In his excellent recent biography of Jonathan Edwards, George Marsden writes: “In its subject, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God was not unusual either for Edwards or for New England preaching. Who can resist trembling before the frightening image of sinners dangled by a vengeful God like loathsome spiders over flames, or of treading on a paper-thin, rotting canvas, not knowing at what moment you might plunge into the abyss and face a just and judging God? The words echo through time in their haunting description of the plight of the damned.” 8 The language of the sermon is intentionally graphic, functioning as “a homiletical slap in the face to get the attention of those who have no sense of their investment in religion or have otherwise shown themselves ‘sermon proof.’ ” 9 “If Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God distorts the larger issue when taken alone, it clearly belongs in any representation of Edwards’s work for the sheer power of its imagery. 7 A more accurate assessment comes from the editors of a recent volume of Edwards’s sermons. Some of Edwards’s supporters rationalize that “Sinners” is not typical of Edwards’s sermons, that although he did preach on hell and judgment, this was not a major theme of his preaching, and the language of most of his sermons was less explicit, graphic, and harsh. ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’ becomes a sermon about helplessness and hopelessness in which we find ourselves pitying the spider and hating God.” 6Įven those who are sympathetic towards Edwards and his theology sometimes appear to be embarrassed by this sermon. The spider becomes our guide not only to the intentions of Calvinism but to its problems as well. By choosing the spider as an image for Calvinism, Edwards allows the spider to ‘deconstruct’ it. 4 One writer comments that this sermon begins “as an attempt to awaken the unconverted” but “quickly subverts the intention of its author and becomes a sermon about self-pity and despair.” 5 He concludes, “In this sermon Edwards leads us to the heart of Calvinism, yet in leading us there he (unwittingly?) subverts his own intentions. 3 After all, what could be more offensive than a God who takes pleasure in the destruction of the wicked? Most anthologies of American literature perpetuate this stereotype by quoting the most graphic and striking imagery of the sermon, often without much context. 2 For many people, this sermon is all that they know about the eighteenth century New England pastor Jonathan Edwards.Ĭritics of Edwards and the Puritans find this sermon an appalling example of all that is wrong with Calvinism and Puritan theology. “Sinners” is probably the most famous sermon ever preached in America and most anthologies of American literature include at least an excerpt from this work. 1 Most likely, the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” was part of the body of material studied from the American colonial period. The name “Jonathan Edwards” triggers in the minds of many Americans, if there is any recognition at all, the memory of a high school or college literature course. Kreider if we could post it on the Biblical Studies Foundation website. Editor’s note: When I heard this message at Dallas Seminary’s Chafer Chapel in October 2003, I asked Dr.
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