Customer Reviews

Preacher: Billy Sunday and Big-Time American Evangelism

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

So a young Carl Sandburg described Billy Sunday, who biographer Bruns credits as the great grandfather of contemporary evangelicals such as Jimmy Swaggart, Jerry Falwell, Oral Roberts, Billy Graham, and the Bakkers (Sandburg quoted on p. 193; Sunday as forerunner, pp. 301-306). Sunday's bodily contortions, his fire-and-brimstone sermon style, and his out-of-control tongue--he advocated shooting all liberals, referred to nonfundamentalist Christians as hellhounds, was an enthusiastic supporter of WWI, proclaiming that he wished he could go to Europe and kill Germans, and waved the American flag (literally) while perched on his pulpit--earned him the "bughouse peddler" label.

Sunday's story, in many ways, underscores that Christian fundamentalism today is very much like the fundamentalism Sunday preached. The same culture wars involving biblical literalism, evolution, liberal democracy, sexual mores, and country right-or-wrong conservatism were fought by Sunday--indeed, if Bruns is correct, some of them were practically invented by Sunday. Moreover, his organizational skills in his across-the-nation revival meetings set the stage for the incredibly sophisticated fundamentalist radio and television ministries today. In this regard, Sunday was a prophet.

Unfortunately, however, as Bruns abundantly documents, Sunday was also a prophet for a close-minded, intolerant, and sometimes hate-mongering fundamentalism. He was a barely literate man who hated too widely and too fiercely, and he didn't hesitate to use the revivalist stage as a bully pulpit for thundering his dislikes. In many ways, according to Bruns, the slightly toxic legacy of Sunday is still with us.

An excellent book, well-documented, well-written, and well-argued. Especially fascinating are Bruns' chapters (7 and 11, respectively) dealing with Sunday's obsessive war against alcohol (a war all the more poignant given that two of his sons because adult alcoholics) and his intense and vehement militarism. Bruns' depiction of Sunday is sure to raise the hackles of true believers. But it's an eminently accurate one.

The author's favorable bias toward his subject makes his account incomplete. Bruns' token attempts at fairness were neutralized by his ad hominem descriptions of Sunday's detractors.

The first four chapters summarize Sunday's life from birth to his 55th year. Suddenly, perhaps realizing that he's just about run out of information, Bruns switches to a background of American evangelism dating to colonial days, the state and national campaigns to ban alcoholic beverages, the "Reds" who opposed Sunday, and descriptions of revivals he held in New York and Atlanta. Confident that he now has enough material to honor his contract, the author finishes Sunday's life in the last three chapters.

Bruns contends that Sunday had a major influence on televangelists Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart, without mentioning the scandals that brought them down. Since the book was originally published in 1992, this omission is quite glaring.

In its defense, the book contains information that I'd not previously known about Sunday, along with this quote about race relations among Christians: "Sabbath day in the United States was the most segregated day of the week." It probably still is.

But by presenting an overview rather than getting up close and personal, Bruns fails to let the reader know the real Billy Sunday. The book reads like a favorable news account, not a detailed biography. I'll keep it in my rogue's gallery of infamous Christians, but if I find a better book about Sunday, I'll dispose of this one.

A critical treatment of Sunday`s life, examining the evangelist in the light of late twentieth century evangelicalism. The first two chapters cover Sunday`s childhood and baseball career, while the following ten chapters focus on the rise and peak of Sunday`s evangelist career, and the last chapter covers his decline and death.

Roger A. Bruns book is important because he really does inform the reader about the significance of tent revivals and evangelism in the American heartland. He thoroughly traces the methods and tactics of those who put on the revival "show." Bruns in "Big-Time American Evangelism" also highlights very strongly Sunday's conversion to Christianity and his drift away from baseball. Also his popularity and downfall is discussed somewhat effectively by the author. All of that being noted, it is almost like the author made Sunday out to be some kind of fraud in the end as well. He harped on and on about the same message of rising then falling, and falling even harder. At the end of the book things become even more morbid as he dwells on about the failings of his family and Sunday's own personal agony. It might have been a tad overdone since he never quite developed the personal Billy Sunday within the book.

While I agree Sunday is not nor should be the poster child for Christianity (His fundamentalism is a little over the top) the author seems like he might have an agenda against Sunday or possibly these kind of evangelistic tactics. There is also no doubt that the author makes fun of some of Sunday's beliefs about patriotism and theology in general, although definitely not overtly. One of the positives is the description of some of Sunday's stage antics within this book. Which I found to be quite amusing, but Sunday could pull it off. He was that kind of aggressive and in your face type. Just remember if you are really serious about studying Sunday I might shop around first, then come back to this publication.