George Whitefield Conversions

Jonathan Edwards views mankind as doomed and lost. In his sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Edwards claims that individuals are predetermined by predestination. He published this sermon in hopes of exposing the dangers of sin and the need for salvation. He claimed that sinners will go through a day of judgement by God and that sinners deserve to burn, but it is God’s hand who holds them over the fire, preventing them from falling

During the time Jonathan Edwards was giving his sermons, the question of what type of conversion could give someone membership into the faith came up. At this time, the faith with the Church was going on a downward spiral. If people wanted to be a part of the membership, then they needed to be able to show or demonstrate their conversion of faith.

Jonathan Edwards, a famous preacher in pre-colonial times, composed a sermon that was driven to alert and inject neo Puritanical fear into an eighteenth century congregation. This Bible based and serious audience sought after religious instruction and enlightenment. Through the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," Edwards offers a very harsh interpretation to humankind. Edwards utilizes various rhetorical techniques to evoke an emotional response in his audience and to persuade the members of his congregation that their wicked actions will awaken a very ruthless and merciless God.

Jonathan Edwards Sermon “ Sinners in the Hands of an angry god” contributed into the Great Awakening, showing that Hell was real, and whoever defied god was put down. Edwards used dark imagery to get his our heads, the meaning that everyone is predestined and anyone can be sent to hell. Edwards says in his sermon that “ God's enemies are easily broken into pieces, they are a heap of light chaff before the whirlwind”(2). 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 their devotion to Christ? This made many people horrified and help start the great Awakening, making Christians more aware of the power of Christ, and increase their devotion to Christ.

Jonathan Edwards's sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is moving and powerful. His effectiveness as an eighteenth century New England religious leader is rooted in his expansive knowledge of the Bible and human nature, as well as a genuine desire to "awaken" and save as many souls as possible. This sermon, delivered in 1741, exhibits Edwards's skillful use of these tools to persuade his congregation to join him in his Christian beliefs.

Jonathan Edwards, a negative and realistic man, focused on how God is a judgemental god and sinners will be put to a painful death, they should be fearful. He says in the first few lines of his speech, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, “So that, thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God, over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit.” (Edwards, Pg. 23) Edwards implies that everyone deserves to be in hell and he goes on to say that God is an angry God and that no one had done anything to try to ease His anger. Edwards also played a large role in the Great Awakening. He wanted people to experience Christianity in an intense and emotional way. In his speech, he said, “O sinner! Consider the fearful danger you are in: It is a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath, that you are held over in the hand of that God, whose wrath is provoked and incensed as much against you, as against many of the damned in hell.” (Edwards, Pg. 26) Edward’s speech was opportunity knocking at everyone’s doors. He influenced people to want to be saved in a way that made many fearful of what could happen to them if they weren’t saved or a child of God. Edwards believed that God set the world in motion, but was not active in everyone’s life. Edwards believed that God created the world and

Reverend Edwards was a strong believer in religion being rooted in emotions as well as logic. A person should feel very strongly about religion instead of just knowing the way to heaven. Therefore he uses more pathos in his sermons than any of the other appeals. He uses imagery of fire in lines 18-23 to provoke a sense of fear which is an emotion appeal. For example, he says, “The wrath of God burns…” which appeals to a person’s sense of fear (Edwards 41). The thought of God’s burning anger should make those who have not become born again fear for what will happen to them if they die in their current state. He uses ethos in lines 119-120 which says, “...many that were very lately in the same miserable condition that you are in, are now in a happy state, with their hearts filled with love to him who has loved them…” (Edwards 44). The example shows that he uses his experience as a preacher and a born again Christian to tell the unbelievers in the congregation of the wonderful experience of becoming a born again Christian. He uses logos probably the least, but uses this rhetorical appeal nonetheless. For example, in lines 33-34 he says, “So that, thus it is that natural men are held in the hand of God, over the pit of hell; they have deserved the fiery pit…” (Edwards 41). This explains through cause and effect that if you are not born again then you will go to hell which appeals to the listener’s logic. He uses all three appeals quite effectively in his sermon which helped him to get his point across to

Edwards uses words like “wrath” and “omnipotent” to display the power that God posses, and chooses negative connotation words to describe the relationship between God and man (para. 15, 46). Making the comparison of the relationship between God and humans like a spider web or thread, the author wants the audience to know that it can be broken at any time, and that the “pit is prepared” down in hell for sinners (para. 17). Edward chooses diction that leaves humans hopeless, and at the mercy of God. He wants the audience to know that God is always in control, using words like “if God should permit” and “the mere pleasure of God” (para. 13, 7). Additionally, Edwards uses diction to portray God as merciless and immoral, saying that has God is “without pity” and “will have no compassion upon you” (para. 41). This leaves the audience despaired, and they feel as if they have no choice but to reestablish their relationship with God, or certainly face an “everlasting destruction” at any time God pleases to (para.

Edwards use of repetition and diction to build up the concept that God is an angry one by mentioning, “Yea, God is a great deal more angry with great numbers that are now on earth: yea, doubtless, with many that are now in this congregation”. By choosing to repeat the word “yea” in the beginning of his statements, he is able to assure the audience that his perspective is right, which in turn influences them as his assertive tone establishes himself as a more credible character as he seems confident in his statements. Furthermore, the ambiguity when mentioning the sinners on earth, allows the audience to believe that they are not part of these statistics, in which he uses to make the people vulnerable as he references those in the sermon to be some of the many God is angry with. As a result of juxtaposing a much larger world to the people in the gathering, this enforces an idea that nobody is safe as even in their close proximity there are many who have earned God’s wrath. His use of repetition is also seen as he introduces “that eternal and immutable rule of righteousness that God has fixed between

On July 8th 1741, Jonathan Edwards preached the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” in Enfield, Connecticut. Edwards states to his listeners that God does not lack in power, and that people have yet not fallen to destruction because his mercy. God is so forgiving that he gives his people an opportunity to repent and change their ways before it was too late. Edwards urges that the possibility of damnation is immanent. Also that it urgently requires the considerations of the sinner before time runs out. He does not only preach about the ways that make God so omnipotent, but the ways that he is more superior to us. In his sermon, Edwards uses strong, powerful, and influential words to clearly point out his message that we must amend

idea using the same words. An example of repetition is, “the wrath of God.” During the sermon Edwards says this phrase several times to emphasis God’s anger and all of his wrath. Another example of repetition is, “the mere pleasure of God.” This means that basically God doesn’t care whether or not you go to hell. He only keeps you from falling into hell for his own enjoyment.

One can hear a sermon any day of the week, because there are many preachers out there in the world. Many sermons are retold Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments that tell how our ancestors lived, and teach us life applications of how to glorify God while we are living our lives. For over a thousand years God’s word has been preached by many faithful men who follow Him. However, there were some of those faithful men who used God’s Word and their own improvisation to convict sinners and to put their trust in God. Those times resulted in an era called the Great Awakening of the 18th century and they also put an end to the segregation era of the 20th century. Two of the faithful men during those eras were

Edwards appeals to ethos by quoting a text from the bible at the beginning of his sermon. He uses outside “facts” from a Bible which is well known and studied by many of the Lin 5 people. Edwards also appeals to logos by basing his sermon on reality of God and the existence of hell. The only way to be saved from hell is to believe and have faith in God. Though he uses both logos and ethos, Edwards appeals to pathos the most. Throughout the sermon, he is constantly using figures of speech to describe consequences of hell to force the audience to be fearful.

Edwards' creative choice of words that he uses describes the power of God and the terrible Hell awaiting sinners. These words easily infiltrate into the minds of his congregation and frighten them beyond belief. These choices of words and his use of such vivid images are mostly successful in their intent, to scare and put fear into his audience. Edwards held his audience locked up with his promises of eternal damnation if proper steps were not taken. The congregation felt the intense impact of his rhetorical strategies and lived on the fear of the power of God. In this way, he was able to keep his followers from sin and away from the fiery pits of Hell.

And yet, the impact of that sermon was greater in many respects than previously well thought out sermonic offerings. I’ll ask you the same question: “What Does The Kingdom of God Look Like?” How would you respond to this question? Maybe you’re thinking about the scriptures and how they describe heaven. Maybe you’re trying to imagine it right now. Perhaps you may not even believe in heaven. Well, before you get too carried away, let me just say this: the answer is simple. What does the kingdom of heaven look like? It looks like you. At least it’s suppose to. That is, if you claim to be a