Repentance

by Billy Sunday

"Repentance" is one of the powerful sermons preached by Fundamentalist Evangelist William Ashley (Billy) Sunday. Born in Iowa in 1862, Sunday was reared in poverty. In 1883 his fortunes changed when he began playing baseball for the Chicago White Stockings. In 1887 Sunday was converted at a rescue mission in Chicago. He retired from baseball in 1891 and began working for the YMCA. From the YMCA, he was launched into an evangelistic ministry that took him across the USA. His career as a revivalist lasted for nearly forty years and Sunday preached to some of the largest revival crowds in the history of the country. Sunday was very flamboyant and was well known for his denunciations fo evolution, liquor, and political liberalism. He died in 1935.

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

William Ashley "Billy" Sunday was an American athlete who, after being a popular outfielder in baseball's National League during the 1880s, became the most celebrated and influential American evangelist during the first two decades of the 20th century.

Born into poverty in Iowa, Sunday spent some years in an orphanage before working at odd jobs and playing for local running and baseball teams. His speed and agility provided him the opportunity to play baseball in the major leagues for eight years, where he was an average hitter and a good fielder known for his base-running.

Converted to evangelical Christianity in the 1880s, Sunday left baseball for the Christian ministry. He gradually developed his skills as a pulpit evangelist in the Midwest and then, during the early 20th century, he became the nation's most famous evangelist with his colloquial sermons and frenetic delivery. Sunday held widely reported campaigns in America's largest cities, and he attracted the largest crowds of any evangelist before the advent of electronic sound systems. He also made a great deal of money and was welcomed into the homes of the wealthy and influential. Sunday was a strong supporter of Prohibition, and his preaching almost certainly played a significant role in the adoption of the Eighteenth Amendment in 1919.

Despite questions about his income, no scandal ever touched Sunday. He was sincerely devoted to his wife, who also managed his campaigns, but his three sons disappointed him. His audiences grew smaller during the 1920s as Sunday grew older, religious revivals became less popular, and alternate sources of entertainment appeared. Nevertheless, Sunday continued to preach and remained a stalwart defender of conservative Christianity until his death.

While Billy Sunday was a remarkable evangelist of his time, one of his greatest converts is Dr. Billy Graham. Dr. Graham writes about his conversion in this book, "Just As I Am" published by HarperCollins in 1997.