Sinners in the Hands of
an Angry God
A sermon by Puritan preacher
Jonathan Edwards
Puritan Beliefs
• When Adam and Eve fell from the grace of God, they
condemned all people to a life of sin.
• Life is a continual fight against evil and sin. Every
moment, every choice proves worthiness to God.
• All people are alive because of God’s grace.
– He already knows who He will save, and there is nothing
you can do to change your fate. (predestination)
• Sign of Grace (you are saved):
1. Overwhelming emotional experience or inner assurance
2. Prosperity
3. Good Works
Puritan Beliefs
• The minister was the leader of the
community and was held in the highest
esteem.
• Every member should attend church for 3
hours and honor the Sabbath day on Sunday
• Shunned immorality in any form (games,
excessive laughter, celebration of holidays,
drama, music, or art that did not pertain to
God)
Pause & Reflect Question 1
Directions: Write just the answer to this
question on page 11 in your NB.
Consider the attributes of Puritan beliefs –
what aspects might contribute to the success
of a colony? Why?
Puritan Beliefs
• Theocracy
– A society whose civil laws are the same as
religious laws
• Rules of their city were to be based on
Biblical laws and religious doctrine
Pause & Reflect Question 2
Follow the same directions as before:
What traces of Puritan beliefs in how a society
should be governed still exist today?
Jonathan Edwards
• Feared by eighteenth-century
Puritans
• Preaching Style
– Emphasized “fire and
brimstone”
– Talked in a quiet & restrained
manner
– Sermons were up to 6 hours in
length
• Leader of the “Great
Awakening,” a religious
revival that swept the
colonies in the 1730’s
Jonathan Edwards
• “Sinners in the Hands of an
Angry God” is his most famous
work
• It was said to have caused
listeners to rise from their
seats in a state of hysteria
when they first heard it—crying
out in terror.
Pause & Reflect Question 3
• Follow same directions for previous
questions:
• Analyze the effectiveness of “fire and
brimstone” scare tactic kind of preaching.
What works about it? What doesn’t work?
As you read the sermon…
any SCARE TACTICS you find.
• Underline any similes or metaphors and explain
them in the margins.
any examples of repetition and
explain in margins why it is effective.
• When you are done, finish filling out
SOAPSTONE using the information you have
highlighted to help you find the tone, subject,
and purpose.
Sinners in the Hands
of an Angry God Poster
• On the back of your SOAPSTONE
paper:
–choose one of the images from the
sermon and illustrate it.
–Include on the poster an excerpt from
the sermon that exemplifies a scare
tactic.
This one is
missing a
quote.