Jonathan Edwards Philosophy

“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” is a sermon written by Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), a theologian and philosopher in the British Colonies of America. He was raised as a puritan in Connecticut and grew up to be one of America’s most influential protestant revivalists of that time. He delivered many sermons, the most well-known being “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Edwards gave this sermon on July 8, 1741 in Northampton, Massachusetts. The main purpose of this sermon was to convey to the audience the reality of hell, the need to change their wicked lives, and, ultimately, that they should fear the wrath of God. Edwards does this to motivate the audience to live their lives as perfectly as they can in order to not anger God and to avoid Hell.

Jonathan Edwards was a revivalist preacher, philosopher, and protestant theologian. He lived between the years of 1703 through to 1753. In the year 1741, Edwards made a speech to a crowd of puritans. Because Edwards wanted the puritans to stay puritan, he made a sermon called “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and that scared them into coming back to their original religion. He scared them into becoming puritan again by using ethos, pathos, and logos.

Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) is widely recognized as one of America’s most profound Theologians. Some might even consider him the master of Puritan revival, since he was the leader of the Great Awakening. During his time he was a devout Calvinist who had the power of single-handedly keeping the Puritan faith strong for over twenty-five years, by using vivid imagery to provoke his audience. Edward's dialect was exquisitely influential and yet wielded with class and ease. This essay argues that Edwards was a prestigious theologian in his time that helped shape modern religious culture.

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, 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

Jonathan Edwards was a Puritan minister who sparked the era of the Great Awakening with his most famous sermon, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. The Great Awakening was an era in the 18th

Jonathan Edwards was born on October 5, 1703 and died on March 22, 1758. He grew up in East Windsor, Connecticut. His father, Timothy, was pastor of the church at East Windsor, Connecticut. He attended Yale and when he graduated in 1720 he became his grandfather’s colleague at Northampton, Massachusetts. At his grandfather’s death in 1729, he became the only pastor at the church. Edwards was a very fierce minister. He tried to “scare people out of hell.” His most famous work, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” was about how the people are going to hell because they are sinning so much against God. Edward’s work sparked the “Great Awakening.”

In addition to his most important and memorable sermon titled: "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God", Edwards was also well known for his many books including, “The End For Which God Created the World” and “The Life of David Brainerd”. His book about the life of David Brainerd is said to have inspired thousands of missionaries throughout the 19th century. John Locke's “Essay and Concerning Human Understanding also influenced him greatly”.

Through out Jonathan Edwards’ life he focused on preaching and expressing his views and feelings on how people should live their lives and practice the faith. He was very influential in the first great awakening. He also gave various sermons and wrote multiple books and essays (that influenced many future people and

Edwards, Jonathan - (1703-1758) Edwards, Jonathan was an American Preacher, and theologian who had played a crucial part in the shaping of the Great Awakening in the 1730’s and 1740’s. His writings and sermons had sparked a period of newfound interest in religion throughout America. Telling people in Northampton, Mass that they should depend on God, rather than good works for salvation. And his sermon "In the Hands of an Angry God” and is considered an American classic in American Literature today. (95, 96, 97)

The speaker in the character sketch of Jonathan Edwards details his life, his philosophy and his significance to the puritan religion. Jonathan Edwards will forever go down in history for being one of best philosophy and pastor. Jonathan Edwards has many other nicknames, for example, he would also be known as theologian. “Theologian” means that he engages in a lot of theology and is an expert in theology. One of Jonathan Edwards finest arts that he work he entitled it,” Of Insects.” He began to write this small treatise at just age eleven.

Jonathan Edwards was both a philosopher and a preacher who played a part in the First Great Awakening in America. His philosophy consisted of ideas that in which God is all mighty and powerful and that we are given a goal/purpose in life which is something that is seen in Nature to which all of this coincides with God's intentions. One of the things Edwards expresses interest was epistemology which was the theory of knowledge and as such he tried to use scientific method of observation to coincide with his religious belief. Even though Edwards never used science to back the existence of God he did use scientific observation in looking at nature and he does this by "carefully observed and made meticulous notes on the life cycles and activities

Edwards was a Puritan reverends son, growing up with the Puritan beliefs. He matured into a reverend himself, but his beliefs were altered from Puritanism to Christianity. He tried to influence his congregation to convert to Christianity and was successful before being voted out of the church and sworn to silence.

Jonathan Edwards was born on 1703 in East Windsor, Connecticut to a middle class protestant family. Edwards went to school for ministry after graduating from Yale, and unlike Benjamin Franklin, he did live up to his families expectancies and became a well-known preacher at the age of 26. In his Personal Narrative, Edwards speaks on the inner sins that haunt him, and his newfound happiness in God’s grace. He also discusses his progress and devotion to God. At a younger age, Edwards questioned Gods Sovereignty and his nonbelief in predestination led him to further ask how could one man decide another mans faith? “my mind had been wont to be full of objects against the doctrine of God’s sovereignty, in choosing whom He would to eternal life and rejecting whom he pleased; leaving them eternally to perish, and be everlasting tormented in hell” (180). Edwards and Anne Bradstreet both share these puritan conflicts

John Winthrop and Jonathan Edwards were both religious leaders that lived centuries before the present time. They shared the same goal in persuading people into Christianity, yet differed greatly in the way they chose to develop their sermons. Winthrop, a Puritan who wrote based on new religious and social ideals, composed the famous sermon “A Model of Christian Charity.”