Jonathan Edwards: The man who shaped America’s Great Awakening  

You might have heard of the term the ‘great awakening’ without really understanding its implications. Well, it doesn’t mean suddenly waking up after a long spell of comatose sleep. The world we see today is very different from two or three centuries ago when the church and other religious institutions had immense influence of how people lived, what they ate, what they wore, to what they did. But what changed this, and how? Well, that’ a loaded question and there’s no short answer to this. However, there is no denying that a landmark historical event definitely contributed to the change. It is known as the Great Awakening of America.  

The Great Awakening of America: A broad overview 
During the period of 1720 to 1745, America and its colonies witnessed an intense religious revivalism, popularly known as the Great Awakening. As part of the religious movement, there was a shift in authority from church doctrines to individual’s spiritual experience. This was the result of a transition period during which people in the US colonies were questioning the role of individuals in the society as well as religion. Thus, personal approach to salvation took the place of religious dogma.  

One of the pioneers of the Great Awakening was Jonathan Edwards, an influential clergyman in colonial America. In fact, he was single-handedly responsible for motivating New Englanders (people who belonged to the colonised states of America such as Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island) towards emotional, spiritual and personal relationship with God.  

Who was Jonathan Edwards? 
Jonathan Edwards was born in 1703 in Connecticut, USA, to a family of generational reverends. He attended Yale College where he was greatly interested in the field of natural science and influenced by the works of John Locke and Sir Isaac Newton, although he was a student of theology. After graduating, Edwards opted for a career as a licensed preacher in Presbyterian Church at New York, USA.  

However, in 1729, he returned to his hometown where he took the role of a reverend after his grandfather’s death. By 1733, he had become so popular that he was able to successfully convert licentiousness of young people into spiritual awakening. As a matter of fact, most historians associate the start of the Great Awakening to Jonathan Edwards and his congregation.  

Edward’s contribution to the Great Awakening of America 
Edwards was greatly interested in a personal approach to religion. In fact, from 1734-1735 he preached sermons about personal religious experiences and faith. These were so popular that they spread all across New England. At the same time, Edwards focussed on encouraging individuals to turn away from sin by focussing on personal salvation and forming a loyal relationship with God. This resulted in what we know as the Great Awakening in the American history.  

Interestingly, Edwards became famous because of the famous sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” that he delivered in 1741. As part of this sermon, he preached that salvation was the direct result of God and could not be attained by human efforts alone.