cover image Tongues of Angels, Tongues of Men: A Book of Sermons

Tongues of Angels, Tongues of Men: A Book of Sermons

John F. Thornton, Katherine Washburn. Doubleday Books, $35 (832pp) ISBN 978-0-385-48892-1

Thornton (literary agent and former book editor) and Washburn (author, translator and freelance editor) previously teamed up in Dumbing Down: Essays on the Strip-Mining of American Culture. Here, they have compiled an impressive collection of the Christian tradition's greatest sermons. Moreover, they have done so in a handy one-volume reference that is easy to use and fun to peruse. The variety is exhaustive, including sermons for liturgical occasions (Pentecost, All Saints Day, Maundy Thursday) and specific topics (William Jennings Bryan's ""God and Evolution"" is a must-read). Several styles of preaching are represented, including expository, exegetical (closely based on a biblical text) and prophetic. The preachers span two millennia, from the Apostle Paul to 20th-century icon Billy Graham. They encompass justice activists such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Desmond Tutu and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as the poet and Anglican convert John Donne, the baseball-playing revivalist Billy Sunday and Saint Augustine. Some famous sermons are included, including Jonathan Edwards's riveting ""Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"" and Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. A full thematic index, an alphabetical list of preachers and a comprehensive index make this book a valuable resource for students, teachers, ministers and scholars alike. (Sept.)