maidstone in Kent and his father passed away when he was young. He was raised by his uncle and was educated at multiple colleges in both Cambridge and Oxford. After receiving his Master of Arts in 1650, he was ordained and became vicar in 1651. In 1662 he was ejected for nonconformity. Over the next several years, he preached in homes and prepared his books for publication. Swinnock has been described as “a man of good abilities and a serious, warm, and practical preacher.”
General info about author: Swinnock was a theologian, pastor, author, husband, and father of 9.
Overall Summary/review:
Swinnock in this book offers us a few reasons why and how we find our satisfaction in God (p. Xi, xiii)
This book is a very challenging book in a couple different ways. For one thing, Swinnock challenges us to contemplate death. We are all going to die one day, and we must consider what that means and how to live while we are alive (p. 20, 52).
Another reason this is a challenging book, is because it is a rather philosophical book. Swinnock quotes numerous philosophers, which can be challenging to some readers.
One other reason is the length. The goal of the Puritan Treasures for Today is to be small, inviting books that are accessible to people who may have never read the puritans. This is one of the longest books in the series, being in the top three for length.
On the flip side, there are also reasons why this book is valuable for the reader today. For one thing, as I have already mentioned, Swinnock challenges the reader to contemplate life and death. This is so important in the faith.
And despite its difficulty in terms of content, Swinnock writes almost as if he is having a conversation with the reader (p. 57, 69).
Like every other book in this series (and in most of the puritans), the whole book is rooted in Scripture (p. 1)
Quotes: p. 53, 58, 104, 131, 148-149, 170
My Thoughts on the whole series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95j_QTG7X6w
You can Purchase this book here: https://amzn.to/3VKhTFe