Billy Sunday Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description
William Ashley "Billy" Sunday (November 19, 1862 - November 6, 1935) was noted first as a professional baseball player, and then more famous evangelist.Born in Ames, Iowa, Sunday grew up the son of a single mother, and the family endured significant poverty during his childhood. Sunday left high school just before graduating and moved to Marshalltown, Iowa. There he worked at odd jobs, was a runner on a competitive track team, and played in the outfield for the local baseball team. Marshalltown native (and future Baseball Hall-of-Famer) Cap Anson saw Sunday playing and signed him on to the league-leading Chicago White Stockings in 1883. Sunday played professional baseball for eight years for the Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia teams. He experienced a religious conversion in 1887, and in 1891 he quit baseball to devote his energies to the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA).
Sunday spent time as an assistant to another evangelist before embarking solo in 1896. He was ordained as a preacher in the Presbyterian church in 1903.
Billy Sunday is most noted for his "fire-and-brimstone" approach to evangelism. Holding a strictly fundamentalist view, he would often preach fiery sermons against political liberalism, evolution, alcohol, and so forth. His energy and vitality won many converts. This in turn led to his accumulating a small fortune through contributions at his sermons. He was one of the first prominent preachers to make use of the new medium of radio.
Sunday is noted as being one of the major social influences leading to the adoption of Prohibition in 1919. As the tide of public opinion turned, he continued to strongly support Prohibition, and after its repeal in 1933, Sunday called for its reintroduction. His popularity waned in his later years, but he nevertheless continued to preach up until his death.
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