June 22, 1750 - Jonathan Edwards Dismissed from Northampton Congregational Church

Joseph Badger, Portrait of Jonathan Edwards, 18th century. Public domain image via Wikimedia Commons.

June 22, 1750, marked a surprising turning point in the life of one of America’s most influential theologians. Jonathan Edwards is widely regarded as one of the chief catalysts of the First Great Awakening, the wave of religious revival that swept through the American colonies during the 1730s and 1740s. His sermons emphasized humanity’s need for repentance, the sovereignty of God, and the necessity of genuine conversion. Though best known today for his sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” Edwards was equally concerned with cultivating authentic Christian faith within the church.

Despite his prominence, Edwards’s ministry in Northampton, Massachusetts, ended in controversy. He rejected the long-standing practice established by his grandfather, Solomon Stoddard, of allowing individuals to take communion without giving a credible profession of faith. Edwards believed the Lord’s Supper should be reserved for those who had publicly testified to personal conversion. This stricter standard proved deeply unpopular among many members of his congregation, and on June 22, 1750, the church voted to dismiss him after more than two decades as pastor.

Following his dismissal, Edwards accepted a call to minister among frontier communities in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, where he also carried out missionary work among Native Americans. In 1758, he was chosen to serve as president of the College of New Jersey, later known as Princeton University, though he died only months after assuming the office.

Why does this matter?

Edwards’s story reminds Christians that faithfulness to conviction sometimes comes at great personal cost. Though removed from the church where he had served so effectively, his writings and theology profoundly shaped evangelical Christianity in America and continue to influence pastors and scholars nearly three centuries later.