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Jonathan Edwards Accomplishments

1869 Words8 Pages

Emma Grace Derrer
Mrs. Cavin
Writing
March 13, 2023

As George M. Marsden expressed on the back cover of his book, A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards, “Jonathan Edwards is one of the most extraordinary figures in American history. Arguably the most brilliant theologian ever born on American soil, Edwards… was also a pastor, a renown preacher, a missionary to the Native Americans, a biographer, a college president, a philosopher, a loving husband, and the father of eleven children” (cover). Being the only boy among 10 sisters, Jonathan Edwards grew up in a large home. His parents groomed him for ministry from a young age and he attended Yale University at age thirteen. When the Great Awakening flared up, Edwards nurtured the revivals that created …show more content…

While many people either wholeheartedly supported or ridiculed the awakening, Edwards chose to stand between the two extremes in the Awakening and acknowledged the benefits and cons in them. As Professor Kerry notices, “In regard to the second great issue of the Awakening, “enthusiasm,” Edwards walked a middle-path which allows for some ambiguity…Edwards argues that new converts may or may not, be “enthusiastic”…he was much more impressed with long-lasting evidence of moral regeneration, and understanding of “sound doctrine.” With such changing times, as the Enlightenment was still dying down and the Great Awakening quickly flared up, the world, especially America needed a steady hand. This steady hand kept the awakening alive in the hearts of Americans, but because of his openness to the new-as long as it glorified God-Edwards encouraged Americans to step slightly out of tradition which laid the foundation for the American Revolution, which happened after his death. Additionally, being a brilliant and insightful Christian philosopher, Edwards was able to weave two revolutionary events together. Going back in time, when Edwards had to choose where he would go in life, Professor Stephen comments, “Edwards now faced a crucial decision. He had obvious gifts for ministry while equally suited for the life of the …show more content…

We can learn many things from Jonathan Edwards. Personally, I need to realize that sometimes small is best and has the most influence on people. His life showed that the noticeable isn’t always what is needed. He lived a small life and wasn’t as recognized as the other preachers, such as George Whitefield, during the Great Awakening. Not surprisingly, a theme in my research of Jonathan Edwards was his mundane life and how he devoted his time to God, working in his study for almost eight hours each day, reading, writing and interpreting God’s word. Jonathan Edwards is infamous for his contributions to theology probably because he spent long hours devoted whole to God’s word and God cited him with character traits which contributed to his

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Jonathan Edwards was a critical thinker in shaping the First Great Awakening and did this through his congregation in Northampton in New England. Edwards was born on October 5, 1703 in East Windsor, Connecticut to a minister and a daughter of Reverend Solomon Stoddard. Edwards prepared for his schooling by his father and elder siblings to later attend Yale College where two years after graduation he studied theology. While in college, Edwards took a liking to science, but unlike other students that went toward deism, he “saw the natural world as evidence of God’s masterful design,”(Marsden) Jonathan Edwards used his interest of science and the natural world in his sermons as evidence to God’s greatness on Earth. As he grew up and became a fill in pastor for different churches throughout the Northeast, he realized that he was not satisfied with his conversion.

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It is 1741. The Enlightenment is spreading worldwide. The puritan people are leaving God. Johnathan Edwards gives a sermon on July 8th , 1741, trying to convince his fellow Puritan people to come back to God. He is going to try and accomplish this by giving his famous sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God '.

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The reason why his sermons were so intense according to Matthew Paul Turner was because, “The more spiritual successes that Edwards experienced, the more he seemed to intentionally

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Edwards had two sons and eight daughters, ten children altogether, all beautifully trained to follow the things of God and not look back. He spent much of his time with God in his study, reading, writing, praying, and talking with his Father. He still portioned an hour every day to spend with his children, hearing what they did that day, helping them with their problems, and offering his love and pride. He loved his wife, Sarah Pierpont Edwards, with a fiery passion; they both served God all their lives. One notable incident where Edwards did not follow God’s plan completely was when he discovered some in his congregation were reading literature detrimental to their relationships with God.

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Jonathan Edwards’s “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God” was a very persuasive sermon in its time for accentuate reasons. The lecture was targeted at an audience of a sinning lifestyle. The people were limited to a small amount of intellectual knowledge on religion. The listeners possessed little opportunity to form other opinions on the matter. This was crucial to Edwards in persuading their thoughts and even values.

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Edwards was also a patriot who supported the revolutionary cause and used his position as a minister to encourage others to do the same. One of the ways in which Edwards supported the revolutionary cause was through his writing and preaching. He was a strong advocate for the rights and freedoms of the American colonies, and he used his platform as a minister to speak out against British oppression and to call for independence. In his famous sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," Edwards argued that the colonists had a moral obligation to fight for their freedoms and that they should not be afraid to resist the tyrannical rule of the British

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Edwards intended his sermon to have multiple influences on his audience; he intended to show man that he must fear God, while also recognizing that man must take advantage

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Jonathan Edwards’s sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and Anne Bradstreet’s “Upon the Burning of Our House” seem at first glance quite similar to one another regarding context, however, after taking a closer look, it becomes apparent that there are some substantial differences. These differences cannot be understood without the knowledge of cultural context concerning the Puritan belief system and their lifestyle. “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” was written with the sole purpose of scaring and intimidating the people that purtinans believed to be sinners. Edwards’s work contributed to a movement called “The Great Awakening”. It’s objective was to make the so-called ‘sinners’ aware of their wrongdoings and compel them to repent.

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One of his well-known sermon is “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” preached at the meeting house in the village of Enfield, Connecticut, on Sunday, July 8, 1741, at the height of the great awakening. In this sermon, Edwards focused on the consequences of leading a sinful life, the power of God and repenting of ones sins, in order to be saved from hell. The purpose behind this piece of writing was not to terrorize or dismay the hearers, but to make them repent and believe in God again. This piece was aimed at those who lacked belief in God as well as churches.

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Edwards is a preacher who has written one of

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Edwards was using his power over the people to place this fear into their heads that God would come after them. “There is no other reason to be given why you have not gone to hell,”(127). Once again, Edwards was using his power to make the people he was speaking to feel belittled and afraid of him and their beloved God. Therefore, the contradictory styles of both Bradstreet and Edwards have been shown extremely strongly within their

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Jonathan Edwards was a New England Puritan in the year of 1736 as he wrote A Faithful Narrative trying to explain the awakening. Edwards writes this for the British ministers, explaining the awakening Northampton, Massachusetts when though in 1730s. Describing the ups and downs the culture went though with God. He breaks it into three stages of how people worshiped and saw God in their day-to-day life. Edward wants to show how Christian experience and how his community has been together for so long with little religious problems.

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In crafting his highly effective sermon, Edwards utilizes his authority as a man of God and as an interpreter of the scriptures, a logical and direct organization of arguments, and violent imagery to convince his audience of the vengeance of God against man. Jonathan Edwards begins his sermon by quoting

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Edwards saw God’s power as something the world would not be capable of handling. Edwards used God’s power as a threat of destruction. Jonathan Edwards concluded his sermon by revealing his attitude of a merciful God through an allusion. “The wrath of Almighty God is now undoubtedly hanging over a great part of this congregation; let everyone fly out of Sodom. Haste and escape for your lives...escape to the

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Jonathan Edwards, a preacher, wrote the sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". In the sermon, Edwards argues that everyone was out of God's favor and they needed to return to a righteous path. The tone of the sermon is indignant and authoritative. Jonathan Edwards uses imagery, logos, and pathos to encourage the unconverted audience to turn to God in order to escape his wrath. Elemental imagery is used in the sermon to inspire fear in the audience.

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