Journalist Witham narrates the history of preaching in America with good pacing and delicious detail. - Publishers Weekly
“The sermon is America’s characteristic form of speech, and this book is a brilliant exposition of that form. From Winthrop to King and beyond, we speak and hear of our destiny as a nation in the voice of the sermon. This is an invaluable guide.” - Peter Gomes, author of The Good Book: Reading the Bible with Heart and Mind
“A first-rate history of religion in America … More than a mere collection of sermons, this careful analysis weaves the sermon into the very fabric of America. Sometimes the sermons reflect what is going on in the broader culture; other times the sermons direct, shape, or goad that culture in specific and powerful ways. This excellent and provocative book will reward readers in ways they can hardly foresee.” - Edwin S. Gaustad, co-author of The Religious History of America
“With an historian’s eye toward theological details and a journalist’s skill to weave a rich narrative tapestry, Larry Witham has composed a highly readable and insightful criticism of preachers and their sermons in A City Upon a Hill. Students and critics of religious rhetoric, as well as practitioners thereof, will find this synoptic history of the spoken word in American pulpits rewarding. Expect to encounter America’s leading pulpiteers.” - Halford Ryan, Professor of English and Public Speaking, Washington and Lee University, and author of Harry Emerson Fosdic: Persuasive Preacher.
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
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
