Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards

The Great Awakening• Edwards and his family were deeply involved in

the First Great Awakening.– Religious revival– Redemption– Increased memberships in evangelical Protestant

Churches• First preached on July 8, 1741.• The version we know was give n later in Enfield

Connecticut.• Became so popular, Edwards traveled around

re-preaching the sermon.

What’s He Saying?

• Human sinfulness• Uncertainty of existence• God’s ultimate power over salvation• The need for a Christian lifestyle• Chance of redemption• Importance of conversion (to the church

and not so easy)

Why Is What Edwards Said So Important?

• Only God could induce conversion, therefore the Puritans did not know when they were converted, they could only hope.

• Edward’s reminded them they needed to live a more Christian life.

• Edwards reminded the Puritans that God was omnipotent and beyond human understanding. Human logic and respecting God’s choices could not go hand in hand.

And if that wasn’t enough….

• If one chose to ignore the Christian tenets that God had outlined…….

one would be deserving of God’s wrath. Which, appears to be pretty ugly, according to Edwards

Rhetorical Devices Abound• Yes, Edwards motivated Puritans to revive

their religious involvement, but he was also on the forefront of a new style of writing.

• Fierce imagery evoking images of God’s wrath

• There are 25 images throughout the sermon (not all of them are considered well done)

• These images created Edward’s voice-King Nebuchadnezzar- rise and fall and

respect for God

Now For Some Disappointing News

• We, modern readers, may want to picture Edwards standing on his pulpit, screaming, spitting, sweating and pointing.

• Sadly (for entertainment purposes), he did none of this.

• Edwards tended to give sermons’ in a mono-tone voice.

• He did not believe he was “holier-than-thou”