1. Jonathan Edwards
“Sinners in the
Hands of an
Angry God”

2. Background Information: The Great Awakening
A spiritual renewal that swept the American Colonies, particularly New England, during the first half of the 18th century.
Certain Christians began to dissociate themselves with the established approach to worship, which led to a general sense of complacency among believers, and instead they adopted an approach which was characterized by great fervor and emotion in prayer.
Unlike the somber, largely Puritan spirituality of the early 1700s, the revivalism ushered in by the Awakening allowed people to express their emotions more overtly in order to feel a greater intimacy with God.

3. What caused the Great Awakening?
In late 17th Century England, fighting between religious and political groups came to a halt with the Glorious Revolution of 1688, an event which established the Church of England as the reigning church of the country. Other religions, such as Catholicism, Judaism, and Puritanism, were subsequently suppressed.
From a political perspective, this led to stability since everyone now practiced the same religion. But instead of being a positive driving force for religious belief in general, it created complacency and spiritual “dryness” among believers. Religion became something of a pastime in which people would “go through the motions” during religious services without deeply-felt convictions of the heart and soul.
In addition, by the early 18th century, European scientific advancements and philosophies arrived in the colonies. The Age of Reason, a European movement of philosophy and science, began to influence once-religious Americans.
In response, the Great Awakening sought to revive religion in America. From to 1760, Puritan ministers began to preach fiery sermons so that people would find religion again.

4. What were the effects of the Great Awakening?
The Awakening’s biggest significance was the way it prepared America for its War of Independence. In the decades before the war, revivalism taught people that they could be bold when confronting religious authority, and that when churches weren’t living up to the believers’ expectations, the people could break off and form new ones.
Through the Awakening, the Colonists realized that religious power resided in their own hands, rather than in the hands of the Church of England, or any other religious authority. After a generation or two passed with this kind of mindset, the Colonists came to realize that political power did not reside in the hands of the English monarch, but in their own will for self- governance (consider the wording of the Declaration of Independence). By 1775, even though the Colonists did not all share the same theological beliefs, they did share a common vision of freedom from British control. Thus, the Great Awakening brought about a climate which made the American Revolution possible.

5. Jonathan Edwards
One of the great philosophers and ministers of the American Colonies during the Great Awakening.
Born in Connecticut in 1703, he was son of a preacher.
Entered Yale in 1716, at the age of 13, and became valedictorian of his class.
Subsequently, he went to the seminary to become a preacher.

6. Jonathan Edwards (Con’d)
In the 1720s/early 1730s, Edwards became concerned that that people of the colonies had lost focus on God.
Instead he worried they were distracted by the worldly goods that had become more plentiful as new colonists and traders flowed into Massachusetts and Connecticut.
As a result, Edwards became a central and founding figure in the Great Awakening. During this time, he delivered his most famous sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.

7. Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
Edwards first preached to his own congregation in Northampton, Massachusetts to unknown effect, and then again on July 8, 1741, in Enfield, Connecticut.
Like Edwards’ other works, it combines vivid imagery of Hell with observations of the world and citations of scripture.
Edwards hoped that the imagery and language of his sermon would awaken audiences to the horrific reality that he believed awaited them should they continue life without devotion to Christ.