"Billy" Sunday, the Man and His Message: With his own words which have won thousands for ChristEllis, William T. (William Thomas)
Religion
"Billy" Sunday, the Man and His Message: With his own words which have won thousands for Christ
Ellis, William T. (William Thomas)
Baseball players -- United States -- Biography; Evangelists -- United States -- Biography; Sunday, Billy, 1862-1935
"Produced results!" Every one understood the phrase; in the
business world it is talismanic. As the result of the Billy Sunday
campaigns--anywhere and everywhere--drunkards became sober, thieves
became honest, multitudes of people engaged themselves in the study
of the Bible, thousands confessed their faith in Jesus Christ as the
Saviour of the world, and all the quiescent righteousness of the
community grew brave and belligerent against vice, intemperance,
gambling, and political dishonesty.
During the last week of February I went to Pittsburgh for the purpose
of eliciting interest in the candidacy of J. Benjamin Dimmick for
the nomination of United States Senator. Billy Sunday had closed his
Pittsburgh campaign a few days earlier. My task was easy. A group of
practical politicians met Mr. Dimmick at dinner. They were the men
who had worked the wards of Allegheny County on behalf of Penrose
and the liquor interests for years. Together they were worth many
thousands of votes to any candidate; in fact, they were the political
balance of power in that county. They knew everything that men could
know about the ballot, and some things that no man should know.
Solidly, resolutely, and passionately they repudiated Penrose. "No one
can get our endorsement in Allegheny County, even for the office of
dog-catcher, who is not anti-booze and anti-Penrose," they asserted.
When asked the secret of their crusader-like zeal against the alliance
of liquor and politics, they frankly ascribed it to Billy Sunday; they
had been born again--no idle phrase with them--in the vast whale-back
tabernacle under the preaching of the baseball evangelist.
Billy Sunday deals with the very springs of action; he seeks to help
men get right back to the furthermost motives of the mind. "If you're
born again, you won't live knowingly in sin. This does not mean that a
Christian cannot sin, but that he does not want to sin." This truth the
evangelist illustrates by the difference between a hog and a sheep. The
sheep may fall into the mud, but it hates it and scrambles out. A hog
loves the mud and wallows in it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account