The Pure Heart and Straight Reason in Jonathan Edwards’s Theology

Building up a rational theology, Jonathan Edwards believed that reason is capable of vindicating biblical teachings. He thus concurred with those who regard religious faith as possessing a cognitive side. In Edward’s theology, however, the elements of “experience” and “feeling” also have an un-ignorable status. Like Friedrich Schleiermacher, he considered the religious experience or spiritual feeling as the substance of religious faith, insisting that if man is deprived of existential limpidity, he cannot perceive the beauty of religious teachings. In Fact, purity of thought is not merely a product of rationality, but also needs a guided and pure heart free of any sins and wrong dispositions. Edwards believed that to acquire knowledge of God and of his words, man first should purify his volitional and emotional areas and avoid sin. In fact, it is our emotions and deeds which stamp their influence on our thoughts, and man’s reason has always followed his dispositions. Edward’s theology unveils heart’s domination and reason’s submission. The story of man is he thinks about and regards as true that which he likes. Edwards maintained that to prove religious belief, first one needs to be a believer rather than a philosopher and theosophist. It is the pure heart which straightens the reason so it finds its way towards the right religious thoughts. Using the descriptive-analytic method, this research explains the pure heart and straight reason and the impact of the heart on the reason in Edwards’s theology.