Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
A sermon preached by Jonathan Edwards to his Enfield, Connecticut, congregation in July 1741, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God is particularly noted for its vivid descriptions of the torments of Hell and mankind’s natural depravity. At the same time, it was also an appeal to man’s need for salvation and a reminder of the agonies that awaited the unreformed.
Coming during the height of the Great Awakening, many regarded this sermon as the greatest ever given on American soil. At the same time, others vehemently attacked it as puritanical “fire and brimstone.” One thing seems certain: it made a lasting impact on American Christianity.
- About the author: Jonathan Edwards was an American revivalist preacher, philosopher, and theologian. Critics widely regard Edwards as one of America’s most important and original philosophical theologians. He played a critical role in shaping the First Great Awakening. Edwards oversaw some of the first revivals in 1733–35 at his church in Northampton, Massachusetts.
