Study Questions for Jonathan Edwards – “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”
To whom does Edwards address this sermon? How can we tell?
Edwards often defended the “preaching of terror” in order to frighten people away from
hell and make them aware of the danger to their souls. How does he do this in “Sinners?”
Which images strike you as the most vivid?
Some scholars have argued that Edwards’ preaching reflected the impact of life on the
frontier. Do you see any signs of this in “Sinners”?
When you read Edwards’ sermon, how does it seem to differ from what you have read by
earlier Puritan/Calvinist writers?
During the period of the Great Awakening, the term “harvest” was used to describe the
“ingathering” of souls at church services. Why is this a useful term? Why would it have
appealed to the people of Edwards’ day?