After reading excerpts from Jonathan Edwards', Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" there are a few items I would like you to reflect upon.
Make sure you treat this like a discussion, not just an individual response. I want you reacting to other people's ideas as well. Answer the following:
1. What images and figures of speech do you find most powerful and persuasive in Edwards' sermon? Why are they powerful (thus, what do they help to emphasize/what is its purpose?)
2. Why did the Puritans value this sermon?
3. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that, "Fear is an instructor of great sagacity and the herald of all revolutions." Is fear a powerful motivator for human behavior? Please list some examples to back up your opinion. (Think about the things you do out of fear)
4. We have been reviewing aspects of Puritan culture-do we see aspects of this culture today? What aspects have we kept from Puritan culture?
