The Affectionate Theology of Richard Sibbes

Richard Sibbes ministered during a time when the identity of the Church of England was at stake. Parliament asserted once again that the English monarch would be head of the Anglican church. The use of the Book of Common Prayer in church services was now mandatory.

Ministers faced important questions: Would they refuse to conform to the new order? Or would they remain within the church and try to continue to reform it from the inside? What was the right thing to do?

As he navigated the fraught context of post-Reformation England, Sibbes sought to apply the theology of the Reformation to his hearers’ lives. He emphasized the security of God’s covenant, the call for assurance of salvation, and the place of the heart in the Christian life. In The Affectionate Theology of Richard Sibbes, Dr. Mark Dever gives readers a glimpse into the life and theology of this fascinating figure.