A City Upon a Hill: How the Sermon Changed the Course of American History - Softcover

Witham, Larry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061338125 ISBN 13: 9780061338120

Publisher: HarperOne, 2008

Synopsis

The Words That Stirred a Nation

From colonial times to the present, from Abraham Lincoln to Billy Graham, the sermon has been the dynamic medium through which America conducts its most important debates, motivating us to fight wars as well as fight for peace and ultimately defining the course of our history. A City Upon a Hill tells the American story through these powerful words, showing us at our best--and sometimes at our worst.

About this title

Review:

Journalist Witham narrates the history of preaching in America with good pacing and delicious detail.--Publishers Weekly

Award-winning religion writer Larry Witham says the pulpit has profoundly influenced crucial public debates over independence, abolition, prohibition, civil rights and much more.--American History

"[Witham] weaves the summaries into . . . a history of the theology contained in the American sermon."--Wall Street Journal

One of the "Top Ten Books Every Preacher Should Read"--Preaching Magazine

One of the Top Ten Books Every Preacher Should Read --Preaching Magazine"

[Witham] weaves the summaries into . . . a history of the theology contained in the American sermon. --Wall Street Journal"

Synopsis:

The Puritan founder John Winthrop preached about 'a city upon a hill', Abraham Lincoln's two greatest speeches have been called 'sermons on the mount', and Martin Luther King's 'I Have A Dream' oration is nothing if not a sermon. Not only can the history of the United States be told through its reflection in the landmark sermons preached from its pulpits and in front of its memorials, but in fact it was often the sermon that inspired and helped define American history. Between the colonisation of America and the terrorist attacks of September 2001, the sermon has both shaped America's self-understanding and reflected both sides of its most important social, political, military, and philosophical debates. That is the story of "A City Upon a Hill: How the Sermon Made America", a narrative history of events, people, and ideas, showing us at our best - and sometimes at our worst. The sermon offers a uniquely compelling vehicle to tell the national story. The sermon shows that what America says and believes can often be better than what it does, serving as a national conscience amid centuries of triumphalist claims.

The sermon gathers together four centuries of disparate strands and provides a solid grip for defining a nation.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperOne
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0061338125
• ISBN 13: 9780061338120
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 338