Who Was Jonathan Edwards?

By Douglas V. Gibbs
Author, Speaker, Instructor, Radio Host

Jonathan Edwards (October 5, 1703 – March 22, 1758) is credited with being the spark that ignited the Great Awakening in 1734 that led the Colonies to a Christian Revival that ultimately spread from the southern tip of Georgia to the northern tip of what today is the State of Maine.  Ultimately, as the English Colonies returned to being a virtuous society, they became more involved in their communities, which led to unrest regarding British tyranny, a push for independence, the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War, and the U.S. Constitution.  When taking all of that into consideration it can be safely said that Jonathan Edwards changed the course of American History.

His sermons shaped the Christian Faith in a manner that moved the country away from the lukewarm teachings of the Halfway Covenant.  His sermon, "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" serves as one of his best, delivered in 1741 shortly after George Whitefield had spread the embers created by Edwards to the far reaches of each edge of the Thirteen English Colonies.

Edwards died from a smallpox inoculation shortly after achieving a position as president of the College of New Jersey in Princeton.  He was the grandfather of Aaron Burr, the man who fatally shot Alexander Hamilton in the famous duel in 1804, and the person who served as the third United States Vice President.  Edwards had twelve children.

Jonathan Edwards was the son of a minister, Timothy Edwards (1668–1759).  

During Edwards' education at Yale College his philosophies were shaped by people who would later be a heavy influence on the Founding Fathers a generation later, such as John Locke's "Essay Concerning Human Understanding".  The Scripture, and Natural Law, intertwined in his writings at the time, fueled by an additional interest in science.  Edwards argued that the natural world served as a part of a large pool of evidence that pointed one towards realizing all that one sees is a part of God's masterful design.

He began his career as a member of the clergy in 1722, but was an unordained "supply" pastor.  He was ordained February 15, 1727, and he became the sole minister of the Northampton Church he was an assistant at under his grandfather when the elder, Solomon Stoddard, died on February 11, 1729.  

Edwards came to the conclusion that the 1662 policy by a council of ministers of the Halfway Covenant was a grave mistake and began to preach that as a believer in Christ you become a completely new creature.  We are recognized by our fruit, therefore living with one foot in the world is unacceptable.  By 1734 his teachings had stirred the embers of revival, sparking a forty year Great Awakening that catapulted the English Colonies into becoming a more virtuous culture capable of recognizing the tyranny being thrust upon them by British Rule.

While the growth of the revival experienced hiccups along the way, once Edwards became acquainted with George Whitefield, who was traveling the Thirteen Colonies on a revival tour from 1739 through 1740 after the tendrils of the revival had reached England and Scotland, the Great Awakening exploded throughout the entire thirteen colonies.  Edwards worked with Whitefield to orchestrate his early tours, and by 1741 the message had reached incredible proportions in the terms of how far and wide it reached.  Despite opposition from some ministers who did not wish to let go of the former course of Christianity in America, the Great Awakening took hold, with an assist from Edwards writing rebuttals in defense of his movement.

Edwards taught absolute dependence on God, yet in his message he also conveyed that one must be responsible with one's individual decisions, a philosophy later expanded upon by Benjamin Franklin, largely through his publications, Poor Richard's Almanack, The Art of Virtue, and his autobiography.

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary