Rhetorical Analysis Of Sinners In The Hands Of An Angry God

Puritan preacher, Johnathan Edwards, is most remembered for his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” which uses a mix of imagery, logical reasoning, and emotional appeals, to stir the audience and push them toward repentance. Edwards' sermon addresses the spiritual needs of his audience and is effective in persuading them to repent and embrace Christianity. His sermon and his approach to Christianity was not only effective at the time he shared it, but it continues to have an impact today. Edwards’ use of imagery paints a vivid, yet disturbing, picture in the minds of his audience. This is paired with fervent metaphors, depict God’s wrath towards sin. For example, he describes God’s wrath like “great waters” that are “rising”. Edwards also explains that if the “floodgate” of God’s vengeance were to open, the wrath of God would drown and damn sinners directly to hell. Edwards also uses imagery to help the audience to imagine sin in a physical sense. He states that human wickedness is like heavy “lead” that weighs the sinner down and pulls them toward hell. The result of this imagery is an intense sense of fear. This is intentional on Edwards’s part in order to prepare his audience for the message of God’s redemption, which will hopefully be received. …show more content…
The majority of his sermon thrives on toying with and heightening his audience’s emotions, not their logic. Though he does use some light, logical reasoning in his explanation of redemption, it is not effective. If Edwards was to make the logistical aspects of his sermon stronger however, he should have incorporated, for instance, Biblical archaeology and Biblical science, both of which are tried and proven. Yet a logical approach doesn’t appear to be Edwards' objective in this sermon. In fact, it seems to be quite the opposite, actually. Instead, Edward chooses to appeal to his audience's