Billy Sunday rant a "sermon"

Which is sad. Wouldn't you agree?

 

Words of wisdom.

I'd like to think of Billy Sunday like a farmer with a mule and a plow. The soil is hard and full of rocks. Such were the times and Billy Sunday put his hands to the plow and did not look back. Look at the money he turned down for playing baseball. Chicago was very hard soil in his day and the easy row would have been to stay in baseball. He saw the field of hard soil and did not think twice.

 

My grandson got to eat at (and tour through) the Pacific Garden Mission last summer.

He did not realize how long it had been there and how many people had passed through there until he was researching Booker T. Washington for a school assignment.

Billy Sunday isn't the only drunk that has staggered in there for a free meal and came out as a child of God.

Thank God for the longevity of programs like this!!!

 

From this thread there are apparently some Christian historical figures who are not open to our scrutiny.

No matter where they erred, if they have what is considered a "successful" ministry we ought to leave them alone.

 

I'd like to clear several things up .

1) Billy Sunday was Presbyterian ( at least in name ) . He was as far from Calvinistic as could be . He lied when he swore to uphold the Westminster Standards .

2) His temperance messages werte preached all over not merely in Boston . His railing against booze was so common in his "sermons" that folks really did get confused about what the Gospel really consisted of .

3) To say that he was no different than Spurgeon in his preaching style is absurd ! Spurgeon may not have been expository , but he certainly was one to explain his text(s) .

4) Most certainly did not preach his way . Take another look at Alexander MacLaren and G. Cambell-Norgan for examples of men from his period .

5) Billy Sunday's preaching bears not a scintilla of a relationship with the preaching of the Great Awakening , the 2nd Awakening or the Revival of 1859 .

 

It seems so...

And that's too bad, because if can't learn from history, we are doomed to repeat mistakes...

And if numbers count, Osteen must be the most Godly preacher today...

From everything I have read, Sunday was certainly a son of God.. but rode a hobby horse to death.

It is sad when we see people like that.
We must preach the full counsel of God.. and Drunkenness is an abhorrent sin, and If I had lived back then... I would have stood against it too..

But just telling people how bad they are will not get people saved...
You must point them to Christ.. not just "put down the drink"

Sunday was good at calling sin, sin.. and calling sinners names
Osteen is good at encouraging....

Put both together, you might have the Gospel.

We have to call sin, Sin, and then point them to Christ, which is the answer for sin.

The sad thing is that Sunday has been imitated across this nation since he died... so much so that unless someone jumps, slobbers, yells at sinners, many don't call it preachin...

I get loud... but I have substance in my sermons.
Not just hobby horses...

Sunday needed a good homiletics course.

 

To uphold Sunday as a fine example of preaching is ridiculous . He was a clown who did acrobatic tricks . He liked to speak of his virility and show-off . He was as far from the example of Paul as can be found .

 

What preacher is as pure as the wind driven snow? I'm not. I can only speak for myself but I do not think that I am the only one that isn't. The only one that I know of is Jesus. Peter wasn't, Paul wasn't.
Is there any sermon that we have ever preached that we wished that we could take back? In my case I have to answer yes.

I agree with Tim in that grace should have been the underling message but my point is who are we to say that his brand of fiery passionate deliveries needed to get through to those alcohol soaked hearts? Those were violent days and something had to be done to change the direction of the citizens of a very ungodly city. They needed to be told that they were hell bound. Those that came to Christ under the messages delivered must have effected some change.

Tim, the times we live in today are completely different then they were then. No doubt you and I preach to an educated people that need to hear what God has called us to preach. How then can I look back and determine the call that God called a Billy Sunday to?

 

Very good point, and I had already thought of that...
Plus are we sure we have ALL of his sermon?

If so, he needed to add grace.. but if we don't have all of it, then Grace could have been in the invitation.

 

No Dale, its the Gospel truth!!

Man must repent and believe, and even you can not deny that biblical statement.
Therefore, 'man must do his part'. There are no truer words spoken :thumbs:

 

He was saved under the same kind of message he preached. And he was a drunk, so that may have influenced his preaching.

I'm sure he thought if the Word could reach him that way, it could surely reach others in the same situation he used to be in...and it worked.

 

Billy Sunday's Booze Sermon was instrumental in 18,000 people making a profession of faith over a ten day period. Twelve thousand of those joined themselves to a Bible believing Church within three weeks of their conversion.

There was power behind that message Billy Sunday was entrusted with by God to preach. Yes, I believe it was of God seeing the results it brought about.

You can mock the message and scorn the messenger, but the proof that God was the one who gave that message to Billy is without a doubt 100% evident. God gave the message and men listened and turned to God and away from alcohol.

Oh, that men would hear more 'Billy Sunday' type preachers today where God caused such repentance in man's hearts that they turn to Christ and the cross for forgiveness of sin.

 

deleted ... Palatka said it well.

 

Exactly, I stated that in my 'deleted' post. Good point and very true.

 

Tim, his sermons did not contain an invitation for us to critique because he did as the Spirit lead him. But heres the problem in your statements as I see them... If he didn't point people to Christ how then did they get saved and their lives change? Many of those who professed Christ during his ministry became 'followers' of Christ in both action as well as profession.

He preached the gospel and it is evidenced not in the numbers but in the many lives of those who received Christ.

 

Amen to that SFIC.

Several posters have brought up valid criticisms of Sunday, and that is fine. I am not saying that he is above scrutiny. Did he make mistakes, you bet he did. First and foremost would be letting a hired nanny raise his children while he and his wife were on the road preaching. He had a lot of friends from Hollywood to Washington that were not Christians. He was quite wealthy and although he gave a lot of that money away he still ran with an upper crust crowd. I think he became too politically minded and at times worried more about prohibition than reaching souls for Christ. (can you say Jerry Falwell) I think it is perfectly valid to bring up these mistakes and learn from them so that we do not repeat his mistakes.

BUT! If we can learn from his mistakes we can certainly learn from his successes. Read any one of those sermons on the posted links and you know what you are going to find, passion. There is more passion in every one of those sermons than many churches hear in a year.

Let me ask you scholars something. If you don’t care enough about the gospel to break a sweat then why should I care? If you can’t get excited about Jesus Christ what can you get excited about? Why are there more cheers at a sporting event than at a preaching service? Your cold scholarly approach might win some minds through the force of sheer logic but most of this world is not ruled by logic (thank you Mr. Spock). Most of us operate on our feelings and emotions. Sometimes we call that being filled with the spirit!

 

AMEN, to that !!

 

Lord deliver us from Billy Sunday types who bring dishonor upon the Name of Christ .He was in the same camp as Finney .

 

More like deliver us from people who like to tear men of God down. Billy Sunday preached the truth and he preached against alcohol. Most pastors won't preach on touchy subjects, because they don't want to lose members. At least he did and converted many to the Lord because he took a stand.
America needs more preachers like Billy Sunday.