Jonathan Edwards

1
Jonathan Edwards

• Sinners in the Hands of an
• Angry God

2
Edwards religious philosophy

• Edwards was part of a movement in America called
  The Great Awakening.
• Some Puritans thought that the church was too
  lenient, so they started to get stricter.
• Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Edwards
  most famous sermon, stresses of his religious
  philosophy, Calvinism, which supports the idea of
  predestination.

3
His audience

• Edwards specifically addressed the members of his
  congregation who were not saved by Jesus. He
  calls them natural men.
• He tries to persuade his congregation through the
  use of emotional appeal
• Appeals to emotions of fear, misery,
  helplessness, guilt, and sorrow

4
God vs Man

• Edwards describes God as
• Angry
• Incensed
• Wrathful/Vengeful
• Disgusted

• Edwards describes man as
• Sinners
• Insects
• Serpents
• Spiders

5
Terms to know

• Define those you have not yet identified.
• Imagery
• Symbolism
• Figurative language
• Bandwagon effect
• Time pressure (I will explain this one after our
  read)
• Personification
• Logical fallacies

6
After completing your read, answer the following
questions.

• What tactic or argument does Edwards repeatedly
  use to appeal to his congregation?
• Who is suffering the wrath of God?
• How does Edward use personification? What does he
  personify?
• To what does Edward compare wickedness?
• Would this sermon work today? Why or why not?