Essay On The Difference Between Jonathan Edwards And George Whitfield

The Great Awakening swept America as a major religious movement. The colonists felt that as the colonies matured they began to lose their religion, which spurred the movement. The American colonies were in disarray with neither the Southern, Middle, nor Northern colonies having much of their culture in common. The Puritan faith dominated much of the New England colonies, the Church of England had much authority over the South, and the Middle colonies were overrun with a variety of congregations such as Quakers and Mennonites. Two of the most influential ministers during the Great Awakening were Jonathan Edwards and George Whitfield, both of whom made a great impact on American history. Edwards and Whitefield shared some similarities in their sermons. They preached in opposition to Calvinism which stated that you must wait for God, instead saying that God is waiting for them and that they may ask God for his mercy. Both men used emotion to appeal to the people. The difference between them is how they used emotion. Edwards struck fear into people with his sermons, such is the case in …show more content…
Unlike Edwards who was from America, Whitefield began as a field minister for the Anglican Church in England before coming to the colonies. He toured the major cities in America and was believed to have converted ten percent of the people in the colonies. His influence reached a wider crowd because of his travels between Great Britain and America, while Edwards influence was concentrated in America. While Edwards was credited with starting the Great Awakening, Whitefield was the one who brought it together. Whitefield’s followers were far more devoted to this new take on emotion in religion. These New Lights, or people converted during the revivals, split from the churches of the Old Lights, those not converted. The Great Awakening simultaneously brought people together and pulled them