Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards: A Great Shepherd of Early Colonial Theology and Revivalism Jonathan Edwards (1703-1759) played a historical part in American Christianity as we know it today. He was a notorious religious figure during a time when Congregationalists were determined to adhere to the religious styles of old. His intellectual and theological reason, along with his fervent zeal fueled by the Holy Spirit, makes him one of the greatest evangelistic preachers and apologists of all time. His life, works, and sermons inspired other leaders to spread the gospel message and brought about life-altering revivals and conversions in those he reached. Our textbook author wrote, “All authentic leaders must be confirmed in order to lead.” (Youssef,…

Jonathan Edwards preached his belief in the concept of free will and God's righteousness. He is most recognizable for his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” in which he uses metaphors to convince ambivalent followers to convert. The poet brings his work to life through the use of imagery, which inspires artists to interpret the concept of the sermon. This particular piece of art keys in on the main metaphors found in the sermon and clearly conveys Edwards’s message for the…

Jonathan Edwards uses stylistic devices such as similes and personification in "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" to persuade his audience. Edwards uses stylistic device to get his message across and to change the mindset of the people he was giving his speech to. Jonathan Edwards implements similes in his speech to give a stronger sense of what is going on. For example he states "The wrath of God is like great waters that are dammed for the present...". Here Edwards explains god's wrath…

This young man, Jonathan Edwards was one of the great, brilliantly educated men of his time. Not only was he a Yale graduate, but he was also a Congregational minister. In which ministry was a not an easy or comfortable profession to pursue. For you must be smart, and have a great deal of personal relationship skills. Which many lacked at the time. On July 8, 1741 Jonathan gave this sermon to a congregation in Enfield, Massachusetts; which is now known as Connecticut. He starts off…

Anyone who has ever attended a history class of any kind has undoubtedly heard of Jonathan Edwards, and those that have heard of him are often taken aback by his forceful and fear inducing form of preaching. Many wonder why Edwards implemented such harsh tactics in order to preach the word of God, but what they don’t realize is that Edwards isn’t the only preacher to have applied such tactics. To this day there are preachers everywhere that use fear tactics and forceful remedies to spread the…

Jonathan Edwards addressed the people, he said, “Unconverted men walk over the pit of hell on a rotten covering…and these places are not seen” (Edwards 122). He wrote his sermons with the intent of instilling fear in the audience by using sensory details and imagery. Edwards inspiration for this sermon was his belief that they should be more invested in their religious beliefs. The audience that he gave his sermon to were more interested in newly discovered scientific research rather than…

Jonathan Edwards most effectively appeals to man’s emotion through alliteration and metaphors in order to persuade them to convert to christ. When Jonathan Edwards says “You are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes” the author uses pathos and alliteration in order to emphasize the hate god has and it gives you a fearful emotion because you know you are in mercy of an angry god. The authors goal is to give you this emotion of fear to persuade you to convert your life over to christ.…

some it even comes naturally to. One of the greatest writers but also a great philosopher and minister in the 1700’s that stood out over the rest was Jonathan Edwards. The reason he stood out from the rest of the writers was because he had different approaches and reasoning’s than any other writer in his time. It all started when he became concerned that the individuals in the colonies had lost their focus on God. He wrote his sermons to glorify God by making him more relevant to the universe,…

of Language The spiritual light is not actually a light. It is, as Jonathan Edwards describes, a form of knowledge that is directly received from God instead of natural means (Puckett 76). Unfortunately, that is the closest definition that Edwards can arrive upon—and the closest his readers can comprehend—because one must first experience this spiritual light before he can actualize its definition. As Edwards claims, “there is a difference between having a rational judgment that honey is sweet,…

this day. The man was Jonathan Edwards, and the sermon he gave is called “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” He uses many rhetorical devices to help get his point across to his people. The sermon is very repetitious, mainly discussing God’s wrath against sinners and hell. The purpose of his sermon was to help his people and sinners to avoid the wrath of God and to convert them into Christians. Using the Bible to support his claims about God’s wrath, Jonathan Edwards stresses the horrible…