"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
One of the countless instances that may be gleaned in any field of
Sunday's sowing was related to me the other evening by a business man,
who, like others, became a protagonist of Sunday by going through one
of his campaigns. In his city there was a cultivated, middle-aged
German, a well-known citizen, who was an avowed atheist. He openly
scoffed at religion. He was unable, however, to resist the allurement
of the Sunday meetings, and he went with his wife one night merely to
"see the show." That one sermon broke down the philosophy of years, and
the atheist and his wife became converts of Billy Sunday. His three
sons followed suit, so that the family of five adults were led into the
Christian life by this evangelist untaught of the schools. One of the
sons is now a member of the State Y. M. C. A. Committee.
A western business man, who is interested in the Young Men's Christian
Association, told me that one cold, rainy winter's day he happened
into the Association Building in Youngstown, Ohio. He found a crowd of
men streaming into a meeting, and because the day was so unpropitious,
he asked the character of the gathering. He was told that it was the
regular meeting of the Christian Workers' Band, gathered to report
on the week's activities. The men had been converted to Christ, or
to Christian work, by Billy Sunday, and their meeting had continued
ever since, although it was more than a year since the evangelist's
presence in Youngstown. Said my friend, "That room was crowded. One
after another the men got up and told what definite Christian work they
had been doing in the previous seven days. The record was wonderful.
They had been holding all sorts of meetings in all sorts of places,
and had been doing a variety of personal work besides, so that there
were a number of converts to be reported at this meeting I attended."
To have set that force in operation so that it would continue to work
with undiminished zeal after twelve months of routine existence, was a
greater achievement than to preach one of the Billy Sunday sermons.
There is a sufficient body of evidence to show that the work of Billy
Sunday does not end when the evangelist leaves the community. He has
created a vogue for religion and for righteousness. The crowd spirit
has been called forth to the service of the Master. Young people and
old have been given a new and overmastering interest in life. They have
something definite to do for the world and a definite crowd with which
to ally themselves.
One result has been a tremendous growth of Bible classes for men
and women and a manifestation of the crusader spirit which makes
itself felt in cleaned-up communities and in overthrown corruption in
politics. So far as the Billy Sunday campaigns may be said to have a
badge, it is the little red and white bull's eye of the Organized Adult
Bible Classes.
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