Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards

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Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards Jonathan Edwards grew up in an atmosphere of strict puritan discipline. He became a very religious and devout believer at an early age, and excelled in academics, entering Yale University at the age of thirteen. Many years later he became the pastor of a church that grew with his teachings. His lifestyle reflected his teachings and was a well respected man. His sermons spoke directly at many people and he impacted many lives despite the monotone he used when delivering his sermon. He had a strong desire to revert back to the old strict puritan ways of living, and took part in leading a spiritual revival called the Great Awakening. Edwards favored the idea of the old strict Puritan teachings that placed emphasis on people to live out hard and simple lives for God. However, his ideas were of old fashion by his time and many people were converting to the new protestant beliefs. The church that Edwards pastured was made up of a considerably wealthy congregation and even though the Great Awakening converted a lot of people, it did little to revive Puritanism. The hard disciplined lives of the old Puritan teachings did not appeal to the public anymore. Through this sermon, Edward attempts to remind the people that their pleasures and pursuits of earthly desires have blinded them from pursuing God and the fact that God is the only one to hold them up from hell. In order maximize the effectiveness of his sermon, Edward uses many rhetorical devices to better illustrate his message. In the excerpt, he starts out with referring to the audience as "you" in direct address, as if he w... ... middle of paper ... ..., that huamsn are worthless and repulsive in his sight, yet he still saves them from hell - "a great furnace of wrath, a wide and bottomless pit, full of the fire of wrath" (pg. 73). This sermon was effective in the way that Edward focused on one point, and illustrated it by using different rhetorical devices such as biblical allusions, progression of similes, metaphors etc. He took one point and related in many ways that was applicable and that people would understand, whether it was comparing God's wrath to nature, or our wickedness with material possession. Edward also introduced me to a different perspective of God. Often times in the present, we see God as a loving and gentle God, but in this sermon, He is seen as someone to be feared and regarded with reverence, an angry God that we are nothing compared to.

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