Borghardt vs. Edwards

1.      Times Christ is mentioned: 34

2.      Verbs where Christ is the subject: Makes us holy, took on our sin and death, died for us on the cross, was slain, lives again, died our death, rose and reigns, makes us alive, doesn’t push Heaven and holiness far away from us, came and made this place a place of blessing, make blessings even more, can’t stand to be without us anymore, calling us home, reigns on the throne with the Father

3.      The theme of Rev. Borghardt’s sermon is the complete opposite if the theme of Jonathan Edwards’s Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. Rev. Borghardt’s sermon centered on what Christ has done for us and how we will receive God’s riches – salvation and eternal life – at the expense of Christ’s death on the cross. He spoke hope to the listeners and of the perfection and absolute blissfulness of Heaven and how it will be beyond anything we have ever experienced. On the other hand, Edwards focused on God’s condemnation of us and His wrath toward us if we do not repent of our sins and how God is ready to throw us in the fiery pits of hell when our time on earth is at an end. He spoke of how God is repulsed by our sinful state and regards us as if we were some loathsome creatures. In a major contrast to Rev. Borghardt’s hope inspiring sermon, Edwards strikes fear into the hearts of those listening by telling them of the torture and agony they will experience in hell.