''A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Work of God in the Conversion of Many Hundred Souls in Northampton'' is an essay written in 1737 by Jonathan Edwards about the process of Christian conversion in

Northampton, Massachusetts The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571. Northampton is known as an acade ...

during the Great Awakening, which emanated from Edwards' congregation in 1734.

Analysis

Edwards wrote the ''Narrative'' to dispel rumors and to clarify how

conversion Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

to Christianity occurs. Edwards gives a background of the town and its relatively mundane history prior to the Awakening of 1734. In the book, Edwards describes God's

grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninco ...

by using examples of various people from his local congregation, such as Abigail Hutchinson, a young woman who died joyfully. These examples illustrate the psychology of conversion by grace. He outlines several universal steps in conversion: * First, Edwards explains how the conversion starts when individuals with an interest in Christianity attempt to live righteously through their

good works In Christian theology, good works, or simply works, are a person's (exterior) actions or deeds, in contrast to inner qualities such as grace or faith. Views by denomination Anglican Churches The Anglican theological tradition, including The ...

and study scripture attempting to avoid

sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

and

damnation Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment and torment in an afterlife for actions that were committed, or in some cases, not committed on Earth. In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, citizens would recite th ...

and to "earn"

salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

. * Next, Edwards describes how these individuals inevitably fail to live up to the Old Testament legalist standard, and they experience despair at their failures and inherent

sinfulness In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...

, often believing they have committed "unpardonable sin." * Then, Edwards describes how successful converts experience " converting grace" and "awaken" to see that forgiveness is available to all who have faith that Jesus' sacrifice atones for all sins. This

is impossible through works which are simply evidence of faith, and only possible through Christ's sacrifice. * Finally, this revelation of grace is followed by a sense of joy or an internal "

new light The terms Old Lights and New Lights (among others) are used in Protestant Christian circles to distinguish between two groups who were initially the same, but have come to a disagreement. These terms originated in the early 18th century from a spl ...

" from the

Holy Spirit In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is the divine force, quality, and influence of God over the Universe or over his creatures. In Nicene Christianity, the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost is the third person of the Trinity. In Islam, the Holy Spirit acts as ...

and a desire to spread the Christian

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

and leave sin behind. Also, true converts experience a greater sensitivity to their "heart sins", such as

pride Pride is defined by Merriam-Webster as "reasonable self-esteem" or "confidence and satisfaction in oneself". A healthy amount of pride is good, however, pride sometimes is used interchangeably with "conceit" or "arrogance" (among other words) wh ...

and judging others, sins with which they were largely unconcerned before conversion when they were primarily concerned with legalism or their own "saving" works. Even though this change has occurred, many Christians "have no imagination that they are now converted."

History and impact

Edwards published the ''Narrative'' in England in 1737, Boston in 1738, and later in German and Dutch, and it brought him a large international following. Prominent Christians such as

George Whitefield George Whitefield (; 30 September 1770), also known as George Whitfield, was an Anglican cleric and evangelist who was one of the founders of Methodism and the evangelical movement. Born in Gloucester, he matriculated at Pembroke College at th ...

, a British minister, came to visit Edwards in Northampton after the publication. The ''Narrative'' remains popular and modern day evangelists such as Timothy Keller often refer to this and other Edwards works as models for their ministry. The song "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

", written in 1772, is sometimes compared to the "grace experience" described in ''A Faithful Narrative''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Faithful Narrative Of The Surprising Work Of God 1737 books 18th-century Christian texts 18th-century essays 18th-century history books History books about the United States Pre-statehood history of Massachusetts Northampton, Massachusetts