Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

• Genre: Nonfiction; religious; sermon
• Originally Published: 1741
• Reading Level/Interest: Grades 11-12; college/adult
• Structure/Length: Approx. 24 pages; approx. 56 minutes on audio
• Central Concern: This sermon is one of the most famous pieces of American religious literature. Delivered during the First Great Awakening, Edwards sought to describe the fiery wrath of God and the precarious position of those who have not yet repented for their sins. Employing vivid imagery and rhetoric, Edwards paints a picture of the eternal torment awaiting the unredeemed, aiming to instill a fear of divine judgment and inspire conversion.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Graphic religious imagery; descriptions of damnation and divine wrath; intense themes of sin, judgment, and hell

Jonathan Edwards, Author

• Bio: Born 1703; died 1758; American revivalist preacher, philosopher, and theologian; central figure in the First Great Awakening; known for his fire-and-brimstone sermons; upheld Calvinistic doctrines; served as president of the College of New Jersey (later Princeton University) shortly before his death
• Other Works: A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God (1737); Religious Affections (1746); Freedom of the Will (1754)
• Text: This text references the Project Gutenberg version of the sermon.

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:

• The Wages of Sin for the Unconverted
• The Omnipotence of God and the Weakness of Humanity
• The Righteousness of God’s Wrath

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Teaching Guide, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the historical and religious contexts of The Great Awakening and Colonial America regarding sin and redemption that incite Edwards’s sermon to his congregation.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of The Wages of Sin for the Unconverted, The Omnipotence of God and the Weakness of Humanity, and The Righteousness of God’s Wrath.
• Analyze the three rhetorical appeals of ethos, logos, and pathos in “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and share their findings with classmates in the form of a three-faceted display.