In her discussion of George Whitefield's sermons, Nancy Ruttenburg makes a valid assertion of the Great Awakening's effect on American society as well as other evangelists of this period, "this grass-roots religious movement democratized American religion by shifting the balance of power between minister and congregation." This shift of power can certainly be credited to Whitefield and his sermons which influenced the nation for three decades. Ruttenburg explains that it was this religious revival which altered religious experiences for the everyday citizen, bringing the scope of a relationship with Christ to a perspective that was not exclusive to only clergymen. According to Ruttenburg, it was Whitefield's "strategic reconciliation of power and humility" which contributed to the revolutionary ideology that consumed the inter-colonial societies of New England. This clearly echoes the same balance that early American government was striving to command on its own without the interference of British arms. As Ruttenburg said, a democratized transformation was certainly taking place in America, not only within religious standards, but political and ideological standards as well.

This particular sermon of Edwards encompasses several aspects of the revolutionary changes which occurred during the early to mid 18^th century. Firstly, the Halfway Covenant had recently been instated which largely increased church attendance by bringing in the youth of practicing Christians, and immediately accepting them as members of the church. As an enthused evangelical preacher, Jonathan Edwards used his sermons to provoke strong emotions in the attending members. The goal was to prevent a lack of interest for knowing Christ which the Halfway Covenant threatened to cause. The sermons of Edwards indeed stirred emotion and encouraged listening ears to find Christ. In Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, the vengeance of God is cited in Deuteronomy and followed with a list of implications from this verse.  Implications about self destruction such as “they are liable to fall of themselves, without being thrown down by the hand of another…as he that stands on slippery  ground needs nothing but his own weight to throw him down” are effective tactics to create a heightened sense of awareness and guilt within the audience.  Edwards was also approached his preaching in a methodical and processed manner. The Sinners sermon for example, has separate sections which are indicated numerically. This can be interpreted as a reflection of the sense of rationalization sweeping across nations as a movement of thought process.