“Witham’s highly readable history of the American sermon strongly bolsters the contention that words change minds and alter the course of events.” —Booklist Pivotal moments in U.S. history are indelibly marked by the sermons of the nation’s greatest orators. From colonial times to the present, the sermon has motivated Americans to fight wars as well as fight for peace. Sermons have provoked the mob mentality of witch hunts and blacklists, but they have also stirred activists in the women’s and civil rights movements. A City Upon a Hill tells the story of these powerful words and how they shaped the destiny of a nation. A City Upon a Hill includes the story of Robert Hunt, the first preacher to brave the dangerous sea voyage to Jamestown; Jonathan Mayhew’s “most seditious sermon ever delivered,” which incited Boston’s Stamp Act riots in 1765; early calls for abolition and “Preacher-Captain” Nat Turner’s bloody slave revolt of 1831; Henry Ward Beecher’s sermon at Fort Sumter on the day of Lincoln’s assassination; tent revivalist/prohibitionist Billy Sunday’s “booze sermon”; the challenging words of Martin Luther King Jr., which inspired the civil rights movement; Billy Graham’s moving speeches as “America’s pastor” and spiritual advisor to multiple U.S. presidents; and Jerry Falwell’s legacy of changing the way America does politics. A City Upon a Hill provides a history of the United States as seen through the lens of the preached words—Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish—that inspired independence, constitutional amendments, and military victories, and also stirred our worst prejudices, selfish materialism, and stubborn divisiveness—all in the name of God.

Taking his cue from Saint Augustine, who once described the Sermon on the Mount as the perfect measure of the Christian life, Frank Matera provides an exposition of the sermon that draws out its implications for daily life. Written for readers who want to know how they ought to live out their discipleship today, this volume shows how the sermon summons all believers to single-minded devotion and wholehearted service to God. This lively and engaging commentary is an ideal resource for adult education and Bible study groups, as well as for individuals looking to deepen their discipleship.

In this complete guide to expository preaching, Bryan Chapell teaches the basics of preparation, organization, and delivery--the trademarks of great preaching. This new edition of a bestselling resource, now updated and revised throughout, shows how Chapell's case for expository preaching reaches twenty-first-century readers.

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A spiritual classic, this detailed and comprehensive study by one of the greatest expository preachers of our time explains Christ's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount and incisively applies it to the Christian life. With characteristic vigor and emotional vitality Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents a brilliant and detailed exposition of one of the best known but most frequently misunderstood passages of Scripture. Here is a comprehensive and exhaustive study of our Lord's words as recorded in Matthew chapter five. This beautiful portion of the Sermon on the Mount is carefully analysed, its contents outlined and thoughtfully arranged, and vastly rich and abundant truths are gleaned for the reader's spiritual nurture. The author brought a wealth of devoted study as well as a profound spiritual appreciation to the work of interpreting this greatest address of our delightful experience in meditation. It presents depth of thought in simple language and beauty of style and contains a veritable thesaurus of spiritual truths drawn from the entire Bible.